Movie Review: Pride + Prejudice + Zombies - The Perfect (Feminist) Date Night Movie

Published March 22, 2016

Pride + Prejudice + Zombies will be hitting South African screens on the 1st of April, and I was lucky enough to be invited to attend a preview screening at Ster Kinekor.

I have been a fan of Seth Grahame-Smith’s adaptation ( and the subsequent prequels and sequels) since I was closer to 20 than 30. I was beyond excited to finally see the book brought to life after it looked like it was never going to leave development hell.

Set in 19th century England, the film takes place not at the beginning of the apocalypse, but rather at the tail end. England has been defeated by the undead hordes and only a small walled off area remains untouched.

The opening scene has us meeting the rather dashing Colonel Darcy (Sam Riley) and things get straight to the point when Darcy kills a zombie at a high society gathering. It is here where we are first introduced to a rather fresh take on zombie mythology – zombies can maintain their speech and humanity after turning (to the point of even being mistaken as human) if they avoid eating human brains. All they need to do is trade their human cerveaux for a pigs.

Next up we meet the beautiful Bennett sisters, Elizabeth (Lily James), Jane (Bella Heathcote), Kitty (Suki Waterhouse), Lydia (Ellie Bamber), and Mary (Millie Brady) who have all been trained in China to learn the ways of the Shaolin Temple. The girls are all under pressure to find husbands as in the 19th century, (girls could not inherit property) and would be kicked out of their familial home as soon as their father passes away.

I really liked the clever way in which they highlighted the sexism from Austen’s area. It really makes you appreciate how far we have come with gender equality and that for the most part none of us can expect proposals around our kitchen and birthing abilities.

Feminists watching this film ( and by that I mean both the female and male variations) will be happy to note that the women here are not left to be damsels in distress. In fact, Elizabeth rescues Darcy from imminent zombie doom.

At the same time, the men are still strong characters. We see this in one of the best non-zombie scenes in the film. The fight between Darcy and Elizabeth that went beyond just wit in this action-packed adaptation. The motherfucking equality in it is amazing.

It’s truly is a gender neutral fight showing where both characters are showing off their skill and that is what is being focused upon. That and the obvious sexual tension between the two characters but neither are too afraid to give it as good as they are getting it from the other because of gender.

In fact, there is another fight scene where Elizabeth once again holds her own against a man double her size which sends an incredibly powerful message: Girls are tough guys. We are not the weaker sex.

Given how saturated at the zombie genre has become over the years since The Walking Dead infected our screens, it was refreshing to watch a zombie flick with a twist. I loved how it celebrated the best parts of the book and I think it came out at just the right time with all the talk surrounding equality.

Emma Watson’s HeForShe campaign has been getting a lot of traction and earlier this month we celebrated International Women’s Day . I’m sure someone, somewhere is reading this and thinking I am pushing the “feminist” agenda. Which is cool. I’m all for equality – for both sexes and it’s great to see a film that promotes this message.

Pride + Prejudice + Zombies will be hitting South African screens on the 1st of April, and I was lucky enough to be invited to attend a preview screening at Ster Kinekor. I have been a fan of Seth Grahame-Smith's adaptation ( and the subsequent prequels and sequels) since I was closer to 20 than 30. I was beyond excited to finally see the book brought to life after it looked like it was never going to leave development hell. Set in 19th century England, the film takes place not at the beginning of the apocalypse, but rather at the tail end. England has been defeated by the undead hordes and only a small walled off area remains untouched. The opening scene has us meeting the rather dashing Colonel Darcy (Sam Riley) and things get straight to the point when Darcy kills a zombie at a high society gathering. It is here where we are first introduced to a rather fresh take on zombie mythology - zombies can maintain their speech and humanity after turning (to the point of even being mistaken as human) if they avoid eating human brains. All they need to do is trade their human cerveaux for a pigs. Next up we meet the beautiful Bennett sisters, Elizabeth (Lily James), Jane (Bella Heathcote), Kitty (Suki Waterhouse), Lydia (Ellie Bamber), and Mary (Millie Brady) who have all been trained in China to learn the ways of the Shaolin Temple. The girls are all under pressure to find husbands as in the 19th century, (girls could not inherit property) and would be kicked out of their familial home as soon as their father passes away. I really liked the clever way in which they highlighted the sexism from Austen's area. It really makes you appreciate how far we have come with gender equality and that for the most part none of us can expect proposals around our kitchen and birthing abilities. Feminists watching this film ( and by that I mean both the female and male variations) will be happy to note that the women here are not left to be damsels in distress. In fact, Elizabeth rescues Darcy from imminent zombie doom. At the same time, the men are still strong characters. We see this in one of the best non-zombie scenes in the film. The fight between Darcy and Elizabeth that went beyond just wit in this action-packed adaptation. The motherfucking equality in it is amazing. It's truly is a gender neutral fight showing where both characters are showing off their skill and that is what is being focused upon. That and the obvious sexual tension between the two characters but neither are too afraid to give it as good as they are getting it from the other because of gender. In fact, there is another fight scene where Elizabeth once again holds her own against a man double her size which sends an incredibly powerful message: Girls are tough guys. We are not the weaker sex. Given…

Movie Review: Pride + Prejudice + Zombies – The Perfect (Feminist) Date Night Movie

2016-03-22

Harlequinn

Romance admist the zombie apocalypse

Total - 7

70 7

Total

Pride + Prejudice + Zombies is a great addition to the genre. It has an interesting twist on the tired old zombie mythology with just the right mix of period piece romance. Grab a date, some popcorn and go get infected!

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Harlequinn

Elite Zombie Hunter. Mother of Dragons. Wanderlust Seeker. Fire Dancer. Pole Sport Enthusiast. Bibliophile. Certified Owner of Crazy Eyes.