6.2 | / 10 |
Users | 4.3 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Jane Austen's classic tale of the tangled relationships between lovers from different social classes in 19th century England is faced with a new challenge: an army of undead zombies.
Starring: Lily James, Sam Riley, Bella Heathcote, Jack Huston, Douglas BoothHorror | 100% |
Action | 88% |
Comedy | 37% |
Romance | 14% |
Period | Insignificant |
Video codec: HEVC / H.265
Video resolution: 4K (2160p)
Aspect ratio: 2.40:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: Dolby Atmos
English: Dolby TrueHD 7.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
Portuguese: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1
English, English SDH, Portuguese, Spanish, Danish, Finnish, Norwegian, Swedish
Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (2 BDs)
UV digital copy
4K Ultra HD
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (C untested)
Movie | 2.5 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 2.5 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Note: The included screenshots are sourced from a 1080p Blu-ray disc. Watch for 4K screenshots at a later date.
Jane Austen is almost certainly rolling over in her grave, but if she were alive
today she's also be rolling in some extra dough. The beloved 19th century author's works continue to sell and inspire new generations of readers
and writers alike, with many of her novels finding successful cinematic adaptations throughout the years. But Austen's works, whether the original writings on the page or their
turns on the screen, have always drawn a predominantly female audience. But with the zany reworking of her
hallmark novel Pride & Prejudice to include zombies, the story's audience broadened. Author Seth Grahame-Smith's 2009 novel
Pride and
Prejudice and Zombies became a surprise hit, injecting Austen's classic novel with a...bite it lacked before. It's so nutty it worked. The novel
eventually became the film, which competes with the like of Jesus Christ Vampire Hunter and Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter as one of the most absurd
historical mash-ups of all time. But does the book's success translate to quality on the screen?
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies arrives on UHD Blu-ray with a 2160p transfer that's an honest, though not overwhelming, improvement on an already stellar 1080p presentation (also included with purchase). The uptick in quality results in finer, more appreciably dense and detailed textures. Darcy's leather jacket seen at film's start, for instance, manages finer crease and fabric textures that aren't quite so well defined on the 1080p transfer. Much the same can be said for most any surface in the movie, whether other examples of period attire, facial textures, natural elements, or stone and brick surfaces. The digitally sourced image doesn't quite pass for film quality, but the 4K (upscaled from a 2K digital intermediate by all accounts) UHD transfer boasts a triumphant cinematic grandeur, particularly in parts of the movie where scope supersedes intimacy. Everything is crisp and sharp, but naturally so. Viewers will find the period set pieces and costumes a treasure trove of visual robustness. Colors are noticeably more dense; even before conducting A-B comparisons and watching the UHD/HDR version hours after screening the film's standard 1080p release, the palette's enhancements are clear. While clothing stands tops amongst the most noticeable changes -- red is particularly more saturated -- earthy tones, from natural exterior elements to blonde hair shades, showcase greater depth in every scene. Black levels, as they were in the 1080p version, hold deep and accurate. Flesh tones push a fair bit warmer during a candlelight dance early in the film than they do in 1080p but otherwise retain a similar neutral shading. Light noise also remains, but never to the image's detriment. Overall, this is a very nice UHD presentation, not worlds better than the excellent 1080p outing but certainly one worth a look and worth choosing, assuming UHD and HDR capability.
Again it's the added surround-back channels, not the height channels, that are the unsung heroes in an Atmos soundtrack upgrading from a 5.1
lossless presentation. Sony's UHD Blu-ray release of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies offers an upgraded sound experience, replacing the
1080p Blu-ray's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack with a Dolby Atmos (Dolby TrueHD 7.1 core) soundtrack. The Atmos track, sampled
through an 11.1 setup with four "overhead" channels added to the more traditional 7.1 setup, offers a marked increase in aggression and raw
volume
over the 5.1 track, in addition to an increased sense of space about the track. The added back channels help create a fuller, more involved, more
natural sound field, particularly when it comes to musical delivery. Music remains firm up front, but its surround footprint clearly benefits from
the opportunity to extend through more channels and more precisely saturate the listener in Composer Fernando Velázquez's score. More prominent
than that,
however, is the track's extra aggression. Bass hits substantially harder. The first zombie kill at the card game drops the hammer and sets the tone
for some serious bone-cracking bass to come. The track never relents in its action scenes, and it doesn't sneak up on the listener, either. It's full-on
dynamite, often epitomizing that grand, big, and effortless cinematic flair for the extra-dramatic.
One might argue that the track is over-pumped and
too big for its britches, but there's no mistaking its authority and dominance around the stage. And it doesn't sacrifice clarity, either. Action scenes
are
precise, whether considering stabs, swords swooshing, zombies moaning in small groups or large and overwhelming hordes, heavy gunfire, or
explosions. An
explosion near film's end, for instance, is ridiculously potent, with a debris field extending through -- and above (thanks Atmos) the listener. Sound
maneuverability is fantastic, demonstrated by a ricocheting bullet, again heard in the final act. Dialogue remains clear and detailed with excellent
prioritization and center placement. Atmos-enabled fans should definitely choose this version over the 1080p Blu-ray's excellent, but comparatively
limited, 5.1 presentation.
Note the additional subtitle and soundtrack options available on the UHD, further adding to its "premium" stature over the 1080p Blu-ray.
While Pride and Prejudice and Zombies contains no new "supplements" on the UHD disc, it does
offer a slick new menu system (and presumably the early standard for
Sony UHD releases) in which different pages are selected by scrolling up and down and side-to-side. Beyond the
usual scene selection and language tabs, there's also an option to watch character-specific highlights, dubbed "Moments," for Elizabeth
Bennet
(9:27),
The Bennet Sisters
(8:02), Zombies (11:23), and Elizabeth and Darcy (21:31), all of which are presented in 2160p video and Dolby Atmos sound.
There's
also a
Cast & Crew tab that only offers a still image accompanied by character and actor name.
All of the 1080p-only edition's supplements carry over on the included 1080p Blu-ray disc. Below is a list of what's included:
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies is an odd duck that doesn't really seem to have an audience beyond the curiously inclined. Costume Drama and Jane Austen fans will probably be turned off by the (even moderately tame) gore, violence, and comically absurd plot reworking. Zombie fans will quickly tire of the Costume Drama pot lines that are integral to the movie. The film works as a sometimes humorous curiosity, but it never translates into a must-see movie for either core audience. The movie may not be particularly great, but Sony's UHD Blu-ray package is spectacular. The 2160 video is excellent and the Atmos soundtrack is pure dynamite; get ready to apologize to the neighbors. Recommended.
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