Apocalypse Z: The Beginning of the End (2024)

Apocalypse Z: The Beginning (2024) is a Spanish zombie survival movie in which a man and his cat battle to survive in a collapsing world.

In the zombie survival world, the weapon-wielding tough guys or fearless heroines usually survive the apocalypse. However, in Apocalypse Z: The Beginning of the End, the true hero is not a warrior but a four-year-old grumpy cat named Lúculo.

Apocalypse Z: The Beginning of the End is the first book in a trilogy written by Galician lawyer-turned-author Manel Loureiro, who gained popularity when he began posting stories about a pandemic-ravaged world on his blog. The first novel was published in 2007 and achieved substantial commercial success—particularly in Spain, where it garnered over 500,000 readers. 

The popularity of Loureiro’s work caught the attention of Amazon Prime. They asked Barcelona-born director Carles Torrens—known for the movie Pet (2016), the segment “M is for Mom” from ABCs of Death 2.5 (2016), and TV series such as Vis a Vis (2015-2019) and The Ministry of Time aka El ministerio del tiempo (2015-2020)—to helm the adaptation. Torrens admitted that although he had heard of the books, he had not read them before joining the project. What intrigued him most was not just the realism and geopolitical nuance of the setting or the striking book cover—depicting a man in a diving suit armed with a harpoon and rifle walking through suburban Pontevedra—but the mundane and personal aspects of the horror. Torrens was especially interested in the everyday nature of the terror and the idea of an average man who was utterly unprepared for combat but whose only goal was to protect himself and his cat. Torrens also liked that the story was set in Galicia and featured many elements specific to this unfamiliar region.

The story begins with Manel (Francisco Ortiz) celebrating Christmas Eve with his partner, Lucía (Berta Vázquez), his sister, Belén (Marta Poveda), and her family. During this scene, Lúculo, Manel and Lucía’s cat, makes an early appearance via a pet security camera as the family watches him from a distance. On the drive home, Lucía announces she wants to break up with Manel, believing he does not want children. This argument ends in a car accident in which Lucía dies.

After the accident, Manel isolates himself in his home in Vigo, a city in the province of Pontevedra, Galicia. He is depressed and struggles to cope with Lucía’s death. His only companion is Lúculo, the only connection to his life with Lucía.

One day, news reports begin talking about a rabies-like virus turning people into violent, aggressive creatures. As borders close and panic spreads, people rush to supermarkets, stockpiling food and essentials, just like during the COVID-19 pandemic. Instead of working together, society falls into chaos. (Interestingly, Loureiro wrote the novel long before COVID-19, but Torrens placed the movie in a post-pandemic world, making the characters more cynical and familiar with restrictions, protocols, and the anxieties that come with viral outbreaks.)

Belén urges Manel to flee Vigo and join the family in Gran Canaria, one of the few remaining safe zones. Manel puts Lúculo in a pet carrier and heads to the airport. However, when they arrive, panic ensues as all flights are canceled and people are shooting security guards. Manel and Lúculo narrowly escape back to their car.

Manel and Lúculo barricade themselves in their apartment, trying to survive long enough to make it to the Canary Islands. However, a new problem arises—authorities evacuate residents from high-occupancy buildings to safer, less crowded zones. Determined to stay in his apartment with Lúculo, Manel goes to great lengths to evade the evacuation teams, not an easy feat with Lúculo constantly meowing for attention and food. 

Two weeks later, Manel has run out of food (though Lúculo still has a whole bag of kibble and eats in nearly every scene). He has no choice but to leave the safety of his apartment and venture out, scavenging for supplies by breaking into the apartments of his now undead neighbors. During one of these ventures, he meets Gabriela (Amalia Gómez), a neighbor who becomes a friend. Tragically, Gabriela later takes her own life, unwilling to be a burden on Manel.

Eventually, Manel decides to fight for survival and find a way to reunite with his sister’s family in the Canary Islands. His journey takes him through various dangers, including run-ins with a zombie baby in a highchair and ruthless Russian and Ukrainian criminals. However, as Manel, still with Lúculo by his side, approaches Gran Canaria by helicopter, he receives a call from Belén, warning him that the Canary Islands have become more dangerous than the mainland. The movie ends on this ominous note.

While the constant presence of Lúculo adds a unique charm to the movie, the film stands strong even without relying solely on the cat’s appeal. Despite employing many familiar tropes from popular post-apocalyptic movies and TV shows—such as The Walking Dead (2010–2022), 28 Days Later (2002), Contagion (2011), and The Collapse aka L’effondrement (2019)—the movie remains highly entertaining, and the suspense is palpable in almost every scene. The first half leans more into political commentary, speculating how the Spanish government might respond to a global outbreak. The second half of the movie transitions into a survival and adventure narrative. While it does not break new ground, it delivers a solid, fun experience for a general audience. “I wanted to reach a broader audience, but in an intelligent way, since I’ve already done darker things,” Torrens said. “There are terrifying and horrifying scenes, but it’s much more an adventure and survival film.”

Although Lúculo (played by a cat named Pedrito) is not central to the plot, the animal is present in almost every scene. While its actions are minimal—primarily meowing and eating (a convenient way to control and film an animal on set)—his presence holds deep symbolic meaning for Manel. Lúculo represents the last remaining connection to his wife, Lucía, making the character’s determination to protect his pet deeply personal. Also, the cat’s presence amps up the tension because we are rooting for its survival, like when Manel crashes his motorcycle while fleeing zombies, and Lúculo’s carrier flies off.

The film premiered at the 57th Sitges Film Festival on October 5, 2024, with the director, author, and cast in attendance. It had its Halloween streaming debut on Amazon Prime Video on October 31. Given that Loureiro has written a trilogy—The Beginning of the End aka El principio del fin, The Dark Days aka Los días oscuros, and The Wrath of the Just aka La ira de los justos—there is speculation that Amazon will produce two sequels. Fans can also rejoice, as Lúculo is set to return in these follow-ups.

Watch Apocalypse Z: The Beginning of the End on Prime.

About the author

Vanessa Morgan is the editor of When Animals Attack: The 70 Best Horror Movies with Killer Animals, Strange Blood: 71 Essays on Offbeat and Underrated Vampires Movies, Evil Seeds: The Ultimate Movie Guide to Villainous Children, and Meow! Cats in Horror, Sci-Fi, and Fantasy Movies. She also published one cat book (Avalon) and four supernatural thrillers (Drowned Sorrow, The Strangers Outside, A Good Man, and Clowders). Three of her stories became movies. She introduces movie screenings at several European cinemas and film festivals and is also a programmer for the Offscreen in Brussels. When she is not writing, you will probably find her eating out or taking photos of felines for her website, Traveling Cats.

This review of Apocalypse Z: The Beginning of the End (2024) was previously published in the book Meow! Cats in Horror, Sci-Fi, and Fantasy Movies.

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