Stolz und Vorurteil & Zombies

I fully expected this film to be slightly underwhelming but possibly a bit of fun and I never read any reviews on here or elsewhere before watching it. It was very funny, witty and thoroughly absorbing. The acting was excellent - Matt Smith, as others have said is wonderful - and the production superb. The peculiarities of the novel are self evident and, when the zombie influences are absent, you could think you are watching another excellent version of Pride and Prejudice. I have now read many reviews on here and am pleased to find that many reviewers have given the film praise. The low score is disappointing so I can only assume that many people have just written off the film either not having watched it or are just trying to be clever and above it all. Some reviews I've read are really quite pompous in their approach. If you have an open mind, an imagination and, preferably a liking for both Austen and zombies you will find this film irresistible. I have noticed that some reviewers say this is just a Victorian / zombie romance. It's Georgian, more precisely Regency and, although a romance, is a story of manners. Great stuff.

Greetings again from the darkness. For those high school Literature teachers struggling to get their students to embrace the classics from writers like Jane Austen, this movie won't help much. However, chances are good that those same students will enjoy this blending of 19th century British class warfare with "The Walking Dead" – likely one of their favorite shows. The zombie apocalypse has landed in the middle of Austen's prim and proper story, including the repressed attraction between Elizabeth Bennett and Mr. Darcy.

Anyone expecting the serious undertones of Ms. Austen's1813 novel will be disappointed … but the title should have provided a pretty solid hint. While her characters and general story line act as a structure here, it's really based on Seth Grahame-Smith's YA hit novel … delivering zombie battles and often zany humor. Burr Steers (Igby Goes Down) directs his own adapted screenplay and seems to really be having a great time – right along with his talented cast. The sets, costumes, dialogue and fight scenes work together to create an unusual movie experience that will generate plenty of laughs while not dwelling on the zombies or violence (it is PG-13). Expect most critics to destroy this one because it's made simply for fun, not for art.

Of course, any Pride and Prejudice spin-off (even one with zombies) must pay particular attention to Elizabeth Bennett and Mr. Darcy. It turns out that Elizabeth and her four sisters are highly trained warriors raised to survive against the undead. It's even clearer for Mr. Darcy as he is billed as a zombie hunter and protector of Mr. Bingley, the rich bachelor hooked on Jane Bennett. Things get muddled by the devious Mr. Wickham, a focused Lady Catherine de Bourgh, and especially the flamboyant fop Parson Collins. The interactions between these characters bounce between loyalty, romantic attraction, emotional turmoil and hand-to-hand combat … with enough comedic elements that most viewers will find plenty of opportunities to laugh.

The talented cast is all in. They play it mostly straight (with one major exception) to achieve the balance between somber and silly. Lily James ("Downton Abbey") and Sam Riley (On the Road, 2012) are both fun to watch as Elizabeth and Darcy. They are the film's best fighters … both with swords and words. Bella Heathcoate (Dark Shadows, 2012) is "the pretty one" Jane, who is wooed by Douglas Booth (Noah, 2014) as Mr. Bingley. Lena Headey ("Game of Thrones") makes an impression in her limited screen time as an eye-patched Lady Catherine de Bourgh, and Jack Huston ("Boardwalk Empire") is well cast as Wickham. Screen veterans Charles Dance and Sally Phillips take on the role of parents to the five Bennett daughters, but it's Matt Smith ("Dr Who"), who turns the film on its ear with his unconventional twist on the oddball Parson Collins, who pretty much steals each of his scenes. He had those in the theatre laughing out loud more than a few times.

Pity is the word that comes to mind for any young man who takes these Bennett girls to the prom … or more likely to one of the societal balls. The weapons hidden under their formal gowns offer fair warning to zombies and handsy suitors alike. It's this element of strong women (physically and emotionally) that might even allow Ms. Austen to appreciate what's happened to her characters … were she alive to see it.

