The Bennet sisters are like any other girls in 19th century England - they are focused on marrying well... but they aren't quite like all the other girls. Instead of just learning how to be proper young ladies, their father Mr. Bennet (Charles Dance, Game of Thrones, And Then There Were None) thought they needed to be able to defend themselves against the zombie scourge ravaging England. Instead of training in the fighting style of Japan, as has become the tradition of the British upper crust, they instead trained in Chinese fighting. These girls are just as comfortable with a sword in their hands as they are a good cup o' tea.
Elizabeth (Lily James) is a bit different from her sisters as she never wants to put down the sword and deflects male advances at every turn, whereas her lovely sister Jane (Bella Heathcote) has definitely set her eyes on the wealthy and handsome young Mr. Bingley (Douglas Booth, And Then There Were None), who has recently moved into a grand estate devastated by a zombie attack in the not-so-distant past. Bingley's buddy is the brooding and extravagantly wealthy Mr. Darcy (Sam Riley), who catches Elizabeth's eye, but seems to have nothing but disdain for her... or does he? Younger sisters Lydia (Ellie Bamber), Mary (Millie Brady), and Kitty (Suki Waterhouse) round out the siblings and are often found giggling in the background, when they aren't kicking zombie ass.
Mrs. Bennet (Sally Phillips) is a bit insufferable in her attempts to align her girls with the wealthiest marital matches to insure the family estate, since there are no Bennet boys. In doing so, she entreats their cousin, weirdo Parson Collins (Matt Smith, Doctor Who) to court the girls, and although Jane is his first choice, he soon sets his eyes on Liz, who wants nothing to do with this bore. Soon, another interesting man enters the picture, dashing military man George Wickham (Jack Huston), who has a dark past with Mr. Darcy and the two men will do more than their share of sparring. Before long, Elizabeth will learn that Wickham is not all he seems, but not before she is introduced to the local noblewoman and zombie warrior, Lady Catherine de Bourgh (Lena Headey, Game of Thrones), who also happens to be Mr. Darcy's aunt.
Can a girl find true and undying love in a world surrounded by the undead? Only time will tell. You can bet more than a few heads will roll as the Bennet sisters search for love.
Personally, I thoroughly enjoyed Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. It's not high art, but it's a fun popcorn flick for sure. I must admit that I haven't read Austen's Pride and Prejudice (I know, I know), but even still, I got great enjoyment out of the story as I knew the basic premise and you can definitely tell when the dialogue is pure Austen. I also really enjoyed the different take on zombies other than the one so prevalent in most media today. These zombies retained their wits and personalities, at least until they consumed human brains. They were far more clever than the standard zombie fare out today and thus, far more dangerous. Oh, the possibilities.
The Blu-ray is chock full of short special features like a Gag Reel, Deleted Scenes, Mr. Collins Line-O-Rama, The Badass Bennet Sisters, Creating the Unmentionables, Courtship, Class and Carnage: Meet the Cast, and From Austen to Zombies: Adapting a Classic. All have their merits and are fun to watch, but none are so long as to get boring.
If you didn't get a chance to see this fun flick in theaters, check it out. We really enjoyed it and I'll definitely be on the lookout for these young actors as I really liked them in their roles.
