PPZ: Pride and Prejudice and Zombies

Zombie infestation is spreading uncontrollably fast, they are literally everywhere, even in spin-off of Pride and Prejudice. It may sound bizarre at first, and it really is, but there's no lack of production value here. The presentation is top notch and the cast, mixed of actors from Maleficent, Cinderella, Doctor Who and Game of Thrones, deliver an air of seriousness beyond that expected from a zombie movie, also with unexpected degree of humor as well.

This is still the story of British aristocrats and their so troubled lives in 19th century, though some aspects have been altered to accommodate zombies, even as far as to present backstory with heavy monologue and narration. It doesn't deter the movie from going full drama as the cast essentially creates a drama while acting like zombie killing is as the norm as sipping afternoon tea. These fine men and ladies look astoundingly fitting in the outlandishly bleak universe.

Lily James, if born into different time, might be a legitimate princess. She looks comfortably convincing as Elizabeth Bennet, the zombie hunter version of the female lead at least. Sam Riley as Darcy is proper as well, he encompasses the awkward nobility with a fervent passion. These two have strange chemistry, especially when zombies are involved, yet it's weirdly adorably amicable. Matt Smith from Doctor Who fame, can singlehandedly delivers the humor, he's simply too versatile and endearing not to have in old style England.

The humor works splendidly, there are times when sarcasm is produced just right against the backdrop of the somber tone. Its playful romance, bantering and even cringe worthy moments are pleasantly delightful. However, the jarring tone can be too distracting at times. The movie screams too hard to set grim horror, a staple flaw in horror genre and on the other side of spectrum, it's occasionally overly zealous in the drama that it becomes wallowing or slow.

An odd bite of contrasting drama and comedy, yet surprisingly enjoyable, this seemingly crazy version of Pride and Prejudice can serendipitously attract audience of many different tastes.

This movie is so fun and so campy. Is it winning any awards?...no. But the acting is good. It's got a great cast and they do a really good job. I was very pleasantly surprised with Pride and Prejudice and Zombies.

It's a romance. It's horror. It's comedy.

Go for the fun of it and don't take it seriously. This is not a classic Victorian novel and this is not a true tale of zombies like most die hard zombie fans think of them (ie. The Walking Dead or the more classic Night of the Living Dead). I am a true zombie lover. I loved "28 Days Later", "The Walking Dead", "Zombieland", etc. This is not one of those, so if you don't expect to see that when you go to this movie, I think you will enjoy it.

This honestly surprised me.

It goes without saying I was not expecting much from this movie. I have seen various Pride and Prejudice movies before today and did not enjoy any of them out of sheer boredom. Nothing against those movies or their quality but it just wasn't my kind of movie. I assumed that this would be no different and that it would just be the same exact story with a few zombies sprinkled in.

And to an extent, it was exactly that, but there was much more depth to the zombie plot than I anticipated. The zombies were a very large part of the story and even when there was romantic drama there was still a close focus on the zombie aspect. There is always that underlying tension that zombies will strike.

The visuals were not the best but were still very well done. The make-up and effects for the zombies were much higher quality than I thought they would be. And the atmosphere kept a good mix of an old Pride and Prejudice feel while also adding a new element of dark zombie-apocalypse tension that I loved seeing.

There were a few parts that I rolled my eyes at, especially when things got a bit too dramatic between the lead characters Darcy and Elizabeth, but all in all it was a good movie that I enjoyed.

Very surprised to say I give this movie an 8/10.

Genreally, I like zombie movies a lot because of their post- apocalyptic vibe.

Normally though, I find the genre comes in 2 distinct flavours; serious stuff like "28 Days/Weeks Later" or campy B flavoured offerings like "The Scouts Guide To The Apocalypse".

This movie however defies the genre. The closest comparisons I could make would be "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter" or "Penny Dreadful" but with more humour. It follows the story of Pride and Prejudice so closely I kept looking for Keira Knightly to appear.

The production quality however is what surprised me the most; it's incredibly high with great sets, realistic costumes, lighting and cinematography. There was a lot of attention to detail.

This is a very unique and interesting mash-up which I quite enjoyed. I am surprised it's not rated higher on IMDb but I believe it deserves a watch regardless.

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!