Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, Review: Gory pride, bloody prejudice
It’s not quite like anything you have seen before. Imagine going on a cruise, in a carrier that is part horse-drawn and part ship. On board, there are two sets of activities going on: a family of five sisters and their parents are trying to get the girls married by hook or by crook, and another set of creatures, called the zombies or the undead, are fe
eding on human flesh, threatening to eat up all the humans who inhabit the England of few centuries ago. Along the way, there are two dance balls on board, and the cruise-liner halts at a cemetery and the Church of St. Lazarus, where the half undead, who feed on pug brains and not human, are praying. Lost? Don’t worry, several maps and animated graphics will keep you on course.
A zombie outbreak has fallen upon the land, in Jane Austen’s classic tale of the tangled relationships between lovers from different social classes, in 19th century England. Her feisty heroine Elizabeth Bennet (Lily James) is a master of martial arts and weaponry, skills acquired in the Far East, and the handsome Mr. Darcy (Sam Riley) is a fierce zombie killer, yet the epitome of upper class prejudice.
Elisabeth’s sisters--Jane (Bella Heathcote), Kitty (Suki Waterhouse), Lydia (Ellie Bamber), and Mary (Millie Brady)--have all been sent to China by their father, where they learnt the art of weaponry and martial arts. Mrs. Bennet (Sally Phillips) wants her daughters to be married off to wealthy suitors, as they will lose all they have once their father dies. As it turns out, the wealthy Bingley family has moved in nearby, and are throwing a ball, wherein Mrs. Bennet hopes that the young and handsome Mr. Bingley (Douglas Booth) will win over one of her girls. Elizabeth, on the other hand, doesn't want to marry. The Bennets attend the ball. Bingley instantly sets his eyes on Jane. A horde of zombies then attack the party, prompting the Bennet sisters to spring into action. As they slay every zombie in their path, Darcy instantly becomes smitten with Elizabeth, when he witnesses her in combat.
This year marks the 200th death anniversary of Jane Austen, who wrote the masterpiece in 1813. Confronted in her lifetime with the prospect of having her novel go through this amalgamation, transformation and brutalisation, she would have well nigh turned into a zombie herself. One wonders whether Seth Grahame-Smith (Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters, Android Karenina, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Killer) had any compunctions when he when on to publish his 2009 collaboration with a dead author. Undeniably, there is a novelty, and something new is always welcome at a time when most films winning accolades are based on true stories. Even suspect experimentation is better than stalemate.
Director Burr Steers (a nephew of Gore Vidal) has done the screenplay. There is too much historical (fictionalised) and geographical (animation and topography) detailing, and, concurrently, too many characters who just appear and disappear, without any back-story or introduction at all. One cannot keep pace with the number of women who are in the marriage market, and I gave up after six. Of course, the main roles are well developed, both by conversational dialogue and by references. Lady Catherine de Bough’s eye-patch is a revelation, and the digs at its need or want are funny indeed.
As director, Burr Steers (Igby Goes Down, 17 Again) shows some deft touches—Elisabeth’s hands darting around to catch flies, the sore throated accent of Darcy (too bad if it is natural!) Steer, who is impressed by the works of Richard Lester, Richard Matheson, Peter Weir, Bruce Beresford, and Mike Newell, shoots an opening (pre-credits) scene that is both humorous and horrifying, setting the tone. He manages to keep you guessing about the villain and his motivations almost till the end. And in the end, in a mid-credits scene, the villain is leading the zombies toward the celebrating protagonists, ready for war, sowing seeds for a sequel. A prequel would be in order too.
British (it could not possibly have been any other nationality) actress Lily James (Downton Abbey, Wrath of the Titans, Fast Girls, Cinderella). James marries guts and gumption with inherent charm, and is photographed more as a mature-minded woman than a sylph. Sam Riley (lead singer for the band 10,000 Things; acted in Control, On the Road, Maleficent, Brighton Rock; is now 36) plays Darcy matter-of-factly, as a man of conviction, who, nevertheless is capable of being won over in the end. His face is given a different shape as is his hair, so that he looks rather different from his real-life persona. In another substantial part, Bella Heathcote (this one is Australian, but a great mimic; Dark Shadows, The Rewrite, Not Fade Away; bagged a good role in Fifty Shades Darker) is cast as the more conventionally beautiful sister of Elisabeth, and one can understand why Bingley fell for her at first sight.
A gushing, blushing Douglas Booth is suitable as Bingley. Charles Dance (For Your Eyes Only, White Mischief, The Imitation Game) finds himself hamming and cracking stale jokes, though they could not possible be staler than the 400 years old time grid of the film. Sally Phillips (Bridget Jones’ Diary, Birthday Girl, Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason, Churchill: The Hollywood Years; British stand-up comic, who charges £5,000-10,000 for an appearance) does better as his wife. Commanding notice is Jack Huston (grandson of legendary John Huston, nephew of Anjelica; acted in Kill Your Darlings, Two Jacks, American Hustle). Wonder how he reined in his American twang! Lena Headey (Dredd, 3000: Rise of an Empire, Zipper), gets the eye-patch and a few other funny moments too. She also gets to wield a mean sword and, towards the end, one big hero moment.
In at least two scenes, the half revealed bosoms of the actresses heave compulsively and noticeably. The scenes are not romantic, so the sights evoke mixed responses. Quite similar is the predicament of the viewer: he finds it difficult to decide whether pride and prejudice can peacefully or co-exist with romance and humour, blood and gore.
Rating: **1/2