MovieChat Forums > Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (2016) Discussion > Couldn't stand the obnoxious Elizabeth B...

Couldn't stand the obnoxious Elizabeth Bennet character

posted 8 years ago by jeffyoung1
8 replies | jump to latest

All through the movie, I found myself liking less and less the Elizabeth Bennet character. I'm not alone as I discovered other posters with similar views.

Elizabeth was an anal-retentive, uptight, grouchy, high-strung, high-maintenance, arrogant, self-centered, peevish, totally dislikable person. I don't understand why the two main men wanted her so much. Sure, she was pretty, maybe at best an 8 out of 10, but more likely a 7 or 7.5. There was nothing to her personality that would have contributed to her beauty. She lacked charisma and magnetism. All I could think of was here is a young British shrew and all she has going for her is her good looks. If she wasn't pretty, she could go along her whole life miserable as before, only without a man.

At the movie's end, it's clear she will marry. But let me tell you, any man marrying an angry woman like that is not going to stay married long.

[–] fab4_gal 8 years ago

Here we go again, when a female character in a movie is strong willed, self sufficient and intelligent, she's pretty much labelled a beach 😨

Movies and characters are subjective, so along with my opinion on the subject, your opinion doesn't hold any weight either...

We like what we like or we don't like it...being on either side of the fence doesn't mean either of us is wrong...

By the way, you sound like Donald Trump....rating women...tsk tsk...

"You're going to need a bigger boat"

[–] ldlamb74 8 years ago

And of course, we will find no posts on this site rating the looks of men.

[–] cpoet 8 years ago

Well, let's see . . .

During an era when women were basically raised, trained, traded around and treated like doweried heads of cabbage, she was an intelligent, well-read world traveler who spoke more than one language and had mastered one of the martial arts. She was clever, brave and physically quick. She didn't simper, she had enough sense and self-esteem to choose "impoverished spinster" over "loveless marriage" and she didn't whine when she had to carry all the rifles. (Looks are subjective, but I thought all that was tied up in a very nice package.)

Why wouldn't any man with a brain prefer a partner like that to one of the more standard docile ladies who fainted every time she took a deep breath, thanks to her tightly laced corset?

[–] glitterfox 8 years ago

I wonder if the OP has ever read the book?

[–] coffeeandamphetamines 8 years ago

Elizabeth Bennet in the book is an insufferable prig...so is Darcy. I kind of like it when a movie version actually shows that...the Keira Nightly version made everyone seem a little nicer than the book, and totally changed the dynamic of Mr & Mrs Bennet's relationship too.

[–] warren-87235 8 years ago

I just watched this, and found it pretty good fun. Then again, I'm a fan of Pride and Prejudice and numerous other Austen books, TV adaptations and films. I think the OP is missing the point that both Darcy and Elizabeth have their issues that they overcome (Their pride and prejudice especially, you may be surprised to know! ;-) ) to see the 'real' person behind the veneer of 'civilised' behaviour.

The problem with Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, is that movie versions of P&P are already highly compressed, to fit in all of the story (compare the BBC version to P&P on fast-forward with Kiera Knightley). Include the zombie plot and action scenes, and there's no time to delve into the subtleties of the characters. You don't see everything that leads to those 'uptight' moments, or 'dramatic' discussions.

Elizabeth is one of the most brilliantly written female characters ever put to page or screen (though I have a soft spot for Molly Gibson in Wives and Daughters, who I think gives her a run for her money).

I would suggest reading the book and/or watching the BBC version with Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle. Whilst a movie shouldn't require you to have seen or read any other material to make proper sense, I can't help but think if you read/watched the book and TV adaptation, you'd see the character in a very different light, when re-watching P&P&Z.

[–] teatat 8 years ago

You don't see everything that leads to those 'uptight' moments, or 'dramatic' discussions.

I agree but I also think some of that is replaced by character motivations related to the zombie plot. I get the impression Darcy is frustrated that people are careless about following precautions against zombie’s and after the whist party he’s even more diligent because he could have saved a lot of people if he hadn’t trusted Mrs. Featherstone’s information. But from Lizzy’s POV he must look (the regency equivalent of trigger happy). He kills Mrs. Featherstone before Lizzy can find out what she was trying to tell her and then mocks Lizzy for talking to her, he doesn’t believe Jane about the musket backfire and is looking for evidence she’s infected, when he asks if Bingley was bitten it almost looks like if LIzzy doesn’t answer quick enough Darcy will kill him anyway, and then he treats an idea she thinks would work (a truce with the rational zombies) with scorn and ridicule. While it doesn’t have the character development of the book or longer adaptions, there is (IMO)plenty of reason for Lizzy not to like Darcy. And of course Mr. Collins shows himself to be completely wrong for her in wanting her to give up her sword for baking pans.

[–] 8 years ago

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