Review: Pride and Prejudice and Zombies

I can't believe it's taken me this long to review Pride and Prejudice and Zombies which my younger daughter and I saw on opening day. We walked out of the theater talking excitedly about this mashup of one of our favorite Austen novels and zombies.

I know you Jane Austen purists may be having a case of the vapors. That was me several years ago when I read in Publisher's Weekly about the contract Seth Grahame-Smith received for his book, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies.

However, I looked on this book, which became a New York Times bestseller, as an homage to Austen's novel. It took a few years, but the book has finally made its way to the big screen.

The Cast

The major players are: Lily James as Elizabeth Bennet, Sam Riley as Mr. Darcy, Bella Heathcote as Jane Bennet, Ellie Bamber as Lydia Bennet, Millie Brady as Mary Bennet, Suki Waterhouse as Kitty Bennet, Douglas Booth as Mr. Bingley, Sally Phillips as Mrs. Bennet, Charles Dance as Mr. Bennet, Jack Huston as George Wickham, and Lena Headey as Lady Catherine de Bourgh.

The fun flick stars Lily James as Elizabeth Bennett and Sam Riley as Mr. Darcy.

About The Story

If you go into this with an expectation of fun, you'll enjoy this. I loved the segue from zombie killing young misses to those young misses giggling over finding husbands then back to protecting hearth and home from the hordes of zombies that are threatening the British Empire with tender romantic scenes interspersed throughout.

This Austen story inhabits an alternative universe that has Elizabeth and her sisters ready, willing, and able to fight zombies. It's the Pride and Prejudice you've never seen but will immediately recognize from the beginning: “It is a truth universally acknowledged that...(This is where it goes off into left field.)...a zombie in possession of brains must be in want of more brains.”

Takeaway Truth

Great fun. Believable chemistry between this butt-kicking Elizabeth Bennet and brooding Mr. Darcy. Go see the movie. You may love it too. If so, get the movie tie-in copy of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies which has 16 pages of color stills from the movie.