This is a guest review by our buddy @BackSeatViewer – Check out his other stuff!
Would you be worried about trying to find someone to marry during a zom-pocalypse? In February 2016, we heard the answer from a mother of five daughters, and it was yes!
Directing this 107 minute action/horror/romance is Burr Steers.
Some of the cast is: Lily James as Elizabeth Bennet, Sam Riley as Mr. Darcy, Bella Heathcote as Jane Bennet, Matt Smith as Mr. Collins, Douglas Booth as Mr. Bingley, Lena Headey as Lady Catherine de Bourgh, Charles Dance as Mr. Bennet, Sally Phillips as Mrs. Bennet and Jack Huston as George Wickham.
During the 19th century, the people of England had certain pressures to deal with. Like, surviving plagues, a lady’s need to marry a wealthy gentleman, and of course, how to fight off… a zombie. However, Elizabeth Bennet was more concerned with the zombies than she was finding a husband. Mr. Bennet wanted to make sure his five daughters would be able to survive, then worry about finding a husband. Even though that mentality made Elizabeth very skillful, it also made her a bit unladylike; making it harder for her to find a suitor. Wife material or not, there are bigger problems on the horizon because the ever growing zombie population is on the move and it looks like the Bennet’s town is next on the menu.
So, here’s the schtick, author Seth Grahmae-Smith took Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice (1813), filled it full of wit and zombies, and then turned it loose to ravage a world of readers. Apparently, the fans dug it cause it hit number three on the New York Times bestsellers list back 2009. So, why not turn it into a movie!
The screenplay was written by Burr Steers. Now, I’ve never read Grahmae-Smith’s books so I don’t know what or how much was changed, but I really liked the way the movie turned out. There’s some brilliant writing in this one and quite a few funny moments that keep things entertaining. Then, of course it has some close calls, or full out zombie attacks to keep things interesting.
The playthrough hooks you right off the bat and keeps your attention all the way through. The zombie madness is mixed into the “everyday” of the 19th century world, and things blend surprisingly well. I liked that they didn’t go all Dawn of the Dead (2004) gory with this one. Instead, they focus on what’s going on with the characters that just happen to have to deal with zombies in their lives. The zombies are more of a secondary story point, so they leave the violent zombie action more to your imagination, which really worked for this one.
I thought the special effects looked good, but there were times where the CGI didn’t blend in very well. Other than that, the make-up effects looked killer and they had some nice looking zombies throughout the film. I really liked the effects they used to tell the backstory, it showed some good imagination by the creators and helped add variety to the visuals. Yeah, there are some zombies eating things/people so things get bloody, but it never gets gory.
I thought everyone in the cast did a great job. I would have liked to have seen Headly get some more screen time, cause she’s awesome, but it is what it is. The rocky, love/hate chemistry between Lily James and Sam Riley made for some very entertaining scenes and probably some of my favorite parts in the movie.
Overall, this isn’t your typical “horror” filled zom-pacolypse flick, but It has enough going on to make it worth catching.
