Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (2016)

Posted in Reviews by - February 16, 2016
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (2016)

One-joke rom-zom-com which places the walking dead into a re-imagining of the Austen classic, with the Bennet sisters attempting to find an eligible bachelor in the midst of a zombie apocalypse. There is a neat little joke about Mr Bennet (Charles Dance) sending his daughters to study the Chinese fighting arts at Shaolin instead of a more expensive martial education in Japan, which adds a further dimension to the family’s social ostracism. The sight of blood, brains, bonnets and blades in rural Hertfordshire is a funny enough concept, however the film’s pulse quickly flat-lines when it begins to take the subject matter too seriously. The actors aren’t really to blame, with Sam Riley and Lily James delivering excellently straight performances as the proud lovers Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth, whose rambunctious run-ins are played out over cleverly choreographed duels. Charles Dance and Sally Phillips follow suit with formidable supporting roles; only Matt Smith faffs about as the pompous Parson Collins. Austen nerds may appreciate the modifications made to the book’s original dialogue, but this is still a five minute comedy sketch stretched beyond a joke.

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Editor and creator of Kung Fu Movie Guide and the host of the Kung Fu Movie Guide Podcast. I live behind a laptop in London, UK.

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