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View Full Version : Pride & Prejudice... + Zombieswtfbbq?



The Second
2016-12-27, 09:15 PM
You know, when I was young I loved classic literature. A.C. Doyle, E.R.Burroughs, E.A. Poe, Shakespeare, Spyri, Dickens... Any novel I could get my greedy little mitts on, I'd devour in a night or three.

There were of course a rare few books that were just so dense or dry that I couldn't get past the first few chapters. Childhoods End was one of those. Another was Pride and Prejudice. Just a few paragraphs of those has me semicomatose.

I later picked up Childhood's End and gradually worked my way through it. Pride and Prejudice... Not so much. All I recall of it is a stifling romance in stifling England.

So, when I noticed a slick new DVD case sitting in the local discount store with the title Pride and Prejudice proudly scrolled on the front, I figured that it might be worth a look, if only so that I could announce to my friends that, after thirty some odd years, I was finally up on Jane Austen.

It should be noted that, when I first saw this DVD case, I was several feet away. A good three yards or so. With that as the case, perhaps it can be forgiven that I didn't notice the word Zombies.

I did of course notice the full title of the DVD. How could I not; the word Zombies is rendered in a font twice as large as the rest. And when I did notice it, I stopped dead, caught between wanting to laugh out loud and wanting to snear in derision.

I carefully collected myself, stepped away from the DVD rack, and tried to out the thing out of my mind. Surely, this movie would be a horror show, I reasoned, and not the good kind.

Over the next two weeks I mentioned the movie to friends. Two of them, whose tastes in film I find to be close to mine, actually reccomended I watch it. When I noted to one of them that the movie had to be an absolute trainwreck, she merely smiled. She reminded me a bit of an unsavory looking street vendor hawking unidentifiable bits of meat on a stick as she assured me the movie was 'great'.

So, tonight I gave in to my morbid curiosity. I purchased Pride + Prejudice + Zombies. It sits now in my DVD drive, paused at the studio logo.

I must admit that I feel a bit frightened.

I may post a follow up after the show. If I still have full use of my faculties. I half expect my brain to explodevfrom either the shear awesomeness or the deadfull awfulness.

I'm pressing play. May Miss Austen forgive me.

KillingAScarab
2016-12-27, 10:42 PM
Oh, right, that movie did come out this year. That was the book which sort of got Seth Grahame-Smith (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seth_Grahame-Smith) a wider audience. I see that he didn't write the screenplay to this one, unlike the film adaptation of Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, but it underwent a number of changes. Natalie Portman was originally going to play Elizabeth. It may be just as well, as I enjoyed the book for Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter much more than the movie adaptation. Seth Grahame-Smith is also writing for LEGO Batman (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lego_Batman_Movie), which I'll admit I'm interested in.

Celestia
2016-12-28, 12:23 AM
It was an awesome movie, but the book was better. They cut out the ninja fight scene where Elizabeth tears out and eats one of their hearts.

The Glyphstone
2016-12-28, 01:04 AM
I suspect that if you are watching this movie sober, you have made a grave error.

Serpentine
2016-12-28, 03:54 AM
I enjoy the movie - just watched it for the second time last night, in fact. I haven't read the book, but I first saw it with someone who had, and he liked the movie much more than the book. The main reason I remember him giving was because of their respective endings - he hated the ending of the book, liked the ending of the movie.

GloatingSwine
2016-12-28, 05:04 AM
I read the book a while ago.

It's okay?

I mean once you've read the title you've read the joke, but it's okay.

AdmiralCheez
2016-12-28, 11:49 AM
I didn't really care for it, but I didn't hate it. It's definitely a competently made movie, but it's the rare type that you can judge based on the title alone. It's exactly what it says, and not much more. It does has a few cool fight scenes, but overall it felt to me like something a middle-schooler would write after being forced to read the original in their literature class. To be fair though, I'm not a fan of zombies, or Pride and Prejudice, or wacky-combination-gimmick films, so take my opinion with a grain of salt.

Serpentine
2016-12-28, 12:11 PM
I didn't really care for it, but I didn't hate it. It's definitely a competently made movie, but it's the rare type that you can judge based on the title alone. It's exactly what it says, and not much more. It does has a few cool fight scenes, but overall it felt to me like something a middle-schooler would write after being forced to read the original in their literature class. To be fair though, I'm not a fan of zombies, or Pride and Prejudice, or wacky-combination-gimmick films, so take my opinion with a grain of salt.
No, I like it, and I think that's a fair assessment. If the title "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies" doesn't sound like something you'd enjoy, you probably won't. The only additional point I'll add is that it makes the Bennett girls pretty freaking awesome, and I'd love to see some cosplays of them.
Also if anyone likes the concept - but maybe something a bit less silly - they might like to check out a book called Lady Helen and the Dark Days Club by Alison Goodman. My full opinion on it really belongs in another thread, but I'll just say it has some flaws, but if you like PP&Z it's worth a look. (plus the author was really nice when I met her)

AdmiralCheez
2016-12-28, 12:45 PM
The only additional point I'll add is that it makes the Bennett girls pretty freaking awesome, and I'd love to see some cosplays of them.

They did have some really awesome costume and prop design. I will definitely give them credit on that.


Also if anyone likes the concept - but maybe something a bit less silly - they might like to check out a book called Lady Helen and the Dark Days Club by Alison Goodman. My full opinion on it really belongs in another thread, but I'll just say it has some flaws, but if you like PP&Z it's worth a look. (plus the author was really nice when I met her)

I just looked it up, and it sounds like an interesting premise. I might just look into that one, or at least recommend it to someone I know. Thanks!