Delivers what it promises. Stupid, but entertaining.

Rating: 5/10 (18 October 2012)

Just watched 'Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter' (2012)
History's not my strong suit, but I have this nagging feeling that they seem to have taken liberties with some of the historical facts here. ;)
Just reading the title of the movie, I won't fault you for thinking how ridiculous the premise is. It's likely to be the first thought that would spring up, and I won't fault you for that, cos... well, it IS kinda ridiculous.
But the title sums up the movie - the tone, the premise, the setting, the era, the genre, the plot. Never has a movie title been so revealing since 2006's 'Snakes on a Plane'
But you should not be disappointed. If someone read the title of the movie (which is the least amount of pre-watch research you need to do for ANY movie), you can hardly be surprised at what you get. Unless you were forced to watch the movie at gunpoint, you don't really have a right to complain on this one.
Abraham Lincoln is one of my favourite leaders, and I was wondering why they chose him as the subject for historic mangling, even if it's for fun. Of course, he was a physical guy, with a lot of energy. But why not pick out a fictional president? Of course, a story about a fictional vampire hunting president may not pull in as much bemused attention as latching on to a big name like L, seemingly pulling out the unwritten pages of history. But there was more to it. The vampire movement was linked to slavery, and Lincoln's presidency was a pivotal element of setting the slaves free.
I'm sure they didn't select Lincoln because he was the emancipating president. I think they chose emancipation as a central plot premise so that the plot would fit Lincoln. In either case, the end product is a good watch.
Don't get me wrong - the movie is as stupid and illogical as its premise. It has flimsy character development, sketchy plot, pointless villainy and unintentionally funny action sequences. But it's still enjoyable for a one time watch. And the special effects used in recreating the old era were quite interesting.
The movie was promoted as Tim Burton's movie, but it's actually directed by Timur Bekmambetov. I was about to complain about the bait and switch maneuver here, but then again, I should have read the poster more carefully, I guess.