We currently live in a mash-up culture. In various facets of pop culture, two seemingly disparate items are combined into one unholy combination, mining dual familiarity for an easy connection. As an author, Seth Grahame-Smith has been at the forefront with his novels Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter and Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. The former had already been adapted into a film with lackluster results and the latter is the latest mash-up adaptation to grace the screen in writer-director Burr Steers adaptation. The resulting film will entertain those already amused by the concept of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. However, for those who aren’t amused by the concept, the film will be two hours of a forgettable mishmash of Jane Austen’s classic novel and the increasingly popular living dead.
The hordes of the undead have risen from the grave, plaguing London with bloodthirsty fervor. Despite the war that is consuming England, the Bennet family led by its patriarch (Charles Dance) and its matriarch (Sally Phillips) are still seeking husbands for their daughters Elizabeth (Lily James), Jane (Bella Heathcote), Kitty (Suki Waterhouse), Lydia (Ellie Bamber), and Mary (Millie Brady). Though they’re pulled to domesticize, the Bennet sisters have trained in China to hone their skills in fighting the zombies that roam the English countryside. Jane is the most sought after of the sisters, capturing the attention of the aristocratic Mr. Bingley (Douglas Booth). Things aren’t quite as easy for Elizabeth, who’s courted by the bumbling Mr. Collins (Matt Smith). Eventually, Elizabeth is noticed by Mr. Darcy (Sam Riley), a wealthy and deadly man who is willing to slay the undead without hesitation. But Elizabeth is also courted by Mr. Wickham (Jack Huston), a military lieutenant with his own adversarial history with Mr. Darcy. Issues of class and these complex romantic entanglements are complicated by the undead masses that interrupt countless moments as English austerity must confront the grisly horror of zombies.
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies has no bigger problem than the limitations of its premise, though it should be said that Steers and company do their best with those limitations. The strongest aspect of the film’s humor is the efforts of the cast to play it straight, never showing the audience that they’re in on the joke. That being said, it still can’t escape the fact that Pride and Prejudice and Zombies would probably work best as a five-minute Funny or Die sketch.
Despite the efforts of the cast to retain a straight face in the midst of all the absurdity, the film is severely hampered by its PG-13 rating. The inherent absurdity of its premise and the gory nature of zombies is underserved by the sanitized violence required to secure the broader rating. Had Steers and company abandoned restraint and allowed the blood to flow freely, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies could very well have had the kind of cult appeal that would allow the film to endure. Instead, it’s not as crazy it should be, confining itself in one particular aspect that would appeal to its target audience.
The cast of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies all do an adequate job with the silly material presented to them. Lily James is a radiant presence on the screen and will likely move onto bigger and better things, like Edgar Wright’s Baby Driver. James and her co-stars as her sisters create a quintet of badass heroines, their search for love taking a backseat to their highly specialized survival skills. As James’ romantic co-star, Sam Riley does a nice job as Darcy, speaking with whispered rasp to his voice that adds a sense of gravitas to the absurd words that come from his mouth. The only actor allowed to play their role with a sense of humor is Matt Smith as Mr. Collins, and he does a nice job and never overshadows the larger scene with his quirks.
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies isn’t the fiasco that some were dreading, nor is it a rousing success. It’s a film that features some decent performances, a couple of good fight scenes, and only one genuinely surprising moment. However, the most inventive sequence in the film is the opening credits and the least inventive is the wholly unnecessary post-credits teaser. Simply, the most you’re likely to enjoy Pride and Prejudice and Zombies depends entirely on how much you’re amused by the title. I wasn’t amused.
