Movie Review: Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (2016)

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (2016) written and directed by Burr Steers based on the novel by Jane Austin adapted by Seth Grahame-Smith

The hit re-write of Jane Austin's Pride and Prejudice was adapted for the silver screen in 2016. The addition of zombies added a lot of comedy and a different sort of entertainment to the classic novel. How well has the re-write come over to the film?

The base story is still here. The Bennet sisters are looking for marriage in late 1700s England. The family is under the threat of their home going to the nearest male heir, their cousin Collins (Matt Smith), who ineptly tries to woo at least one daughter to keep things in the family. More suitable suitors are found in Charles Bingley (Douglas Booth) and Mr. Darcy (Sam Riley), though they are harder to catch for Jane (Bella Heathcote) and Elizabeth (Lily James) Bennet. Many of the book's details are lost by adapting the story to fit a two-hour movie. The big loss for this movie is the interactions of the Bennet parents, who are a very interesting and comical in the original book.

The film's story adds some new elements amongst the zombie mayhem of the re-write. Wickham is trying to create peace between the zombies and the normal humans using a group of zombies that haven't fully turned and are appeased by pig's brains (much as many vampires have gotten by on pig's blood in other fiction). The new subplot provides extra action if not convincing drama. Wickham's plan seems ridiculous even by zombie movie standards.

The comedy is unfocused. The movie starts with a gross-out joke, suggesting the tone for the rest of the movie. But then there are hardly any more gross-out jokes, which was a relief. The Jane Austin verbal sparring happens with actual sparring, an interesting twist but not laugh-out-loud hilarious. The juxtaposition of the ball-room etiquette with martial arts combat is another mostly missed opportunity for comedy. So the movie is unsatisfying as a comedy.

The drama is good for the Jane Austin parts but the new material is not convincing. The "not fully converted into mindlessness" zombies do not come off well. They eat the pig brains as part of a church service where the brains replace the Eucharist. As a Catholic, I found that in exceptionally bad taste. The acting is okay but never has great moments. Riley as Darcy is particularly flat--he seems more like Heathcliff from Wuthering Heights or Rochester from Jane Eyre. He's broody but not at all superior or prideful.

Not recommended, even if you are a fan of either book.

Book Review: Unholy Night by Seth Grahame-Smith

Unholy Night by Seth Grahame-Smith

Happy Epiphany to all!

Unholy Night has a premise that makes a lot of people nervous, if not outright offended. The story of the three wise men visiting the baby Jesus is changed into an action/adventure yarn about a trio of thieves who pass themselves off as wise men to escape execution. They wind up in Bethlehem just as the Christ child is born. They take umbrage with Herod's orders to kill all the children in Bethlehem and start slaughtering all Herod's men. Then the wise men/thieves take the Holy Family under their wing and help them as they flee to Egypt. The story is not exactly what the gospels tell us.

On the other hand, the story is clearly intended as fiction (just look at where it's shelved in book stores and libraries) and the author hasn't tried to boost sales by pretending there is some historical truth to what he's written, a la Dan Brown. I can't fault Unholy Night on those grounds, even though it follows the Dan-Brown method of making fantastic flights of fancy off the story of Jesus. Unholy night isn't revisionism or mockery; it's more of an alternate-reality story where one little twist makes for interesting developments.

The story is also (and this is another example of non-Dan-Brownity) populated with a lot of interesting and well-developed characters. The story focuses on Balthazar, a thief from childhood who has a vendetta against Rome. He's spent his life wandering and thieving and killing with an expertise that's earned him the nickname "The Antioch Ghost." He's a well thought out character and a very interesting person. He's skeptical and brutal and is initially drawn to defend Jesus and his parents mostly for spite of Herod (who tried to execute him) and Rome. But there's also something else motivating him. As his history is revealed, his motivations become clear. The other characters, including Joseph and Mary, are also well-rounded and hew closely to their biblical selves (which is probably the main reason the book is religiously inoffensive--Jesus, Mary, and Joseph aren't the characters with the interesting twist).

