Abraham Lincoln: Swing and a miss

Rating: 6/10 (14 July 2012)

"History prefers legends to men"
Why have vampires invaded pop culture? Is the lines between modern man and monster blurring? Is it a personality change preference for our generations- no longer for the cheerleader type, the darker the better- intelligent, moody, mysterious and reticent. Or is it just a heady concoction of fantasy-land entertainment and escapism? Whatever be the reason is not up for debate here, but a film with a name such as Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter needs a bit of perspective.
It takes a lot of gumption and imagination to portray one of history's most astute leaders as a Gothic horror hunter- AB:VH is based on Seth Graham Smith's 2010 mash-up fiction novel, and directed by Russian director Timur Bekmambetov. In this alternate version of American history got extra bloody- it starts with young AB devastated by the killing of his mother by a vampire, and somehow that gets linked to his hatred of slavery. AB, played by Benjamin Walker, dedicates the rest of his life hunting for his mother's killer and later on declares total war on the racist bloodsuckers (yes, racist- all the vampires in the movie are white and they feeding on the black slaves is termed an essential reason for slavery to continue), in the pursuit of which he is mentored by a repentant vampire- Henry Sturges in his journey from a fledgling assassin to a vampire hunting politician.
Vampire fiction is an open canvas these days, with their powers changing at the sway of any particular authors brush-strokes. In AB's world, all vampires need is sunscreen and sunglasses, and pronto- they can walk in the sun. No stake through the heart, or the revered cross and holy water combo- Henry says that ever since Judas was given 30 pieces of silver for his betrayal, silver became the curse of the cursed, so these vampires can be killed by all things silver, and joyfully, AB silver coats his chosen weapon to hunt the infernal species till about interval. Post that he has to concentrate on his family life, his political career and govern the country through its most troubled times. His skills with the axe are again called back upon when vampires start turning the tide in the Civil War against him.
Historical fallacies be damned but even the initial reversals at the historical battle of Gettysburg are attributed to the undead, and more ridiculous is the way AB marshals all the silver in the land into bayonets and canon shells, all within a span of a day (The actual Gettysburg battle lasted 2 days). But then this is not a thinking man's movie, for with a name as Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, ridiculousness should come marked in capital letters on the package. And unfortunately, it doesn't. Who wouldn't want to laugh at bearded AB with his swinging axes tearing apart the undead? This is a movie that should have been fun- gone all out over the top, put in some jokes, upped the entertainment and involvement, but it tries to play safe- fusing intense vampire flick with a campy premise.
Don't get me wrong though- the film has plenty of bright spots- first of all, Benjamin Walker who looks like a younger Liam Neeson, is solid as AB, and Dominic Cooper as Henry has a great time too. Since our hero handles an axe rather well, gore lovers can expect a fair share of decapitations and other brutalities. The action scenes are fairly unorthodox- at one point, a vampire throws a horse at AB! The artwork and costumes is impressively detailed- the first shot in the movie is sheer genius- starts with contemporary skyline of Washington and then slowly changes to settings 150 years ago, with an under construction White House. I being a lover of historical themed movies didn't find the pace slow too.
On the flip side, Timur Bekmambetov overall treatment errs on the side of caution to make this a humorless affair. While his earlier takes on vampires (Nightwatch and Daywatch) were visionary and Wanted was in its own way excellent, this one is kind of a step down. 3D and horror are made for each other- AB:VH has a couple of scary moments, wish there were more. Mary Elizabeth Winstead as AB's supportive wife Mary Todd stepped on a bowler's hat to unattainable heights, might be a "creature of ravishing resourcefulness" but doesn't get too much to do. The special effects were largely inconsistent- some of the fights were excellent, but others were cartoonishly childish, including the climactic burning bridge sequence. Also a curious lack of star power, and a non charismatic and non scary villain in Rufus Sewell didn't help either.
To sum up, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter is not for everyone- its neither a historical as it is factually inaccurate, and its neither a fully blown monster epic. It is essentially an alternate history romp into silliness played with admirable seriousness thus doing somewhat justice to its title- for some people it will work, for some it will not.
Not too scary and not too funny and lacking zing- 6/10 from a horror movie fan, then.