Now we come to the end of the series, looking at the Pride and Prejudice and Zombies movie. Here we are coming full circle, as this was my first introduction to Pride and Prejudice in any form.

“In the 19th century, a mysterious plague turns the English countryside into a war zone. No one is safe as the dead come back to life to terrorize the land. Fate leads Elizabeth Bennet (Lily James), a master of martial arts and weaponry, to join forces with Mr. Darcy (Sam Riley), a handsome but arrogant gentleman. Elizabeth can’t stand Darcy, but respects his skills as a zombie killer. Casting aside their personal differences, they unite on the blood-soaked battlefield to save their country.”

For my spoiler-free review, the fact that this is a movie that is based on a reimaging of Pride and Prejudice makes the movie a fascinating look at abstraction. By this I mean the book Pride and Prejudice and Zombies is Pride and Prejudice with things changed to add Zombies. And the movie is changed even more than the book Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. That being said, this is a really fun zombie movie.

Before we get to the movie, I would like to talk about the ending of the book Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. Mainly, what happens is that when Mr Darcy tracks down Lydia and Mr Wickham, Mr Darcy paralyses Mr Wickham. I found this an interesting addition because this version of Wickham gets sent off to be a vicar and Lydia is looking forward to doing her wifely duty and taking care of him. I enjoy the fact that Wickham has to suffer, and there is no way he could gamble or cheat on his wife.

I have three thoughts on this movie.

Firstly, this movie has made the Bennets look less violent. Here is a short list of times where the Bennet sisters, especially Lizzie, are extremely violent in the books. When Mr Darcy said, “She is tolerable, I suppose, but not handsome enough to tempt me”, she gets ready to kill him. It’s only zombies attacking that save him. Mary almost stabs Mr Collins when he suggests that one of the Bennet sisters cooked. Lydia carves Wickham’s initials into her thigh. Lizzie eats a human heart after killing a man. None of this happens in the movie. why are they making Lizzie weaker in the zombie movie? The only time we see any of this is in the proposal fight, and this makes this violence an outlier.

Secondly, Mr Collins was played by Matt Smith. Why is this the best adaptation of Mr Collins in any version of this character? He is so ridiculous. He genuinely is oblivious of everything around him. But saying this, I might just like this version of the character because I am a massive Doctor Who fan.

Thirdly, Mr Wickham as the Antichrist. It feels so wrong that there are hints of the Four Horsemen coming, and later we find out that Wickham is a zombie and has been hiding it. And while Wickham’s being a zombie does mean that he can be killed with no moral issues, that doesn’t stop the fact that his coming back at the end, leading an army of zombies, feels like a cheap sequel more than a satisfying ending. The only thing that is good about the Wickham is a zombie idea is that this is the only version where Lydia doesn’t have to marry him.

Thank you for sticking with me through this mess of a movie. And until you join me next week in Neverland.

Happy reading to all and to all a good night.