At times the realism is a little too real. The violence in the book is extreme. There are lots of fights and wounds are described in detail. Herod is as physically sick as he is mentally and morally. A plague of locusts is particularly unpleasant, though it spares the fugitives, causing Balthazar to question his skepticism and his life's ambition.

The story comes to a satisfying conclusion for all the characters, good, evil, and the inbetween. I'm glad I read it and would recommend it for those who have the stomach for brutal violence and tough redemption. The nearest comparison that springs to mind is the film In Bruges. If you liked that, you'll enjoy this.

Thanks to A Good Story is Hard to Find podcast that inspired me to read this book!

Zombie Review: Pride and Prejudice and Zombies Audiobook

Being a zombie parent means you don't have a lot of time for reading, so what better solution is there than an audio book? You can listen while pushing a stroller around or driving from la crosse practice to band practice to dance practice. Browsing through the shelves at the local library's audio book CDs, I shambled upon Pride and Prejudice and Zombies on the shelf. "Give it a try," I thought to myself. The children wouldn't let me browse any longer (they seem to think they are in some pre-apocalyptic version of The Road), so the deal was sealed. On to the review:

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (Quirk Classic)

ZPAA rating

Tweenagers and up, i.e. if you're ready for Pride and Prejudice, you're ready to add some zombies in too.

Gore level

3 out of 10--Descriptions of the zombies, their feasting and their dispatching are more technical than graphic, as befits an Austinian sensibility. The narration is without any sound effects or mood music to enhance the mood or horror.

Other offensive content

Human on human violence; threats of self-mutilation (human on self violence?); a suicide; ridiculous romantic entanglements and complications.

How much zombie mythology/content

These zombies are the standard zombies, though the mythology is described in period vocabulary. The zombies are referred to as "unmentionables" (not to be confused with underwear), "stricken," "Satan's spawn," and other colorful and indirect epithets. The zombies are considered a plague though they do rise from the graves. I'm not sure how people who died long ago were infected and rose from their graves, but give the authors a break. This isn't science, it's literature.

How much fun

The story has a patina of gravity but is really full of light-hearted fun. Lots of characters have training and discipline from the Orient (hey, that's what they called it back then). Kung fu fighting and katanas abound, along with ninjas, nunchuks and throwing stars. The movie will probably be ridiculous and awesome. They should dub the fighting style "Jane Fu" if you ask me.

Synopsis & Review

A guess it had to happen eventually. Someone had the crazy idea of adding zombies into the most unlikely genre of literature, the Regency romance. The title "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies" sounds pretty hilarious but the execution of such a high-concept idea seems likely to misstep at least once, if not fall flat on its face. My wife read Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters and said it wasn't as fun as this story.

The revising author, Seth Grahame-Smith, had the brilliant idea of keeping Jane Austin's text and only adding new text in the style of Austin but with the content of Romero. So the plot (which I won't rehash in detail; if curiosity, school or a girlfriend hasn't made you read the book or watch one of the many movies, consider yourself unlucky) is essentially the same: The lovely Bennet sisters are more or less trying to get married off to eligible men in the vicinity. A lot of content is added: The deadly Bennet sisters are more or less trying to keep the countryside clear of zombies thanks to their martial arts training in China. Balls are still held in spite of potential (and seemingly inevitable) zombie attacks. People going for walks to have conversation are often also killing off unwanted interlopers (or should that be inter-shamblers). London is a walled city with constant battles defending the perimeter. The combination of drawing room intrigues and hand's on combat sequences is quite silly but well-executed and makes for a fun revisit to a classic story.

The narration is also well done. Katherine Kellgren has the haughty tone of a well-bred lady. She also gives the occasional zombie voice its due. The reading is enjoyable and lively, capturing the tone of Austin flavored with Asian martial arts and zombie mayhem. I would definitely recommend the audio book to any and all lovers of action and Austin.