The Details
- Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter
- Directed by Timur Bekmambetov
- Rated R
- Beyond the Weekly
- IMDb: Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter
- Rotten Tomatoes: Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter
- Benjamin Walker, Dominic Cooper, Mary Elizabeth Winstead
For a movie with such a ridiculous title and premise, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter takes itself remarkably seriously.
Based on the novel by Seth Grahame-Smith (Pride and Prejudice and Zombies), it weaves real historical details of the life of our 16th president around a fictional narrative about his lifelong crusade against vampires. It’s a deeply silly idea, but Grahame-Smith (who also wrote the screenplay) and director Timur Bekmambetov (Wanted) play it completely straight, with massive set pieces and a grisly back story for Lincoln (Benjamin Walker) involving his quest for revenge against a vampire who killed his mother.
There isn’t a hint of humor to this tedious, plodding movie, and Walker has no charisma as the grim, determined Lincoln. Bekmambetov overdoses on slow-motion and quick cuts in his action sequences, and the special effects look dingy and fake. An adaptation of a textbook would at least have been more educational.
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