With the obvious exception of its vampires, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter gets the broad strokes of the 16th U.S. President’s life right. The movie, based on the book by Seth Grahame-Smith, chronicles the loss of Abe’s mother in his youth (which serves as the motivating factor for his subsequent vampire hunting crusade, a la the murder of Bruce Wayne’s parents in the Batman legend) to his burgeoning career as a lawyer and politician to, finally, his Presidency during the Civil War. Along the way, he kills countless bloodsuckers as part of his secret war against the undead.
Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter is this generation's Billy the Kid vs. Dracula or Jesse James Meets Frankenstein's Daughter. Unlike those 1960s low-budget cult classics, this is a summer tentpole from a major studio produced by Tim Burton and directed by Wanted’s Timur Bekmambetov. The movie’s a hybrid horror movie and straightforward biopic with the final result being neither fish nor fowl. Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter isn't scary or exciting enough to truly work as a horror flick; it’s not even silly enough to laugh at. Indeed, the movie takes itself so seriously that it never seems like it’s having any fun, so it’s tough to feel much of anything but ambivalence while watching all the bloody mayhem unfold.
There are a few well-choreographed action set-pieces, the two best being a chase between Lincoln and a vampire amidst a horse stampede and the climactic railroad/burning bridge sequence. For the most part, though, all the vampire-killing sequences feel overly orchestrated and by-the-numbers. It’s like watching a video game walkthrough; it looks cool, but you’re not feeling anything except appreciation for the craftsmanship that went into making it. There are plenty of gruesome vampire kills, but none of them have any real, well, bite. (That said, Abe's axe/gun hybrid weapon is very cool.)
Looking like a young Liam Neeson (he actually played the teenage version of Neeson’s character in Kinsey), Benjamin Walker does a commendable job of anchoring the film and selling its sincerity. He’s in almost every scene and later appears under heavy makeup as the elder Lincoln, but he’s never overwhelmed by all the trappings. His performance imbues the movie with a much-needed humanity. Mary Elizabeth Winstead is a far cuter Mary Todd Lincoln than the real one, and helps warm up an overall cold movie. Walker and Winstead have decent chemistry together and make you care about and believe in this absurd version of the First Couple.
Dominic Cooper plays Abe’s mentor, the “good” vampire Henry Sturgess, and his scenes with Walker are some of the best in the movie. The rest of the cast don’t fare as well. Anthony Mackie and Jimmi Simpson are serviceable as Lincoln’s pals Will Johnson and Joshua Speed, respectively, although neither character has much dimension to them. Marton Csokas hams it up as the evil Jack Barts, coming across more like a mad leprechaun than a Southern vampire, while a flat Rufus Sewell phones it in as the main vampire villain, Adam. Sadly, fan fave Alan Tudyk hardly registers as Stephen A. Douglas, Lincoln’s rival politically and for Mary’s affection.
The visual effects are fine, with strategically utilized CG dust and mist obscuring some of the more potentially cartoonish touches. The makeup and wigs are hit-and-miss (Winstead’s old age makeup is terrible), and the sets, while period accurate, nevertheless make Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter feel like it was shot at Disneyland.
Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter’s heart may be in the right place -- and any film that makes people interested in reading up on the real Lincoln must be commended -- but overall the film is, ironically, bloodless, chugging along from Great Lincoln Historical Moment to carefully choreographed action set-piece without ever generating much energy or enthusiasm.
Source : ign[dot]com
