Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (2016)
This honestly surprised me.
It goes without saying I was not expecting much from this movie. I have seen various Pride and Prejudice movies before today and did not enjoy any of them out of sheer boredom. Nothing against those movies or their quality but it just wasn't my kind of movie. I assumed that this would be no different and that it would just be the same exact story with a few zombies sprinkled in.
And to an extent, it was exactly that, but there was much more depth to the zombie plot than I anticipated. The zombies were a very large part of the story and even when there was romantic drama there was still a close focus on the zombie aspect. There is always that underlying tension that zombies will strike.
The visuals were not the best but were still very well done. The make-up and effects for the zombies were much higher quality than I thought they would be. And the atmosphere kept a good mix of an old Pride and Prejudice feel while also adding a new element of dark zombie-apocalypse tension that I loved seeing.
There were a few parts that I rolled my eyes at, especially when things got a bit too dramatic between the lead characters Darcy and Elizabeth, but all in all it was a good movie that I enjoyed.
Enormously Funny And Surprisingly Touching
I know most people who love PRIDE AND PREJUDICE by Jane Austen are furious about this movie even existing, let alone being successful. But I actually liked it a lot!
I know the original classic fairly well (I'm a former high school English teacher and a current college librarian) and I was astonished almost from the very beginning at how much of the dialogue comes direct from Jane Austen's novel. All of the issues that really matter and the conflicts that draw the reader into the novel are still very much alive in the movie. It's just that they are juxtaposed against the horror of the walking dead.
I can't say enough about the good looking young (and not so young) cast members. I was absolutely blown away by how seriously Lily James and Sam Riley took the relationship between Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy. Both of them are so skilled at projecting courage and integrity combined with deep feelings and hidden pain. They never seem silly even when they're doing very silly things, i.e. cutting each others' clothes to bits in a sword fight. Bella Heathcote and Douglas Booth as Jane Bennett and Mr. Bingley are almost as good, and I have to say, visually they are absolutely perfect as the characters from Jane Austen's novel. And the supporting players are absolutely outstanding! You just cannot go wrong with Charles Dance as Mr. Bennett. His performance is exactly what you would hope for in a serious adaptation. Though that's true of every actor in the cast, really. Lena Headey is an exquisite Lady Catherine DeBurgh, though her character is ultimately just a little more sympathetic towards Elizabeth than she is in the novel. Even Jack Huston, who has been a hero of mine ever since his epic role as disfigured World War One veteran Richard Harrow in BOARDWALK EMPIRE, is an effective villain as Mr. Wickham. Best of all is Matt Smith, who takes the thankless role of the hateful Mr. Collins and turns it into an irresistible Peter Sellers style comic explosion. He's that good.
Let's face it, a Jane Austen zombie movie is not for everyone. But if you're willing to be open minded and you enjoy great acting, comedy and romance, this just might be for you. The sword fights are exciting, the love scenes (including the arguments) are authentically romantic, and the blood and guts are never really that gross. Oh, and if you do go and see the movie, make sure to stay through the closing credits, because the last joke of the film is really the best!
Great mix of Drama, Humor, and Action
My disclaimer is this: I tend to rate a bit high because I rate almost purely on how much I enjoyed a film; I'm as far from a critic or 'movie snob' as one could possibly be. My rating reflects pure enjoyment and if it's worth spending the money to see at the theater. In my opinion, it is!
The movie is truly Pride and Prejudice...and Zombies; it follows the basic outline of the P&P novel, even some of the same dialog, but throws in zombies. Personally, I loved the book and I loved the Keira Knightly film and I will admit it took me about 10 minutes or so to adjust to what I was seeing; but I quickly became immersed.
The action is very well done and if you're a fan of women being in charge in an action movie then you will really like this!
If you're a fan of Matt Smith then this is a MUST SEE, i've never watched Doctor Who, I'm not a fan of him (just b/c I haven't seen him in things) but he stole every scene he was in, he was excellent.
I purposely try to keep my reviews vague so as not to give anything away; the bottom line is this: if you're in the mood for a fun night with a movie with a crazy premise and some good action then I highly recommend it!
I am quite surprised by the low rating currently (5.4); I imagine it is people who don't like seeing the novel turned into something with zombies. At the end of the screening I was attending there was audience applause and everyone genuinely seemed to enjoy it!
p.s. the current voting breakdown has 18%(!) of 1 votes! So take that into consideration.
p.s. if you don't like horror, I personally wouldn't classify this as "horror" but more "action"
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