When I think of Pride and Prejudice my mind conjures the 1800s romance novel and when I think of zombies, I am reminded of the overwhelming representation of the supernatural in media nowadays. These two genres seem very different from each other at first thought. However, being a fan of both of these things, I was very gung ho to see how these two elements would mix.
While watching the movie, I was not disappointed. The movie brought back our favorite characters from Pride and Prejudice. Not only are the characters endowed with the same mannerisms as in the novel, but they also follow a very similar path while keeping with the plot of the classic novel.
Courtesy: BBC America
Actually, during the movie, I had the urge to reread Pride and Prejudice. So if you have any uncultured friends, this may be a way to get them interested in classic literature.
The movie not only held suspense, but also an underlying theme of romance, sprinkled with comedy and laced together with murderous zombies. Seeing the Bennets navigate through the life of love and relationships is entertaining enough, throwing in zombies made for funnier and more exciting scenes.
In one scene we have Elizabeth Bennet (Lily James), Mr. Darcy (Sam Riley) and two trained zombie killers arguing in a room filled with a copious amount of pointy objects. We can see where this is heading. That added sense of “danger” leads to not only an exciting moment, but also a hilarious one. Watching two (obviously) enamored people try to kill each other is movie pleasure at its finest.
The zombies really hold through the piece, mixing well with the other aspects of the movie. It created a drama and added a nice heaping amount of gore. This movie could also be seen as an action movie. While it did not hold many fight scenes, the ones that did were truly entertaining and badass. The camera angles used while fighting the zombies added a nice sense of drama to the movie.
Undercut by comic relief, the drama wasn’t too heavy-handed. This intersperse of comedy is done especially well with the character Mr. Collins played by Matt Smith. He portrays an already over the top character and gives him life with his facial expressions and body movements. You cannot help but to chuckle as he makes his way through the movie, oblivious to his surroundings.
Overall the movie had me on my toes, laughing hysterically and even teary eyed. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies is a must see. And when you do see it, wait until the very end. You might be surprised by what happens.