No you're not having a stroke, you did, in fact, read this title correctly. Let me start off my saying that I am an avid Jane Austen fan, having read and watch the original "Pride and Prejudice" film a multitude of times. If Mr. Darcy was an actual human being, I would marry him in an instant. So when I heard of the new film based off of the book, I was slightly intrigued. The adaptation follows a practically identical story line, characters and all, with a slight plot twist...they are living in a zombie apocalypse.
For those who don't known the storyline (original and new), it is set in England in the late 18th century, and tells the story of Mr. and Mrs. Bennet's five unmarried daughters after two gentlemen have moved into their neighborhood: the rich and eligible Mr. Bingley, and his status-conscious friend, the even more rich and eligible Mr. Darcy. While Bingley takes an immediate liking to the eldest Bennet daughter, Jane, Darcy is outcasted of local society and repeatedly clashes with the Bennets' second daughter, Elizabeth. From then on, they have a tense battle between lust and hate, inevitably turning into love. The slight change to the new film is that that it is set in a time where a plague has turned those infected into the undead and the Bennet sisters, and the rest of society, are trained in the art of combat.
I walked into the theater preparing myself for disappointment, how could I not? A classic Jane Austen novel now has Bennet and Darcy wielding swords, slashing zombie limbs everywhere. But I can honestly say I was completely shocked when the film ended and the credits began to roll that I actually really enjoyed it. It was done in a very tasteful matter, with little bits of humor thrown throughout and keeping as true as possible to the original plot. Which can be a bit difficult when Bennet and Darcy are falling in love over the admiration of their "warrior skills."
From the way the film concluded — no spoilers — I'm guessing they are planning on making the sequel. Which hopefully has a continuity from the first film to give the romantic, old-fashioned love along with the disgusting gore and a dash of humor. I enjoyed the fact that they took such a classic piece and modernized it so all generations could enjoy. As long as it's done tastefully, I see no problem in classics being redone with a twist.
Overall, I very much enjoyed the film, "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies" turned out to be a unique film all in itself. I will definitely watch is again (I, in fact, have multiple times since I went and bought it from Target yesterday).
I'd give it 5/5 zombie limbs or lustful stares.
