“Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter” treats the 16th President of the United States in mythical fashion.
Seth Grahame-Smith wrote the novel of the same name and the screenplay for the movie. This means that the screen adaptation did not distort the author’s creative vision.
Grahame-Smith is best known for taking classic novels and altering them to make them more exciting and interesting for the contemporary reader, such as with “Pride and Prejudice and Zombies,” his bestselling adaptation of the Jane Austin classic. In “Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter,” he took the legendary story of Abraham Lincoln, played by Benjamin Walker, and fictionalized it with the same goal in mind.
As hinted at in the trailer, Lincoln’s mother, played by Robin McLeavy, is killed by a vampire when Lincoln is a child, which causes him to grow up with a vengeful heart.
Lincoln’s associates include, a free African-American Will Johnson played by Anthony Mackie, Lincoln’s vampire hunting mentor Henry Sturgess played by Dominic Cooper, and Shopkeeper Joshua Speed played by Jimmi Simpson.
As he learns to be a vampire hunter, Lincoln’s mentor warns him of the dangers of personal attachments. Lincoln ignores this advice when he meets Mary Ann Todd played by Mary Elizabeth Winstead. She soon becomes Mary Todd Lincoln. Lincoln is famous for emancipating the slaves and for making slavery a prime issue of the Civil War. In the last act, history is brought to bear with force.
This movie serves to strengthen the mythos of Lincoln. Anyone who reveres The Great Emancipator will have their adoration fortified.
While large portions of this story are total fiction, it is rooted in real history.
Entertaining and fun, “Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter” is also a quite graphic and a bit suspenseful. Leave any children with a sitter for this one. People sensitive to blood and gore may find this picture disturbing.
You may be able to excuse the violence if you get caught up in seeing our President defending the Union with his own axe. Lincoln is portrayed as a true action hero, not just giving speeches and acting as President, but becoming a soldier defending the people against darkness.
This feature is worth watching if you are a fan of Lincoln or of American history in general. You will leave the theater patriotically pumped.
“Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter” is rated R for violence throughout and brief sexuality.
