Myself and my students here in Indiana were offered the chance to see Pride And Prejudice And Zombies ahead of its release, yet this article will contain NO spoilers for the upcoming movie. Unfortunately, that's not from containing them, but because there was little to share. Sensationalism for it's own sake is an art form of its own, and the joke here, the extended interpretation of the Bennet's as zombie hunters, is the single play that lasts for an entire film.
It's very much a case of "Lovely costumes worn by tolerable and attractive actors in a well-worn story with a twist in an attemot to make it something new." But if you've read the book, you know the plot. If you watch zombie television and film, you know everything that will happen. If you love Austen, you know who it will happen to and when.
Yet, there is a saving grace, and it comes in the form of Matt Smith. Yes, our beloved Eleventh Doctor is as hysterically awkward as we always knew he could be. It's his best post-Who performance to date, but with only Lost River and Terminator: Genisys under his belt besting them wasn't going to be a difficult achievement. In Pride And Prejudice And Zombies, and without giving anything up, imagine him at his nerdiest best. He makes the film worth your time and the cost of a large popcorn and Coke. But not a candy bar. No candy... even he's not that good.
Those who love horror shouldn't miss Pride And Prejudice And Zombies. If you just love Matt Smith then you'll enjoy it for him, but you may want to skip it for now and wait for the home release as he is a secondary character in a world of random killing. If you love Jane Austen, turn abruptly and walk away. Put your money back up and leave. Do it in now, before your beloved story is forever diminished in its extreme misappropriation here.
However, I will say that the advertising artwork is the best use of the dichotomy I've seen, wherein putting zombies in Austen's treasured work of romantic fiction is "fun." Even with my tone here, I think she'd approve of the promotional treatment.
Only you can decide for yourself if you want to see Pride And Prejudice And Zombies, but once seen, remember it can not be unseen. I warned you...
Pride And Prejudice And Zombies opens in the USA on February 5th, and in the UK on February 11th.
Risk-averse, Stacy would not even enter the TARDIS in case it suddenly set to motion. Yet, gentle reader, she feels compelled to clarify that she writes opinion or editorial pieces. By using logic and reasoning, she always hopes to coherently provoke honest discourse.
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