Improves upon review

Rating: 8/10 (27 December 2006)

I first saw this movie in my Literature class and, after being spoiled by the absolutely superb Firth/Ehle BBC edition, I was to say the least disappointed. Granted, we were watching it from the standpoint of its faithfulness to the novel; if even the 5 hour BBC opus could not capture all aspects of Austen's novel, how could a much shorter (2 hour) version hope to compare? However, upon subsequent viewings I have found this version to have its own merits. Keira Knightley is (as always) a stunning actress. Many would say that Colin Firth is a better Darcy, but I think that Matthew Macfadyen instead focuses on a different side of Darcy, Darcy as a young man confronted and thrown off by the new sensation of love, and thus his interpretation is just as valid. The awkwardness between the two main characters in this version feels more genuine than the continuous banter of the BBC miniseries, though continuous banter is of course much truer to Austen's style. My only disappointment in this movie that persists is the lack of ridiculous characters; Mrs. Bennet and Lady Catherine were portrayed by first-rate actresses, yet I feel they missed the point of their characters entirely. Lady Catherine especially was meant to be over-the-top and absurd, yet was here portrayed as a very straight, imposing character. Oh! and the American ending was a little too outside-of-canon for my taste. I also sometimes found it a wee bit confusing (it being "historically accurate" meant much more background noise and thus made it hard to hear some key dialogue), so I'm not sure how well people who have not read the novel follow the story. However, many of my friends who have not read the book absolutely love this movie.
Overall, this film is quite good, especially if you aren't looking for it to be absolutely true to the novel; it is most certainly an interpretation rather than adaptation.