‘Pride and Prejudice and Zombies’ Theatrical Review

It’s almost Valentine’s Day, which means a lot of romantic movies are in theaters, and there is nothing better than a classic romance like Pride and Prejudice…. and Zombies. Ah yes, nothing like the undead to warm your cold dead heart and make you believe in love again.

In all seriousness, the movie, based on the book by Seth Grahame-Smith (same man behind Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter) has hit theaters. It takes the classic story of Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy and adds a zombie apocalypse. 

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In case you don’t know, in the classic Jane Austen story Elizabeth Bennet is a young woman living in the early 19th century with her 5 sisters and parents. Her mother is desperate to wed them off, but Elizabeth is thoroughly feminist and refuses to marry just because it’s expected of her. 

The very wealthy Mr. Bingley moves into the neighborhood with his friend Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth’s mother is determined to marry one of her daughters off to each of them. Mr. Darcy, though, is found to be incredibly rude and unlikable. He and Elizabeth immediately form a discordance. Through the story, hijinks befitting the 19th century ensue and (sorry, but this isn’t a spoiler because the book was published in 1813) Elizabeth and Darcy fall in love.

But in the original, Elizabeth is not a master swordsman. Yet you can see how she fits into a warrior’s position very well. This mash up of the genres actually follows the original story closely, seamlessly weaving the undead into the classic storyline. Mr. Darcy is a famous zombie hunter in England and Elizabeth and her sisters received combat training in China, which is absolutely scandalous since everyone in respectable society trains in Japan, SHOCKING!

Pride and Prejudice is actually one of my favorite love stories, so I know the story and characters extremely well. I was impressed with Lily James’ portrayal of Elizabeth Bennet. The character is very strong and unrelenting in her pride. James stepped into this iconic role and did it justice, especially for an adaption that included physical strength.

Mr. Darcy (Sam Riley), on the other hand, did not live up to his role. He was a very good Darcy, but just didn’t quite reach that air of haughty aristocracy and imposing manner befitting the character. Riley is still a very good actor, enjoyable to watch. His performance doesn’t take away from the movie but doesn’t distinguish his version of the famous leading man from other actors who came before him

I enjoyed this version very much. I was expecting an air of ridiculousness and commercialism with adding zombies to a classic, but the writers did a very good job. The movie still kept the Pride and Prejudice feeling, while adding a supernatural adventure and even a full-out war.

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It did have shortcomings. The writers seem to plant clues to a larger mystery surrounding the zombies but don’t do a very good job getting their point across until the actual big reveal. They also could have deepened that zombie mystery storyline. The end suggests a possible sequel where they might reveal more, but I wish it was done in this movie. It would have fleshed out the villain (pun intended) and added real weight to the evil plot.

The real highlight of the movie is Matt Smith, who plays Parson Collins. His entire character (who is in the original) has been transformed into comedic relief and makes fun of the original story. He is very old-fashioned and obsessed with how he presents himself in public. It is almost an inside joke. You need to know the original story to really understand why his character is hysterical. Also, if you are a fan of Doctor Who, it’s even funnier. I am extremely impressed with his performance and hope this will help separate him from being viewed as the Doctor. Maybe we will get to see him in more movies coming soon.

This will probably be a cult classic, though. Pride and Prejudice fans will enjoy the love story, and zombie fans will enjoy the undead aspect. There are many people like me, who enjoy both, and this movie is definitely for them–but not the majority. If you fit into that, go see it in theaters. If not, wait for it OnDemand, but most people should see it at some point. It’s not everyday you see a zombie-apocalypse movie that isn’t set in modern times–a rare and exciting experience indeed.

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