It is a classic 19th century love story. Elizabeth Bennet (Lily James) lives in the English countryside with her parents and sisters. Coming from a family that is not as wealthy, there is constant pressure for the girls to be married off to rich men. When Elizabeth meets the wealthy Mr. Darcy (Sam Riley) there is an instant attraction. Unfortunately, Mr. Darcy has a very cold and austere personality, and Elizabeth is a very proud woman. As if that isn’t enough to make these two ignore the sparks between them, there is a zombie plague ravishing England. The two must join forces to fight off the hordes of undead, while also navigating the trials of English high society.

To preface this review, I have seen many film/TV adaptations of Pride and Prejudice. I know the story well, and I love it. If you are not a fan of Jane Austen books or films, or if you have never seen them, this film might not be as enjoyable to you as it was to me. This film did an excellent job of blending the story that many fans already know and love with the added plot interest of a zombie plague.

All of the memorable themes and dialogue are present. Of course, with the presence of zombies, there were some bits added to the plot in order for everything to make sense. I loved that the zombies in the film were a bit unique compared to the traditional zombies audiences are used to. These zombies can keep all of their memories and intelligence. It isn’t until they feed on human brains that they become the mindless hungry masses you typically see in zombie films. The filmmakers even managed to add a great mystery to the plot, which I loved. It made it so they weren’t just throwing in zombies to an already existing story without them having any importance to the plot. Luckily, these additions managed to turn this love story into an exciting, and often extremely funny, gore fest from start to finish.

This film had a superb collection of actors. Lily James (Cinderella, Downton Abbey) was perfect as Elizabeth Bennet. Even while kicking some major zombie ass, she managed to exemplify grace and elegance. Sam Riley (Maleficent, Byzantium) made a great Mr. Darcy. I still can’t believe he managed to seem like the most socially awkward man in England, and yet his zombie-killing skills made him extremely attractive. While these two leads were both great in their roles, there is one performance that completely stole the show for me. Those who know the story of Pride and Prejudice will remember Parson Collins. He is the cousin of the Bennet girls, and probably the most bizarre little character that Jane Austen ever created. Pastor Collins was played by the talented Matt Smith (Doctor Who, Lost River). You can tell he had so much fun with this role. He was quirky, and awkward, and rude, and oblivious to his own flaws in a way that had me laughing every time Smith was on the screen.

One of the most important things about a zombie film is the special effects makeup. This film definitely delivered on that. Much of the zombie makeup was done with practical effects. What takes the makeup a step further is how the filmmakers seamlessly layered CGI effects on top of that makeup to give the zombie looks the extra oomph that they needed. There is really only one qualm I had while watching the delightful zombie gore; there was a very noticeable lack of blood. I get that zombie blood would likely be sludgy and coagulated, as they are dead. It still bothered me a great deal during the very first fight sequence when the Bennet girls are fighting off the zombies, yet the blades of their swords remained entirely clean. They might not have the bright red blood you would see if they had stabbed a living person, but there should have least have been some kind of black/brown zombie gore on the blades. It’s such a small detail but it made the fight scenes seem much less realistic (yes I know it’s a zombie film, but it can still be realistic).

In all honesty, I probably enjoyed this film because I am already a Jane Austen fan (all thanks to my mother). I also loved it because I am a fan of zombie films. That isn’t to say that people who don’t know Jane Austen’s classic tales won’t still have a lot of fun in this film. The healthy amounts of action, mystery, and humor that were infused into the story created a really fun film that could appeal to a variety of viewers. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies can be added to the list of the more witty, intelligent zombie films.

OVERALL RATING: 8/10