Unbelievable Disappointment, Read the Book Instead

Rating: 2/10 (12 November 2012)

When the movie began being advertised in theaters myself and my friends joked about it sounding ridiculous, my boyfriend and I decided we'd like to see it for the action sequences and creativity aspect of such an outlandish title. It was then that someone I worked with clued me in to the fact that this movie was based on a book which he found to be "hilarious." So, being the comedy, AND American History nerd that I am I purchased the book to see what all the hype was about. I read the book within a matter of days, as it was an excellent read and a prime example of historical fiction. I did not find the book to be "hilarious" beyond a few moments where a snicker or giggle is warranted, BUT While the events of the time period in the book were truthful and well researched the author did an outstanding job fitting in the supernatural and weaving together an enjoyable story, the movie falls short in an epic way.
The character names are all that the two stories have in common. Events do not unfold as they should and are not in the correct chronological order. Some characters are portrayed vastly different, some characters are completely made up, and some are left out completely. The movie almost completely leaves out the historical events surrounding the main plot, and in doing so leaves the story lacking a real point and focusing on "How awesome can we make this Abe vs Vampire confrontation look??" Absolutely ridiculous. Glad I borrowed the Blu-Ray from a friend instead of spending money on this myself. I'm headed off the read the book over again, hoping to wash the bad taste of the movie out of my mouth.