Lost in Austen

I love the 1995 adaptation of Pride and Prejudice, and I really like the book itself as well, so when I stumbled upon Lost in Austen (a bit late, as it was released in 2008), I was extremely excited. What girl wouldn't want to get lost in Austen's Pride and Prejudice world, to meet the strong-minded and intelligent Elizabeth, her kind sister Jane, and the many diverse and unique characters that fill this book.

My overall thoughts about the movie is that it was very entertaining, and I really did enjoy it. I thought the actors did a very good job of portraying their characters specifically for this movie adaptation. There were some things that did not bode too well with me, though. Some of the events that occur caused or were the effect of changes in personality of some of the characters. Some of the events that happen (read: Jane getting married for a bit to Mr. Collins!) I really, incredibly wish that they had not happened. In no adapation whatsoever do I wish to see Jane with Mr. Collins! This is one of the few things that I could have done without. However, I know that part of the reason that there were so many changes was because of the introduction of Amanda Price (portrayed by Jemima Rooper) into the world of Pride and Prejudice. The ending was also a bit confusing for me. Amanda had a boyfriend that was, well, compared to Darcy I suppose, less than stellar. At the end, however, it seems that perhaps he does have some good in him, and that is why the ending confuses me. It seemed, for a moment at least, as if Amanda was going to stay in the future with her boyfriend and leave the Pride and Prejudice world behind. I know it is not just in my head, but I wish someone could see that part and we could discuss it to see if it does seem that way or not.

I really liked the actors themselves - the girl who played Elizabeth (Gemma Arerton, who will be a main character in the upcoming Prince of Persia: Sands of Time) was very lovely, and I loved seeing her in the present time and seeing how that affected her when she had to go back to her time. I liked seeing her using a laptop and watching (but not listening) to the television. She says at one point that she likes watching, but not listening, to the television. Sometimes I like it to be quiet as well; I'd rather watch than hear.

I also liked the main character, Amanda, although I must admit that she could have done more to have prevented some of the things that happened, such as the wedding of Jane to Mr. Collins (yes, it did bother me that much. It should not have happened. Ever.) The actors that portrayed the Bennet family were also very interesting to see; the actress who portrayed Mrs. Bennet reminded me of the actress who played Mrs. Bennet in the 1995 BBC production. Mr. Bennet was very agreeable, and the actor chosen to portray Mr. Darcy also did a pretty good job, although I found some things that I thought were out of place for him as a character. I did not really like Mr. Bingley's character portrayal, but I did really like the actress who portrayed his sister Caroline. I particularly loved her hairstyle; I hope to try my hand at braiding and picking up my hair in a similar fashion soon.

The movie itself is, understandably, very modern and there is a lot of humor in the movie. I found myself laughing and cheering as Mrs. Bennet gives Lady Catherine a piece of her mind, something I so wish would have happened in the book. Being a modern adaptation I can see why certain things are different, but some I still didn't agree with (yes, one of them being Jane and Mr. Collins, and yes, that affects the final point count of this movie). Overall and in summary, at least a 4/5, with the 1995 BBC production holding the 5/5 still.