Okay so let it be known that I was more than a little skeptical when I heard about Death Comes to Pemberley. First of all, because I had seen various copies of this book in bookstores and had scoffed scornfully and had marched off without a second glance at the cover. This is because for the majority of the time Pride and Prejudice spin-offs (especially the more fantastical ones) are a crime against literature, and most certainly not Emily approved. However, I have a soft spot in my heart for Jenna-Louise Coleman and after hearing that she played Lydia Bennet my interest was caught.
I mean, look at that hat! Look at that ruffled collar! Look at the lovely red color of that gown! To be quite honest I was sold by screenshots and gifsets. A+ for marketing, oh great interwebz. So first off let me just say that Jenna Louise Coleman was fantastic. I was very interested by the portrayal of Lydia Bennet in Death Comes to Pemberley. I felt like she was really well fleshed out, and the continuation of her character from what we are given in Pride and Prejudice was both well done and fascinating. Also, can I have a round of applause for the casting of Mr. George Wickham?
Matthew Goode was excellent. In fact, he might very well be my favorite actor to play Wickham in a period adaption. See, the problem usually is that movies make Wickham so obviously despicable. Part of the allure of Wickham is that he IS alluring. He's handsome, he's eloquent, he draws you in and makes you overlook his flaws. Even once his real character is revealed there's still something appealing to him. Give us some credit Hollywood, we are rational beings (mostly) and we can sort out a good fellow from a bad one without you casting him as ugly and repulsive.
So basically, let's hear it for the Wickhams. They make this movie.
Overall this production is gorgeous. The costumes are lovely, the cinematography is beautiful, the casting is for the most part well-done. As a continuation to the story of Pemberley it is delightful. However, as a mystery it's a bit of a flop. I feel like most of the scenes that were meant to connect the plot together were a bit awkward and also predictable. This might be because I have read A LOT of Agatha Christie's, so I have a high standard for mystery plots. This one was a dud. Pemberley and mystery is a bit of an awkward mix. Though this combination lead to a furthering of the Wickham storyline, which as I have said, was thoroughly well done, it remains I wasn't fond of the mystery element.
I have two other complaints. First COLONEL FITZWILLIAM. Badly done. Badly done, indeed. I shook my fist heartily. He was the only character who stood out like a sore thumb as completely out-of-character. I love Colonel Fitzwilliam of the book, where did this moody brooding creature come from? Seriously, the guy brooded for the entire three hours. There's nothing attractive about a furrowed brow, my good sir. Kindly uncrease your forehead and start acting like a proper Colonel Fitzwilliam. My other complaint is similar, but not as emphatic. I felt like Elizabeth Bennet was a bit bland and stale and even a bit *gulp* dull. She didn't stand out, but that's the problem, Elizabeth Bennet was meant to stand out. She was meant to sparkle. This Elizabeth had no sparkle to her. She might have passed as one of Jane Austen's other female characters, but she was not the Elizabeth Bennet we all know and love.
(Sidenote: I always get ridiculous amounts of pleasure whenever children appear in regency films, and the Darcy children were adorable. With their little cravats, oh my good heavens. They deserve a cupcake.)
All and all it was quite enjoyable and I do recommend, if purely for the Wickhams' sake, which is a sentence I never thought I would be saying.
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| Did I mention Georgiana was adorable? I want her bonnet. |
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