Pride Prejudice and Zombies

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1374989/

Stars: 3

Rated: PG-13

Studios: Screen Gems, Lionsgate 

Director: Burr Steers

               Starring: Lily James, Sam Riley, 

                       Jack Huston  and Matt Smith                

Length: 108 Min

“Dear Sir, my daughters are trained in the arts of war and not in the domestic arts of the kitchen.” Lets be honest here guys, how many of us have longed to hear a potential father in law say this to us. I know I have. In fact, nothing gets me going more than a woman who can decapitate a zombie in high heels and flowing Regency period attire. Well, if that kind of woman is for you, then Pride Prejudice and Zombies will thrill you in more ways than you can count. In all seriousness though, this film based on the novel by Seth Grahame-Smith is actually quite good. I know right! Who would have thunk it? I mean, honestly we all have to admit to ourselves that when we first were exposed to the title of the film, we all thought the same thing: this film is going to be stupid. Whereas, I did find myself uttering those very words often throughout my viewing experience; they were spoken more out of joy then distain. Right from the opening scene to the very end of the film, Pride Prejudice and Zombies is utterly unbelievably ridiculous. Of course, how can it not be? It is, however, ridiculous in a good way and not in the “Scary Movie” kind of way. To my great joy, what should have been a “B” horror/comedy ended up being a very good spoof on Jane Austin’s novel Pride and Prejudice.

I will be honest, other than the riches and good looks, I always identified with Mr. Darcy as character. He kind of reminded me of the Beast from Beauty and the Beast. In this portrayal of the story, he is played by actor Sam Riley; who portrays him, as gloriously detached, unemotional and as a man who has absolutely no clue how to act around Elizabeth, the woman who he has fallen hopelessly in love with. In fact, I loved his overly honest exchanges with her that invariably shoved him more and more into the dog house as the film went on. Yes, this is a romance at its core, even though there are more elements at work in the story than just romantic ones; so if the central romance is not believable, then the film as a whole is not going to work. Thankfully, I found that the romance captured my attention from the first time Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth locked eyes.

To take a bit of a side trail here, I think that Mr. Darcy is a completely relatable character for the average male man. Unlike most other male creations in the romance genre, he has no idea what to say and do to win Elizabeth’s heart. In fact, everything he does or says seems to be the wrong thing. I know I can relate to that, as I am sure most real guys can. (My brother Josh and best friend Doug excluded from that last statement.) Elizabeth as well, is supposed to be relatively average in her appearance and a person who constantly finds herself in the shadow of her prettier older sister. Of course, Lilly James who plays Elizabeth Bennet is a beautiful movie star; but hey, that’s to be expected. Beauty aside, she manages to capture Elizabeth’s insecurity as well as her strength as a warrior.

The rest of the cast does a fantastic job of drawing us in and making us believe that Zombies could have existed in Jane Austin’s England and the budget is big and very professional; which, adds to the films believability. The only performance that I would say stood out too me other then the two main leads, was Matt Smith’s portrayal of Parson Collins. I am of course biased since he is one of my favorite Doctors; but he is truly over the top and hysterical in this role.

I do, however, have one major problem with the film. The film is supposed to be a comical take on Jane Austin’s novel, which is a comedic commentary on Regency society as a whole; but, I never really laughed out loud at the film. In fact, for a comedy, it was not all that funny. The film has serious identity issues never being sure of what type of film it wants to be. It is neither funny enough to be a comedy, nor disturbing enough to be a horror film and it is not romantic enough to be a romance. Of course, it is a spoof at its heart; but, it would have been more enjoyable if the film had been funnier or more violent. The film does have moments where I genuinely felt a sense of horror; but, those instances were not disturbing enough to make me cringe and I wish they were. I will say, however, that the film is trying to walk a fine line between comedy, romance and horror; which, is a hard road to tread and it does not fail completely in its endeavor. As I said before, it is just ridiculous enough to be enjoyable. 

I do surmise that one good thing will come from this film however; and that is, that a lot of people will have the desire to pick up a copy of Jane Austin’s novel to see just how true the film was to the original story. Who would have thought that a ridiculous Zombie film could promote classic literature, am I right? So, in conclusion, put aside your preconceived notions and your prejudices and take yourself, your girl or guy (But not your kids, since this is a movie about Zombies eating people) and go see Pride Prejudice and Zombies. I promise, if you let yourself, you will have a ridiculously good time.

This film is rated PG-13 for zombie violence and action, and brief suggestive material.