Pride and Prejudice and Zombies

Being a Jane Austen purist, I was quite horrified when Seth Grahame-Smith published his book Pride and Prejudice and Zombies in 2009. To date, the novel has over 100,000
reviews on Goodreads with a solid 4 star rating. I refused to read it. How dare he parody Dear Jane. To me it was as sacrilegious as desecrating the Bible.

That being said, this morning as I was checking email, I happened to stumble across the movie version on my free movie weekend package offered by my television provider. I didn't see the first 20 minutes, but became quite engaged with the plot as I watched.

Okay, let me rephrase that-- I became quite engaged with Sam Riley's portrayal as Mr. Darcy. I mean, who doesn't love Darcy? Even a zombie killing Darcy. Lilly James was also quite good as Lizzie Bennett. I have to say I just about fell off my chair as I watched Lizzie try to kill Darcy after he declared his love for her at Rosings.

Who doesn't love Darcy in black leather?

Granted, the plot was stupid--zombies? Really? However, I did like the way Grahame-Smith (and Burr Steers as the screenwriter) kept most of Dear Jane's indomitable words intact. It was, I have to admit, kind of fun to see how they were used in spite of the undead gracing the screen.

I loved the costumes! I can't say that enough. Lots of black leather encasing genteel 18th century fashion--a new trend I would love to emulate. Alas, I'm afraid it would not look as good on me as it did them.

Lilly James did a credible job as Lizzie Bennett, given the script. She showed as much pluck as the original Lizzie.

And I hated George Wickham with the same veracity that I did when I read the original. Even without knowing the plot, I knew he was a zombie.

However, I was quite disappointed with the ending. I wanted something more, but don't know what. In all the movie versions I've watched, the ending is the same--Darcy and Elizabeth and Jane and Bingley marry. With zombies added into the mix, I kind of thought it would be different. I always watch the credits and was surprised there was a snippet more, but that wasn't the ending I wanted.

Anyway, if you're looking for a weirdly fun adventure with an old favorite, watch this. I can honestly say, I will see it again. I know it doesn't have favorable ratings as a movie, but I'd give it 4 out of 5 stars.

Anne Gallagher (c) 2017