A better vampire story, blends real American history with vampire myth.

Rating: Null/10 (8 November 2012)

I really like this movie. I went into watching it thinking it might be cheesy but it is very well made and has a bit of good American History in it to boot! Plus, being a Tim Burton film, even if you don't like it you know it will be exciting.
The basic story is the real one of Abraham Lincoln, starting out in 1818 when he was a young boy of 9, and ending after he, as President of the United States, gives his now famous Gettysburg in 1863. It includes his meeting and eventually marrying Mary Todd.
Now layer on top of that the "untold story" which involves Vampires. That part begins when young Abe awakens one night and sees his own mother being attacked by a Vampire. From that moment he made a vow to himself to devote his life to hunting and killing Vampires.
Of course it wasn't easy, he needed help from a trustworthy Vampire who helped train him. His great revelation was to use an axe with a silver cutting edge, allowing him to decapitate and kill Vampires.
The story also uses the Vampire factor in the Civil War. When the South finds itself outmanned, a Vampire leader vows support, all the Vampires that they need. But Abe has another revelation one evening, while holding a silver fork. If they were to melt down all the silver they could get, and make bullets and other weapons, they could even defeat the Vampire soldiers.
The conclusion of the story focuses on the Battle of Gettysburg. Even though the war lasted until 1865, the defeat of General Robert E. Lee at Gettysburg in 1863 was a milestone, and the address President Lincoln gave is one of the most meaningful in American History.
Good movie, for anyone who enjoys a good Vampire story.
Benjamin Walker with appropriate makeup looks very much like the Abraham Lincoln we recognize from historical images, and he does a fine job in the title role. Dominic Cooper is Henry Sturges, the friendly Vampire who helps Honest Abe. Anthony Mackie is his life-long friend, former slave Will Johnson. Mary Elizabeth Winstead is good as Mary Todd Lincoln. And always good, especially as a villain, is Rufus Sewell as Adam the mighty Vampire leader.