Superb action scenes and performances make this one a killer.

Rating: 10/10 (26 June 2012)

Going in knowing nothing about the flick except it was called, well... you know what, and that it was based on a novel of the same name, I expected no more than some cheesy CGI mediocrity.
Boy, was I wrong.
Let's start with the best thing about the movie: the action scenes. Timur Bekmambetov executes the action in "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter" with stunning and extremely satisfying flourish, akin to Zack Snyder's "300" from 2006. Slow-mo shots aplenty, and vampire blood flowing across the screen, the action never lets up in its excitement or pace throughout the whole film.
What really surprised me was the extreme effectiveness of the film as a historical drama, with great performances put in by all the lead roles. While at first I was a bit skeptical as Benjamin Walker looked a bit like the poor man's Benedict Cumberbatch, but I was blown away how Walker simply became Abraham Lincoln. Both the actor and the make-up department deserve special credit for bringing the 16th president to the big screen. Dominic Cooper was also very memorable in his role as the "trainer" of Honest Abe, and was always a pleasure to watch on-screen.
The movie's pace is always consistent, and always generates excitement, be it through the simply outstanding action scenes, or the more dramatic ones. Originally, I thought a more humorous tongue-in-cheek would be appropriate for a movie like this, but I definitely would agree that the serious tone that the film employed definitely worked to its advantage by so seamlessly interweaving real-life history with the vampire mythos.
All in all, the movie blew away my expectations. If you're in for some simply awesome vampire-slaying action, or even if you're into the historical aspect of Abraham Lincoln, the film delivers on every level. Definitely do not miss up on one of the best summer flicks of 2012.