Pride and Prejudice and Zombies

It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a small fortune must be in want of running shoes to get away from the undead.

Huh?

Seth Grahame-Smith rewrite of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, became an instant classic in 2009. Lionsgate had the foresight to buy the film rights that same year. But they couldn't get it off the ground right away.

Seven years later, the zombies have finally arrived in cinematic Regency England. And it's Sony's Screen Gems which distributes the end result (and Lionsgate in the UK). 

The undead have risen to conquer England. Mr. Bennet (Charles Dance) has his five daughters - Jane (Bella Heathcote), Elizabeth (Lily James), Mary (Millie Brady), Kitty (Suki Waterhouse) and Lydia (Ellie Bamber) - trained in the Shaolin Martial Arts to fight them. Meanwhile, rich folks like Catherine de Bourgh (Lena Headey) train in Japanese Martial Arts. And Mrs. Bennet (Sally Phillips) wants to get her girls to the altar right away.

A rich gentleman, Mr. Bingley (Douglas Booth), moves into a nearby manor. He and Jane develop feelings for each other. So do Elizabeth and Bingley's friend Mr. Darcy (Sam Riley) - animosity. But they have to set aside their differences to fight the ever-growing horde of Zombies. There appears to be someone leading the undead into battle. Our heroes will have to find this man before doomsday comes.

Writer/Director Burr Steers moves the story along at a good pace for 108 minutes. Austen's classic story beats are still recognizable even with the walking dead around. The story elements Steers adds were pretty unique. My favorite story element was making most of the zombies sentient. This made them much more of a threat as they can now lure prey into a false sense of security before attacking. A few elements aren't fully developed but they didn't detract from the overall experience that much.

The cast has plenty of fine actors. James and Riley make for a great on-screen couple. Their characters are both prideful but they aren't unlikable. Them learning humility makes for an endearing arc. The other couple, Jane and Bingley, are likable right off the bat. Matt Smith has the best moments as the Bennets' cousin, the obnoxious Parson Collins. 

The fight scenes are pretty good. They would've been better if they didn't engage in rapid fire editing. The special effects were decent. There were explosions, creating London's own great wall and even zombievision. The opening scene had all-too obvious CGI but I forgave it because it was unnerving. But for the rest of the movie, they did their job quite well. I have no complaints about the production design, Julian Day's costumes or Fernando Velazquez's score. They did the best jobs to fuse Wuxia, Zombies and Austen into one package. 

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies might annoy fans of Austen and Grahame-Smith with its liberties. But I didn't mind the changes. They at least kept me hooked as I wondered how the story would go. The action is as bloody as PG-13 ratings allow, but it's still bloody. So don't fear any zombie sanitation. It works as a martial arts film, a zombie film and a classic literature adaptation. And that's a good combination.