Even though the film offers plenty of fun with laughs and action and romance, let's hope it doesn't kick off a new zombie-adaptation trend. Here are a few titles that we hope never see the big screen: Sense and Sensibilities and Zombies, War and Peace and Zombies, Crime and Punishment and Zombies, The Old Zombie and the Sea, Wuthering Zombies, Romeo and Juliet and Zombies, and Alice's Adventure in Zombieland.

Well, first time for accident I saw the trailer I was shocked, I used to really love Jane Austen's adaptation movies, because love her work. But this was different and trailer was kind of too much for me.

Nevertheless, I felt curiosity about it. And then I saw it. I must confess that I had seen "Pride and Prejudice"'s Joe Wright (2005) like thousands of times and zombies don't bother me so why not? well the movie was just Lovely! Seen this girls as a powerful warriors, seen our beloved Lizzie fight it against zombies without fear, with grace and elegance was great! There are some things make me doubt but is refreshing, have some action, some brains and of course Mr. Darcy the personification of charming prince doesn't disappoint is sexy in his own way.

The landscapes are beautiful, some great actors around and zombies are OK. It's not the movie that will change your life but if you are a big fan you're going to smile you'll thrill every time Mr. Darcy and Lizzie's eyes meet and with every interaction. it doesn't matter if are zombies, plants, aliens or whatever. This is one of the biggest love stories of all times.

I know most people who love PRIDE AND PREJUDICE by Jane Austen are furious about this movie even existing, let alone being successful. But I actually liked it a lot!

I know the original classic fairly well (I'm a former high school English teacher and a current college librarian) and I was astonished almost from the very beginning at how much of the dialogue comes direct from Jane Austen's novel. All of the issues that really matter and the conflicts that draw the reader into the novel are still very much alive in the movie. It's just that they are juxtaposed against the horror of the walking dead.

I can't say enough about the good looking young (and not so young) cast members. I was absolutely blown away by how seriously Lily James and Sam Riley took the relationship between Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy. Both of them are so skilled at projecting courage and integrity combined with deep feelings and hidden pain. They never seem silly even when they're doing very silly things, i.e. cutting each others' clothes to bits in a sword fight. Bella Heathcote and Douglas Booth as Jane Bennett and Mr. Bingley are almost as good, and I have to say, visually they are absolutely perfect as the characters from Jane Austen's novel. And the supporting players are absolutely outstanding! You just cannot go wrong with Charles Dance as Mr. Bennett. His performance is exactly what you would hope for in a serious adaptation. Though that's true of every actor in the cast, really. Lena Headey is an exquisite Lady Catherine DeBurgh, though her character is ultimately just a little more sympathetic towards Elizabeth than she is in the novel. Even Jack Huston, who has been a hero of mine ever since his epic role as disfigured World War One veteran Richard Harrow in BOARDWALK EMPIRE, is an effective villain as Mr. Wickham. Best of all is Matt Smith, who takes the thankless role of the hateful Mr. Collins and turns it into an irresistible Peter Sellers style comic explosion. He's that good.

Let's face it, a Jane Austen zombie movie is not for everyone. But if you're willing to be open minded and you enjoy great acting, comedy and romance, this just might be for you. The sword fights are exciting, the love scenes (including the arguments) are authentically romantic, and the blood and guts are never really that gross. Oh, and if you do go and see the movie, make sure to stay through the closing credits, because the last joke of the film is really the best!

I love it. It's hilarious and entertaining. But I will say this. If you haven't read the book or seen the old P&P series or the movie, you're going to think the dialogue is weird and the character stuff comes out of nowhere. I still think you could enjoy it though. However, if you're familiar with the source material, then this is absolutely hilarious. The way the characters solemnly speak the classic, recognizable lines from the book and in equal solemnity tack on a bit about the zombie apocalypse or Chinese martial arts is just hilarious. It's a parody in the bast way, which is to say, it's not even a parody so much as a direct transposition of the drama and characters of the original story into a ridiculous situation. Bravo.