Check out Kidzworld’s review of the DVD for the fun horror romp Pride + Prejudice + Zombies. Is it your personal cup of blood and a keeper or just too weird to take home?
By: Lynn Barker
In Pride + Prejudice + Zombies, the basic story remains true to the classic Jane Austen novel but picture the lead sisters as butt-kicking zombie fighters all while struggling to find husbands and fall in love. Crazy fun!
The Bennet sisters ready for actionCourtesy of Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
English Country Life
It’s 18th century England and the hot but poor-ish Bennet sisters are lookin’ for hubby material while preparing for a zombie attack. You see, zombies have been around and trapped in a walled off London with a big canal around it for about a century but they seem to be getting out. The Bennet girls Elizabeth (Lily James), Jane (Bella Heathcote), Lydia (Ellie Bamber), Mary (Millie Brady) and Kitty (Suki Waterhouse)) have to hone the martial arts and fighting skills they learned in China to fight the undead and love will have to take a backseat.
Bella Heathcote fights a big zombieCourtesy of Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Crushes and Family Drama
While Elizabeth is crushing on zombie killing soldier Mr. Wickham (Jack Huston), more interesting is Mr. Darcy (Sam Riley) who seems too full of himself to pay much attention to her. Doofus parson Collins (“Dr. Who”’s Matt Smith) asks her dad (“Game of Throne’s” Charles Dance) for her hand. Ewwww. So, he settles for another sister. Pretty sis Jane is courted by gorgeous and rich Mr. Bingley (Douglas Booth) and Darcy’s famous zombie killing warrior aunt Lady Catherine (“Game of Throne’s” Lena Heady) wants Darcy to marry her daughter.
Sam Riley as Mr. DarcyCourtesy of Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
A Zombie-packed Party
When Darcy sees Liz and her warrior sisters in battle against zombies, he’s blown away and in love but she doesn’t like him when, after Jane collapses after fighting a huge zombie, Darcy seems to think she was bitten and might kill her. Liz and reluctant Bingley have to fight zombies at a party and Liz accompanies Wickham to a ruined church in an area outside London where zombies who have never eaten human flesh seem to be rather “normal”. They live on pig brains.
LiIly James as Liz after a horrific battleCourtesy of Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Lies and Crazy Results
At Lady Catherine’s estate everyone gathers and Wickham talks of making peace with these not-quite-zombies. She laughingly refuses. Wickham tells Liz that Bingley left town and Jane because Darcy told him she was just a gold digger. When Darcy finally expresses his love for Liz, she hates him for this and they have a big verbal and sexy physical fight! Darcy says he overhead Liz’s mom saying her daughters were after money. Leaving Liz to stew on this, he goes off to fight zombies outside London and Wickham steals youngest sis Lydia! She must be rescued.
Warrior Aunt Lady Catherine (Lena Heady) in her eyepatchCourtesy of Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Will Catherine become a Bennet ally? Will Darcy and Liz ever work things out? Will Bingley and Jane end up together? What is Wickham really up to and will zombies bust out of London and take over the countryside?
Special Extra Features
This time we only got the DVD with two extras but they are nice.
- Courtship, Class and Carnage: Meet the Cast features all the major cast members, most saying that on first being sent the script or hearing the title they thought “What?” But, all eventually loved the script. Lily James was hot for the idea of playing a butt-kicking, sword wielding Liz Bennet, “Game of Thrones” Lena Heady always wanted to wear an eyepatch and cute Sam Riley who plays Mr. Darcy, looked forward to playing him as a “punk James Bond”. The cast, some already great friends, went out for beers to bond. A very fun extra.
- From Austen to Zombies: Adapting a Classic reveals that Director Burr Steers just saw the cover of the parody novel by Seth Grahame-Smith depicting a Victorian woman with half her face “zombified” and his interest was intensified. Filmmakers and actors talk about a desire to keep the original Jane Austen story and character relationships while adding action and horror. Sam and Lily describe their big physical fight and delivering dialogue through it all. Another fun extra
Pride + Prejudice + Zombies Trailer
Wrapping Up
As we said when we reviewed the film in theaters, Pride + Prejudice + Zombies is full of sharp swords and sharp wits. The romance and class struggles of the original Jane Austen novel are there and the movie has a lot of visual and verbal funny moments as well as a knock down, drag out battle between Liz and Darcy. It is great to see period movie women kicking butt and being very far from damsels in distress.
The sisters cross a dangerous woodsCourtesy of Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
You might want the Blu-ray version for more extras but this DVD looks and sounds just fine and the two extras presented are fun to watch. When they are added to the film, we go 4 stars
Pride + Prejudice + Zombies DVD Rating: 
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies DVDCourtesy of Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Pride + Prejudice + Zombies is now available on Blu-ray & DVD!
Have Your Say
Want to take home this fun horror/romance/actioner? Love to watch girl do action scenes? Leave a comment.
