Stop the Ride, I Wanna Get Off

Rating: 2/10 (7 April 2006)

Call me a purist, if you like.
I hated this film.
I tried to like this movie, and the actors tried their hardest...but the costumes, camera-work, and script outweighed any delivery the actors could displayed.
The Costumes: Anyone seen Little Women? The one with Winona Ryder? I would argue that her character of Jo and Kiera Knightley's character of Eizabeth Bennet were the same person. Same costume, same attitude, same expressions. Two different time periods, countries, and authors simply couldn't stop this movie from cloning the character. Also, to look at the world through the eyes of this movie, you would have to believe that no one dragged a comb through their hair until well into the next century. Yes, liberties are taken with a period piece, fine...understood...but this cast could have looked so much better.
The camera-work: Don't get me wrong, the landscapes and scenery were gorgeous. Now if only that cameraman could keep the camera steady. Classic example - when Catherine de Burgh and Elizabeth exchange a heated debate, the camera constantly shakes...and not in some "artistic choice" manner.
The pacing: Yes, I liked the book. Yes, I knew the movie would be condensed. No, I don't think that anyone in England and certainly not 20 or more people at once, would speak in such a rushed manner. It was as if none of the words mattered. After a while, listening to thenspeakinthisfastmannerinwhichwordshavenomeaning is annoying. It is as if the verbal space bar was not hit at all for 2 hours. The adaptation was charming in its settings, and overall the story progressed nicely, but most of the feelings and core of the characters seemed lost. Suddenly characters have no reason, no background, to love one another. The wit is lost is the pacing, and the love is lost in the lack of actions.
For me, watching this film was probably equal to a Batman comic book enthusiast watching Batman and Robin. I applaud the effort to make a movie based on Pride and Prejudice. I respect that the movie will reflect elements of the book, and not encompass the story in a pristine package...however, that does not mean I have to like this product...and, in fact, I detest it.