FORSGREN: “Pride And Prejudice And Zombies” certainly feels lifeless - East Idaho News
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FORSGREN: “Pride And Prejudice And Zombies” certainly feels lifeless

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Usually when a movie fails, it fails at being one thing.

A bad sci-fi flick fails at being a sci-fi flick. A bad drama fails at being a drama. You get the picture. So, perhaps “Pride and Prejudice and Zombies” should get a prize, since it manages to fail not only at being an exciting zombie yarn, but it also fails at being remotely close to romantic.

Based on Seth Grahame-Smith’s adaptation of Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice”, “PP&Z” tells the same tale, set amidst a zombie epidemic. Elizabeth Bennett (Lily James) lives with her family, fending off zombies. Her folks are trying to get her and her sisters married off, but Elizabeth wants to be more than just dude’s wife.

Enter Mr. Darcy (Sam Reilly), a mysterious gent who Elizabeth seems to be drawn to in spite of the fact that he acts like a jerk. They do the whole will-they-won’t-they thing for about an hour, interrupted every so often by other zombies or Liz’s other suitors. I think you know where this will end up.

The idea to take a Jane Austen romance and fill it with the living dead is a good one. Romance and zombies can work together pretty well. “Warm Bodies” and “Shaun of the Dead” are proof of that. Where “PP&Z” fails is that it plays everything super straight and misses the chance to acknowledge the inherent hilarity of having zombies in a romance.

With the opportunity to be funny not taken, “PP&Z” is left with two options for success: be an entertaining zombie flick or a heartwarming romance. It can’t connect as a zombie flick, because it’s just not scary enough. It’s so predictable that you know when the zombies will show up. And there’s no tension because our heroes are never really in any danger.

”PP&Z” fails as a romance because the leads have no spark or chemistry. James and Reilly stare at each other delivering their lines, seemingly while trying to figure out how two people who are hot for each other should act. They never connect, so it’s hard to root for them as a couple.

The characters aren’t really very well developed so it’s hard to care about them. Elizabeth has all of two character traits: she’s jaw-droppingly gorgeous and she knows how to kick zombie butt really well. But, two traits do not a fully-formed character make.

There are some good things about “PP&Z”. It’s beautifully shot and full of very attractive people. I’m hoping James will wind up in some better movies because I’d like to see more of her. And I really like the idea that poor families send their kids to China to train in martial arts while rich families send their kids to Japan. That little detail amused me.

I don’t know if “Pride and Prejudice and Zombies” is a very good novel. I can tell you, however, that it’s a dumpster fire as a movie. If you need a Jane Austen fix, there are a bevy of better options. And if you’re craving zombie action, just hit up you’re local Wal-Mart around 2:30 in the morning.

2 Indy Fedoras out of 5

MPAA Rating: PG-13

Thanks to Fat Cats in Rexburg for providing screenings for movie reviews on EastIdahoNews.com.

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