Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter [Celluloid Hero]

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter (2012)

Before you read any further, go ahead and re-read the title of this movie. Abraham. Lincoln. Vampire. Hunter. If you're going into this expecting anything more than the sum of those four words, you will probably be disappointed. Conversely, if you go in expecting to just see the hunting of vampires by Abraham Lincoln, you're good to go.

Based on a novel by Seth Grahame-Smith (who also wrote "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies"), AL:VH is a rewriting of history. It manages to be both ridiculous and plausible at the same time. We know that vampires weren't fighting for the Confederacy during the Civil War...but at the same time, can you prove they didn't?

Director Timur Bekmambetov does an excellent job of making the movie feel like a comic book. The visuals are great and the special effects work very well. The acting and the story, however, are where the movie falls a bit short.

As stated earlier, one shouldn't expect a masterpiece. The issue I had is that the movie almost wanted to be taken seriously. At times it got too heavy-handed, dragging down what could have been a more animated series of events. I understand that there was an attempt to make it darker and less cartoonish, but there's only so much drama that can be tied to this premise.

For what it is (and what you should expect it to be), AL:VH is a fun movie. Will it stand the test of time and go down as a great movie? Doubtful. Is it taking advantage of the current vampire craze? Most likely. Is it a fun movie to watch with some friends? Definitely.

On the [Celluloid Hero] scale, "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter" gets a 6 out of 10.

[Each week, Varacchi explores cinema from his own perspective. From indie to foreign to mainstream, he'll watch it all. Suggestions and recommendations are welcome, leave a comment below. CLICK HERE for the Celluloid Hero archives]