Review of Pride and Prejudice, directed by Joe Wright

Something I find really interesting that as someone who is technically classified as being a part of Generation Z, I have never watched Pride and Prejudice until now. I was never forced to read the book in high school, which is something I am very thankful for as I never would have been able to appreciate the book all the way back then.

I grew up with the Internet, my family had a small desktop in what was our playroom—that room is now my bedroom. I would go on the computer and play Webkinz, but also go on Pinterest later in life, as well as Tumblr. It was on those places where I began to be exposed to quotes and stills from this movie.

But all of those years I never watched it. I even worked as a film critic in my early twenties for an online outlet, and I still never got around to seeing the movie. To me, it was kind of a like a weird stubborn defiance mixed with a healthy dose of procrastination.

Anyways, I finally watched the movie when I was in Korea the summer of 2024. I’d go back to my hotel room after class and relax by watching movies. Because I was always consuming Korean language outside of that room, I was intentionally watching English language movies. And that was how I finally got around to this movie.

Let’s get into the review before I start rambling too much. I don’t want to keep you waiting!

Five sisters deal with their coming of age at the end of the 1700s; one sister finds love with a particular bachelor.

Our focus in this movie is on the Bennet family, which consists of five sisters: Elizabeth, Jane, Kitty, Mary, and Lydia. They have an estate in rural England, which is where they spend most of their time. The matriarch of the family wants her daughters to find husbands soon, and the talk of the town is the fact a wealthy bachelor has moved into the region.

His name is Charles Bingley, so when the next ball rolls around, he shows up with his sister and friend Mr. Darcy. Jane is smitten with Bingley right off of the bat, and then Elizabeth finds Mr. Darcy to be snarky and a sullen man. She also hears him making remarks about her, which provokes her even further.

Jane becomes ill while on a visit to the Bingley’s home, and then she is asked to stay and get better. Elizabeth comes to visit, where she gets into fights with both Darcy and Caroline. When Jane gets better and comes home, a family cousin comes to visit and stake his claim on the home, as the daughters are not married.

The cousin wants to propose to Jane, but the matriarch, Mrs. Bennet, says she will be soon engaged. Elizabeth is offered as an alternative, and this seems to be locked in. She then meets a man named Wickham, who Elizabeth likes after being told that Mr. Darcy screwed him over by denying him an inheritance that was supposed to be his.

At the next ball, Elizabeth finds herself dancing with Mr. Darcy. She is proposed to by the cousin the next day, which she rejects, much to her mother’s anger. It’s shocking when Elizabeth’s good friend then announces she is engaged to the man now, and Elizabeth tells Jane to reconnect with the Bingleys when they are int own.

It’s when Elizabeth is visiting her friend and Collins that she overhears a stranger saying he helped Bingley get away from a suitor from a not good family—he’s referring to Jane. Elizabeth flees, and then Mr. Darcy intervenes when he finds her and proposes. He says that he loves her despite her status, and she says no.

He then tells her that it was for the best that Jane and Bingley didn’t end up together. He then leaves her a letter later detailing everything wrong with Wickham. Elizabeth tours the Darcy estate, where she runs into Mr. Darcy, who invites her to dinner and appears to have changed his demeanor.

We learn Lydia ran off with Wickham, and Elizabeth goes home. Lydia and Wickham are revealed to have eloped, and they are coming home. Apparently Darcy was the one who paied for their wedding. Bingley also proposes to Jane, and then Lady Catherine comes to tell Elizabeth to never marry Darcu.

The next day, Darcy and Elizabeth meet. He apologies and tells her that he loves her. Elizabeth finally accepts his proposal, and her father gives his consent for them to marry.

Overall Thoughts

I can see how this movie became a cult classic on the Internet, especially considering it came out in 2005. I don’t personally care for the story of Pride and Prejudice, and don’t see myself wanting to read the book.

For me, the romance just doesn’t work or seem healthy. And maybe I’m not watching this with rose colored glasses, or I am being too cynical, but I just didn’t care for the movie in the end.

However, I can see why others love the movie. It’s very cinematic and beautiful to watch—what I am complaining about is largely the story. Maybe the novel is better, but I’ll get around to that eventually in my lifetime.

Go watch this if you’re interested and haven’t. Taste is subjective, and someone might love this movie and deem it their favorite. Neither of us are right or wrong, and that’s okay.

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