Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice is among the most beloved novels of all-time. When Seth Grahame-Smith added zombies to the mix and gave us Pride & Prejudice & Zombies, it struck a chord and became a runaway sensation. It may have taken seven years, but the movie version has triumphantly arrived on screens.
Lily James stars as Elizabeth Bennet, the oldest and most opinionated, in the best possible of ways, of the Bennet sisters. She and her other four sisters have been training to kill zombies since an early age – even sent to China for advanced martial arts training. Yes, this is not exactly the world that Austen imagined. But, and this is what is so bloody fantastic about Pride & Prejudice & Zombies, it is pure Austen in every shape and form.
It’s nineteenth century England and out in the countryside, the Bennets and other families like them are doing just fine. That is largely due to the fact that Mr. Darcy (Sam Riley) is one of the most hardened zombie killers in the country. The Bennet sisters do quite alright as well. But it is Mr. Darcy, and his mysterious flies who can “sniff” out the undead, who keep the landscape safe from those who would eat your brains.
Meanwhile, in London, the city has the most fragile of balances in place as zombies are continually trying to overtake the city. The only thing keeping the city safe is the fact that the sole remaining bridge is guarded like a fortress.
Darcy and Elizabeth have their flirtatious quarrels, while her sister Jane (Bella Heathcote) is quite taken with his BFF, Mr. Bingley (Douglas Booth). Comedically complicating things is Matt Smith’s Mr. Collins. He’s enamored of Elizabeth, but she wants nothing to do with him. The love circles of Austen’s book are alive in well in this zombie-fied version of the classic tale of love, class difference, pride and yes, prejudice.
Before the audience gets too embroiled in the world of Austen, the Grahame-Smith element rears their ugly and decaying heads. It’s quite a delightful combination not only in subject matter, but visually and sonically. To see characters in pitch perfect period costumes, utterly dialogue of the day… all while battling zombies, is a true tantalizing treat. Who would have thought that the combination of one of the most talented writers of all-time with a horror genre that is all the rage right now, would result in such fun? Grahame-Smith, that’s who! And thank goodness he melded these two worlds together because witnessing his imagination wreak havoc on the Victorian world of Austen could not be more enjoyable.
Keeping things balanced between the world of lovelorn youth of a bygone era and the battle for humanity’s survival is firmly in the hands of writer-director Burr Steers. He could not have been a better choice to bring the collective authors’ vision to life. Steers keenly understands the world of Austen, and he has too a passion for the horror genre and its elements.
What is so fascinating and truly remarkable is that some of the most resonant lines, laugh-out-loud moments, and cheer inducing scenes are all directly from the iconic author’s book. The scares, the overall dramatic context of our Pride & Prejudice & Zombies world is firmly Grahame-Smith. Steers has brought both to life cinematically in an energetic, wildly romantic and stunningly beautiful (if you can believe that phrase be used for a zombie movie) way.
Grade: B+