Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter (2012)

Just look at that title for a minute. Let it sink in. Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. Now, form a picture in your mind of what that movie would be like. Ridiculous, isn't it? Of course it is. There is simply no way anybody could make a movie with this story, take it seriously, and convince everyone that they should too. But director Timur Bekmambetov, producer Tim Burton, and writer Seth Grahame-Smith sure put up a good fight. The film is based on a novel Grahame-Smith wrote which I have not read, but I did read his previous success Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. That was a book in which he used eighty percent of Jane Austen's original, but with random zombie references and attacks thrown in. Written with a wink, it was a relatively clever novelty, but I didn't think the guy could invent an entire original story with the same style. Based on the movie, I was wrong.

This could have easily been nothing more than a Lincoln look-alike running around killing vampires with blood spilling all over. Yes, that is partly what it is, but surrounded by a surprising knowledge of history. The story of Lincoln as a vampire killer is seamlessly incorprated into the real story of Lincoln as a president, but without sacrificing any of Lincoln's real character and convictions to do it. He still wants to free the slaves for moral reasons, not because of some half-baked vampire-related excuse. Even in the foolishness of this movie, Lincoln is portrayed by Benjamin Walker as a great leader who actually wants to do good for the country. On the same token, the Civil War is here portrayed as a battle between the living and the dead, since vampires apprently made up the majority of the South. It's asilly idea, but it is sold without a second thought. One of the things that interested me about the movie was the further development of the vampire legend itself. Every vampire movie makes concessions about what a vampire can or can't do, but not always in such unique ways as this one. For instance, by allowing vampires to become invisible, a new door is opened for the level of thrills. In daylight or darkness, the camera can be pointed at a vampire and we don't know unless it materializes, which they occasionally do with jolting effect. The action sequences also impress by being inventive as well as exciting, something most movies of this ilk can't seem to handle.

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter is a success even though it really shouldn't be. I didn't laugh or roll my eyes once, though, perhaps because the movie is so earnest in delivering on individuality I was shocked to find it possessed. No, this is not a movie that will go down in history or join the ranks of John Ford's Young Mr. Lincoln as a historical classic, but it left an impression. It is a great entertainment that doesn't settle for the norm and won't easily be forgotten.

7/10