Pride and Prejudice and Zombies
Director
Burr Steers
Cast
Lily James, Sam Riley
To be fair, I never understood the appeal of blending the genres of costume drama and horror movies. It didn’t seem like a entertaining fit, but supposedly this book is very popular so obviously there’s something to it.
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies is exactly the movie advertised, although it’s missing the strongest elements of both of these familiar subjects. I’ve never read a Jane Austin novel, but I’ve seen at least two other versions of this story (plus Bridget Jones) so I’m familiar with what I’m supposed to be feeling during the escapades of Elizabeth Bennett and Mr Darcy. I was oh so bored watching this version.
This movie takes its dramatic setting very serious, keeping the dialog very traditional for a period piece, but there’s also some really cool zombie beheadings that reminds you what we’re really here to see. The movie somewhat follows the traditional “Pride and Prejudice” storyline, with the Bennett sisters and their mother eagerly trying to marry them off.
After an impressively animated, but really lengthy and wordy introduction to this new world of British Parliament and Zombies, we’re introduced to Lily James (from Downton Abbey and Cinderella) who plays the headstrong heroine Elizabeth, who along with her sisters have been trained in weapons and martial arts to defend themselves against zombies. She meets handsome Zombie killer, Mr. Darcy and they immediately don’t like each (of course).
We’re now watching in a romantic drama that can be interrupted at anytime by action scenes featuring the undead trying to eat brains. My main issue here is that the movie is built around the romance, which isn’t normally a bad thing, but it’s such a boring version of a story that been done…a lot! Adding Zombie killings didn’t quite energize it as much as I’d wished, especially in this day of the “Walking Dead”, where drama, suspense, and Zombie guts are blended together perfectly…on a weekly basis.
Despite having a great cast, a decent budget, and some cool zombie action, this movie was really boring for me. I’m not sure who its was designed for, maybe the Valentines Day “date night” but I do think it fails as a complete movie adventure.
-Markellus
