If you're like me, when you saw Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter sitting in Barnes & Noble you said: "lolwtf." Then when you actually bothered to read it, as you are an impulsive book shopper, you saw it was a very smart humor novel. Then when you saw that it was being made a movie by Timur Bekmambetov (Wanted), you got excited. But most people are not like me, and many judged this film by its title. I'm here to tell you why they shouldn't have.
When Abraham Lincoln (Benjamin Walker) was a tyke, his mom was murdered by a mysterious businessman. As an adult, Abe finally gets the guts to take revenge, only to find that his quarry is kinda-sorta-undead. After being almost killed, Abe becomes the disciple of vampire hunter Henry Sturgess (Dominic Cooper), and trains to wipe out the evil clan led by Adam (Rufus Sewell). Armed with a blessed silver axe and his smarts, Abe begins the journey that will lead him from meeting Mary Todd (Mary Elizabeth-Winstead) on the streets of Springfield to Gettysburg.
My late grandfather loved many things, two of his favorites being: action films and Abraham Lincoln. As far as he was concerned, Lincoln was the ultimate example of moral good in American history. He would've loved this film. Unlike Sherlock Holmes or the (thankfully dead) Da Vinci action movie, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter is a celebration of the man and his accomplishments rather than exploitation and patronization. Benjamin Walker is great in the title role, and the film balances humor and seriousness well enough that it never gets lost. It knows what it is, and basically says "how can you even try to take me seriously?"
By no means is this a great movie. The whole thing is completely ridiculous, tons of stuff doesn't make any sense, and some moments are inexcusably stupid. Still, as wacky as this film is and as silly as the premise is, I have seen and reviewed much worse. It's just an action movie you guys, and it doesn't have Shia LaBeouf in it, which automatically gets a thumbs up. And it helps to have Timur Bekmambetov directing it, because as a result the action scenes are super creative and very badass.
Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter is a movie that most people will see on TV or iTunes, and will hopefully gain popularity as a cult film. Like Scott Pilgrim, it didn't get good marketing and is a true niche film. And you know what? I like it that way. I won't rant about silly-but-fun action movies and Michael Bay, because that has no place here. All I will do in these final sentences is how people shouldn't judge a book, or a film, by its cover or its trailer. No matter how dumb you think this looks, I say check it out. You might be pleasantly surprised.
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