Review: Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter

Plot:  Based on the novel by Seth Grahame-Smith, Abraham Lincoln:  Vampire Hunter supposes that our 16th president (played by Benjamin Walker) was a secret stalker of the undead ever since witnessing the death of his mother at a young age.  Consumed by thoughts of revenge, Lincoln is saved from a near fatal mistake by friend and mentor Henry (Dominic Cooper) who decides to take Abe under his wing and teach him the ins and outs of vampire slaying.  As time progresses, Lincoln eventually puts away the axe, moves on to a political career, and marries Mary Todd (Mary Elizabeth Winstead).  However, when Henry discovers that ancient vampire Adam (Rufus Sewell) is behind the American Civil War and whose ultimate aim is to finally create a nation for vampires, it's up to Abe and a close band of cohorts to determine the fate of the nation.

Review:  Let's get one thing clear, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter by it's very name is not a film steeped in historical accuracy.  That's why I am befuddled by people chastising this film and forwarding the ridiculous idea that kids will grow up believing Honest Abe slew vampires.  Memo to all parents out there:  if your child actually grows up believing that Abraham Lincoln's main accomplishments involved dispatching the undead, YOU HAVE FAILED AS A PARENT.
     Abraham Lincoln:  Vampire Hunter's* main purpose isn't to provide a history lesson, it's to entertain, and as a horror/action/pseudo-biopic genre mash up, the film is mostly entertaining although nowhere near as good as Grahame-Smith's novel.
     Director Timur Bekmambetov (Wanted) helms ALVH and chooses (for the most part) a very straight edged vision for the film.  The tongue is not firmly in cheek throughout the movie and at no point does ALVH come across as a comedy.  Bekmambetov's trademark slow motion scenes and gory action sequences inundate the entire film, providing plenty of high octane adrenaline rushes.  Unfortunately, sometimes Bekmambetov's pacing comes across choppy, and too often ALVH jumps from one action sequence to the next with barely any room for a breath.
     Additionally, I thought the representation of vampires within the film was shoddy at best.  Maybe it's just a personal preference, but it drives me crazy when I see vampires on screen whose faces and jaws become all distended and twisted when they vamp out.  I much prefer the traditional straight fangs.  Moreover, the face distortion is symptomatic of the terrible CGI in this picture.  For a movie that had a $70 million dollar budget, you'd think Fox could have cleaned things up a bit.  One sequence in particular (where Abe chases a vampire across a stampede of horses) looks like Elmo from Sesame Street put it together.  I will concede however that the final vampire battle/train sequence was quite entertaining.
     Fortunately, ALVH redeems itself partly through it's acting.  That's right I said acting.  Most people wouldn't expect quality acting in a film with this title, but it's actually quite good.  Sewell exceeds at playing the despicable Adam, although to be fair he's always good at playing a villain.  Benjamin Walker, who previously appeared in the quality dramas Flags of our Fathers and Kinsey, pulls off a surprisingly believable and heartfelt depiction of our 16th president.  Walker fully commits to the role** not just at the supernatural level but also as a President struggling with a country being torn apart by slavery.  Mary Elizabeth Winstead does well as Mary Todd although she's a little too young and pretty to fit the role.  For my money Dominic Cooper steals the show as Henry Sturgess.  Henry is a very complex character, a vampire who wishes to revenge himself upon the same creatures that destroyed his family.  Cooper does an excellent job of bringing those experiences to the forefront of Henry's personality.  Despite being a vampire, Henry's someone the audience can connect to. 
     It's a reader's burden always to lament the fact that the movie is never as good as the book and ALVH is no different.  However what's even more egregious is that the screenwriter is also the book's author.  While most of the plot remains intact, the ending (which is much better in the novel) has been completely changed.  It reeks of studio strong-arming because I can't believe that Mr. Grahame-Smith would willingly consent to such a hatchet job.
     The bottom line is that if you want a history lesson on Lincoln grab an encyclopedia and go to town.  If you want two hours of mindless violence, action, and vampire ass kicking then Abraham Lincoln:  Vampire Hunter is right up your alley.

My rating:  6/10

*Trust me read the novel.  It is amazing.
**As good as Walker was in this movie I'm guessing Daniel Day-Lewis' portrayal of Lincoln in the upcoming biopic (sans vampires) is going to be slightly better.