Top 5 Jane Austen Inspired Movies – Follow Up

On my previous blog post, which you can read here. I listed my top 5 Jane Austen inspired movies, but left the question of whether Pride and Prejudice and Zombies would usurp one of those spots. On that count, my answer is no. On the whole I’m not a fan of zombies, and in this movie, the zombies were a little too much on the gross/creepy side for me. Now, don’t get me wrong, some of the interactions were comedic, but I just have a hard time with zombies and mixing them with Jane Austen is one of the few ways to get me to watch them.

That being said, there were parts that I truly enjoyed. However, I must say that my favorite bits surprised me. Not in any version of Pride and Prejudice have I ever felt like I needed to see more Mr. Collins or Lady Catherine de Bourgh, but in this version they were the best characters. If I had to choose between the two, Matt Smith’s Mr. Collins, out right stole the show. Every scene he was in made me laugh, especially his interactions with Elizabeth at the Netherfield Ball! His dance moves were something to behold.

If you were on the fence about watching this movie, see it for him. For those of you that like Zombies, definitely give it a watch. It’s worth watching once just to see that juxtaposition between Regency manners and zombie slaughter and, of course, for Matt Smith.

Top 5 Jane Austen Inspired Movies

There are several movies that have used Jane Austen as the basis for story. From the likes of Bridget Jones’s Diary to Clueless, but just like with faithful adaptations I also have my favorites in this category. Now, I had thought about waiting to put this together until I get a chance to see Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, however I thought it would be more interesting to see if the movie ends up displacing one of my current Top 5. So without further ado here’s my list:

1. Austenland, starring JJ Feild and Keri Russell. This one is just so much fun and pokes at the obsessive Jane-ite in us all. Who doesn’t want to fall in love with their own version of Mr. Darcy!
2. Lost In Austen, starring Jemima Rooper and Elliot Cowen as Mr. Darcy. This fun excursion into the world of Austen has an excellent cast all around and for those Ichabod Crane fans out there, Tom Mison plays Mr. Bingley. Whenever I watch this, I hope that I would handle things a bit better than Amanda.
3. Bride and Prejudice, starring Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Martin Henderson. Who would have thought that blending Austen and Bollywood could be so great!. If you like musicals as well as Austen, don’t miss this one. As a side note, for all of you Elijah fans from Vampire Diaries and The Originals, Daniel Gillies plays a fabulous Wickham.
4. Bridget Jones’s Diary, starring Renee Zellweger and none other than Colin Firth, basically reprising his role as Darcy.  However, this time his first name is Mark instead of Fitzwilliam. This version of Pride and Prejudice is just a great time.
5. Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason, starring Renee Zellweger and Colin Firth. If you like the first one, you’ll most likely enjoy the sequel.

Will Pride and Prejudice and Zombies displace any of the movies currently on my list? Stay tuned, because I’ll be seeing it this coming weekend.