I think this review could either make or break my closest friendships.
I’m not normally one for films, but after being hounded relentlessly by my closest friends to watch 2005 Pride and Prejudice I have conceded. According to them, it’s a crime that I have never watched it before, and they’ve demanded I watch it for nearly over a year now!
I rarely watch romance films, but I am a sucker for a period piece, so I thought I’d give this a go. Having neither read any of Jane Austin’s novels nor watched any adaptations, I went at this film with no preconceptions, except wanting to see some stunning landscapes.
So, here is my honest review of 2005 Pride and Prejudice.
It begins with the protagonist, Elizabeth Bennet, gracefully reading a book in a field with no desire to look where she’s going (which is slightly unrealistic, but I’ll let it pass). It follows the usual problem of late 18th century England: bachelors whose sole aim in life is to seek a suitable lady friend. We are then introduced to Mr Darcy, one of those lonely, rich, handsome bachelors. My initial thought was that he lacks charisma. Honestly, I think my nearest brick wall has more personality. That being said, he did grow on me about ¾ of the way through. A little late for character development but again, I’ll take it.
The story is relatively predictable but Mr Darcy’s distressing inability to express his emotions threw me off. The most predictable part of the story was once Elizabeth realised Darcy might not be available, she immediately wanted him. It was quite raw, and I love how Elizabeth spoke her mind, even if it wasn’t quite the ladylike response people were expecting.
I don’t feel like the story was as deep as it could have been given the film was 2 hours, but it had a lot of charm and was everything you’d expect from a Jane Austin adaptation.
The ending was pleasant enough and I felt genuinely happy for the characters. It was refreshing to see everything work out for everyone in the story. It was light-hearted and funny in parts, the romance wasn’t too gooey, and the awkward moments were not awkward enough to be unbearable. Overall, I give this Pride and Prejudice an 8/10.