Interesting Blend Of History with Action-Horror

Rating: 5/10 (9 September 2013)

I have to confess that, based on the title alone, this movie has intrigued me for a long time. I have to confess as well that, based on the title alone, I've put off watching this movie for some time. It seemed a little bit - well - too strange. It seemed a little bit too obvious of an attempt to capitalize on the expectations about the blockbuster film "Lincoln" that was due to come out just a few short months after this was released. So, with all the hype about that, let's try to put something else together that can capitalize on the interest and make a few bucks. And, to be honest, I wasn't expecting very much from this.
Now, truth be told, I was somewhat surprised. "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter" turns out to be a reasonably enjoyable movie. It's certainly a unique way of blending horror-style actions with a sort-of quasi- history. It starts with a mysterious and even frightening atmosphere, although that fades into a more action-oriented horror story after a while. The significant events of Lincoln's life (from the death of his mother when he was a young boy to the death of his son Will when he was president) are woven into this account of a battle against vampires, who have seen slavery as an opportunity to satisfy their thirst for blood. Ultimately, the Civil War itself is seen as part of that supernatural battle, with vampires allying themselves with the Confederacy, and the Battle of Gettysburg being essentially against vampiric Confederate forces. I'm not saying at all that the history is accurate. It's just that the movie does manage to blend a historical narrative pretty well into a fantasy.
Benjamin Walker was actually not too bad as Lincoln. He was earnest, and obviously took the role very seriously. In fact, while I was glad that this didn't turn out to be a comedy that went for laughs, I did think that perhaps the greatest weakness was that at times it took itself a bit too seriously. Nevertheless it was quite watchable most of the way through. The "train" scenes, near the end of the movie, went on a little bit too long, I thought. Yes, they were decent action scenes, but too much for me to be honest. The movie didn't end as I thought it would (which was a good thing, by the way.)
Overall, while I found this to be a very watchable movie, I thought that it was a touch too over the top for my liking, and probably a little bit too long for a movie with this type of story. Interesting, though. Definitely an interesting alternative fantasy-history of Lincoln and his presidency, and what made him tick. (5/10)