Director: Timur Bekmambetov
Notable Cast: Benjamin Walker, Dominic Cooper, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Anthony Mackie, Jimmi Simpson, Rufus Sewell
Despite my initial excitement for a project like “Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter,” I hesitated to see it. The film seemed to have a lot going for it, but it was a premise that was either going to be a fun, awesome B-movie time or an over zealous fail. I was afraid of the latter with all of the talents involved behind the camera and with its great character actors. Thusly, I ended up waiting this long to see the action filled horror satire. While the film is neither an awesome time nor an over zealous fail, “Vampire Hunter” tends to be a little of both – which is still more or less a disappointment considering its premise.
Notable Cast: Benjamin Walker, Dominic Cooper, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Anthony Mackie, Jimmi Simpson, Rufus Sewell
Despite my initial excitement for a project like “Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter,” I hesitated to see it. The film seemed to have a lot going for it, but it was a premise that was either going to be a fun, awesome B-movie time or an over zealous fail. I was afraid of the latter with all of the talents involved behind the camera and with its great character actors. Thusly, I ended up waiting this long to see the action filled horror satire. While the film is neither an awesome time nor an over zealous fail, “Vampire Hunter” tends to be a little of both – which is still more or less a disappointment considering its premise.
After his mother is taken ill by a vampire, a young Abraham Lincoln (Walker) decides its time to fight back against something he doesn't understand or know how to fight. When he learns that he is no match, a mysterious stranger (Cooper) takes him under his wing to become a hunter, training him in the ways of how to hunt and destroy these creatures of the night. What Lincoln doesn't know is that his future as a man of power and influence will always be one fighting the vampire scourge and his fight may change the course of history.
He came to ax you a question... |
Then the film crumbles right before our eyes. About half way
through the film we are treated to a massive fight as Lincoln goes to save his
friend from the clutches of the evil vamps. Upon further retrospection after
the fact, this, partnered with some more time spent developing stronger character build between Lincoln
and his cohorts (it would have helped had they strengthened the romantic sub
plot with Mary Todd which sort of comes out of the blue) should have been the
ending to the film. From this point on, the film rushes through the rest of
Lincoln’s political career to get us to the Civil War and so the film could end
on a clever ‘twist’ with his theatrical excursion. We spend so much time in
Lincoln’s youth that the rest of this feels tacked on and forced. While the
finale has its moments of fun action, none of it really matches the hand to ax
combat that graced the first half of the film. It drags on character
development wise, throws in random tid bits of twist, and forces a more serious
tone on the audience – a very poor choice considering how fun and ridiculous
the first half was.
Chop, chop Abe. Chop, chop. |
Written By Matt Reifschneider
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