KIT MILLER
How do you make a 19th century piece of literature better? Simple: just add zombies.
The idea of a zombie apocalypse has become increasingly popular in recent years. Nothing is safe from the zombie apocalypse; not even Jane Austen’s famous “Pride and Prejudice”.
“Pride and Prejudice and Zombies” follows much of the storyline from the original with just a few twists that explain the presence of zombies. The story begins with the origin of the “plague” that the French (supposedly) caught in the New World and brought back to Europe. The plague doesn’t necessarily turn people into mindless killing machines, it just makes them crave human brains. A infected person only turns into what we consider a zombie after he/she eats his/her first human brain, and he/she still possess the ability to think and speak.
The main character, Elizabeth “Lizzy” Bennet, and her four sisters are warriors trained in the art of killing zombies. Mr. Bingley and Mr. Darcy are well renowned (and very wealthy) monster-hunters. When they meet, more than just sparks fly. Multiple dances and otherwise romantic moments are interrupted due to sudden zombie attacks (as if the original story wasn’t already dramatic enough). The underlying threat of zombies throughout the story adds a layer of urgency and seriousness, although the movie does a good job of balancing true life or death moments with humorous ones. Fans of “Pride and Prejudice” will be happy to know that, even though zombies are present, the overall story is not modernized or changed drastically and many scenes still use the dialogue from the original book. The presence of zombies does, however, allow for some different approaches to scenes that, in a sort of weird way, add more romance to the story. Some examples include a swoon-worthy fight scene between Lizzy and Darcy and lives being put on the line that evoke passionate declarations of love.
I give this movie the highest rating I can. Five out of five stars, two thumbs up, ten out of ten, A+, however you want to look at it. The acting is superb, the cast is perfect, the story makes sense logically, the characters are given intricate personalities and backstories that support the existence of zombies and, most importantly, the way Lizzy and Darcy fall in love in a monster-infested world will make your heart melt. I wish I could explain the movie in more detail, but I am afraid doing so would take away the fun of experiencing it first-hand, so I encourage you to see it for yourself. I highly recommend this movie to anyone who enjoys romance or zombies or both! And if you aren’t into romance movies or zombies, I still highly encourage you to see it!
