Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. Rated MA 15+ (strong bloody violence). 105 minutes. Directed by Timur Bekmambetov. Screenplay by Seth Grahame-Smith (based on his graphic novel).
Verdict: An audacious re-imagining of Abraham Lincoln’s
life story that boasts stunning attention to visual detail.
When, as a young boy,
Abraham Lincoln witnesses his mother’s murder at the hands of a vampire, he
vows to spend his life avenging her death. When he reaches adulthood, ‘Abe’
(Benjamin Walker, pictured) joins forces with another master vampire slayer Henry Sturges
(Dominic Cooper) to rid their small town of their vampire enemies – winning him
enough fame and adoration to see him become the sixteenth President of the
United States of America.
Grahame-Smith’s (Dark Shadows) marvellously fanciful recasting of
American history (particularly the emancipation of slaves and the Civil War)
finds itself in perfect company with the stunning visual treatment rendered
here by Russian director Bekmambetov (Night Watch), cinematographer Caleb Deschenal (The Passion
of the Christ) and production
designer François Audouy (currently at work on Hugh Jackman’s The Wolverine).
It’s an audacious
re-imagining (which may not be very popular in America’s southern states when
they find their ancestors recast as vampires), but the film wins points for its
stunning attention to visual (if not historical) detail. Walker is determinedly
stoic and effective in the title role, and yes, the actor he will remind you of
is Liam Neeson (who he played the 19 year-old version of in Kinsey). Cooper (Captain America: The First Avenger, Mamma Mia!, The History Boys)
goes for broke throughout, while Rufus Sewell is brilliantly malevolent as the
lead vampire Adam.
While it ultimately
suffers from taking itself a little too seriously, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire
Hunter will certainly satisfy fans
of the vampire/horror genre – especially when the big vampire action sequences
deliver the film into the true fantasy realm as opposed to the curious and
bizarre concoction of bloated historical fancy it occasionally seems to be.
This review was commissioned by the Geraldton Newspaper Group.
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