“Pride and Prejudice and Zombies” definitely isn’t your average 19th century romance movie. In this zombie- filled, movie mashup of Pride and Prejudice, I would recommend any die- hard Jane Austen fans to avert their eyes while watching. Director Burr Steers transforms Austen’s classic novel into a film of knife- wielding, zombie fighting women in a post- apocalyptic like setting.

The movie starts off smooth, giving viewers a peak at what’s about to happen, but also managing to not give anything away too soon. Although I personally haven’t read the original book the movie was based on, I feel that it did a nice job of sneaking in the layer of romance amidst all the flying guts and brains. A perfect movie for anyone who wants to see both an action and romance film. Obviously, the plot had to be changed, but there was no singular scene cut that I thought was awkwardly abrupt or misplaced.

However, for me, all the dramatic group poses and flourishing knifes were a bit too much for me. A few cheesy scenes almost induced an eye roll, but apart from those, I did enjoy the group of gun shooting, knife throwing ladies- all dressed in 19th century apparel, of course. I have to say one of my favorite parts is when Elizabeth, the main character, manages to save her haughty, zombie  hunter, love interest, Mr. Darcy from a brains- hungry zombie. It just goes to show that the Bennet girls are more than capable of taking care of themselves.

The special effects makeup was a bit unnerving for me. I felt as if the producers were relying more on a shock factor rather than actual content, but either way the fake blood and rotting flesh was convincing. Some scenes, especially the ones where either zombies are feasting on an unfortunate being, getting their brains blown out, or both, may be a bit gory for the faint hearted. “Pride and Prejudice and Zombies” is rated PG- 13 but only for the violence, as there are few if any sexual references.

Overall, I give this movie a 7.5/10. It was satisfying, the kind of movie you go out to watch with your friends, only to make fun of it afterwards. However, the over-the-top moments took away from the overall concept of a romance set in an apocalyptic world, and it just didn’t feel like an Oscar- award winning movie. Not to mention the ending left me feeling confused and wondering if the movie had really ended. Will there be a sequel to this zombie- filled parody? Maybe the next one will be titled: “Pride and Prejudice…and Vampires!”