Nothing Will Top This Pride & Prejudice Reimagining

Remember the last story I wrote about how we didn't need another Pride & Prejudice adaptation? The story has been told time and time again. You may have seen a P&P retelling without even realizing! And while my mind hasn't changed in the past two weeks since last writing - I still think straight from the book to screen adaptations are, at this point, unnecessary - I do think that Pride & Prejudice & Zombies is an exception. Not even an exception! It's magnificent and I'm going to tell you why.

It's Not A Book To Screen Adaptation... At Least Not That Book

Pride & Prejudice & Zombies is an adaptation of a book by the same name by Seth Grahame-Smith. I have yet to read the book (but trust me I WILL) and so I can't speak to how faithful of an adaptation it is to that book. But it generally follows the same story of the original P&P. We meet the Bennets and their five daughter - Jane, Elizabeth, Mary, Kitty, and Lydia - while the girls clean their guns. We meet Mr Bingley and his moody friend Mr Darcy at a town ball where they are ambushed by zombies, and while Lizzie Bennet (literally) slays, Darcy falls a little in love with her. Oh, I'm sorry the zombies aren't a part of the orginial story... but maybe they should be?

In all seriousness, the bones of the plot are the same as P&P. But there's zombies! There was essentially a plague outbreak that turns people into zombies. In the beginning, they give us, the audience, a breakdown of the history which includes an explanation for King George III's "madness" being part of the zombie infection. Darcy is a great zombie hunter and, of course, out of all the Bennet sisters Lizzie is the best fighter (which is definitely not the only reason Darcy falls in love with Lizzie).

We still see Mr Collins, played by Matt Smith, which at first I didn't like but after the first scene I think he might be one of the best Mr Collins to ever Mr Collins. I think the whole zombies thing adds to his character because to go out to town the girls all bring their guns (because you never know when you'll need to shoot a zombie in the head) but Mr Collins doesn't carry a gun and is very awkward around all the violence. And we also see Mr Wickham. I feel like I could write a whole other piece on Mr Wickham's character in this movie/book because he's almost... better?

Wickham does still take Lydia away, but the ending... it's a little different. Without giving too much away in case anyone hasn't seen it yet: Darcy still saves Lydia, there's something with a hoard of zombies and an explosion.

If There's One Thing You Need To Know...

This movie is very campy. You could call it unnecessarily extra but I think the extra is very necessary. Maybe it's that zombies and zombie hunting is going to be inherently a little campy? Or maybe having shots of the Bennet sisters strapping knives to their legs is dramatic. I personally loved it. It was ostentatious in a way, I guess, but I think that's what made it fun.

I can't help but be reminded of that one quote that everyone (perhaps incorrectly) assign to Freddie Mercury: "Do whatever you want with my music, just don't make it boring." Because while Pride & Prejudice & Zombies is not the "simple" love story by Jane Austen, it still has the romance base but adds so much flare and fun to a long beloved story.

In conclusion, what I'm trying to say is, we don't need another boring, straight-from-the-book adaptation that doesn't add anything to the 200 plus year cannon of Pride & Prejudice. What is nice to see, though, is a fun modern twist (although still historically set) on a timeless classic? Because Austen didn't really have the chance to add zombies into the original text but I think she would find it hilarious that Lizzie Bennet is the best zombie slayer this side of Derbyshire.