Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter

Out of curiosity I went to see this movie just to see how the image of one of the most revered men in world history was treated. If only for that I saw a film that tries to be consistent but also takes a lot of liberties such as blatantly neglecting to mention that Lincoln had four sons and not only one.

The story begins with Lincoln being five or six and losing his mother in odd circumstances. He presumes his mother was poisoned by an enemy of his family and when he is old enough he decides to take revenge in his own hands but fails miserably when his enemy survives his attack and in turn almost kills him. He is saved by a man, Henry Sturgees,  who befriends him and trains him (later on it is revealed that Henry is also a vampire).

Lincoln is trained for ten years and under Henry's indications he starts slaying vampire after a vampire until it is the moment to fight his original enemy. At the same time we witness the awakening of Lincoln's political side, his becoming president and his historical confrontation with the Civil War problem, which in this reality has the vampires (these undead have developed the ability to stand sunlight) siding with the Confederation. Benjamin Walker, the actor that plays Lincoln, makes a convincing effort to bring Lincoln to life. The visual effects are superb and also the care in creating tthe appropriate setiing for the story. The pacing of the events also allows for all the elements of this film: fantasy, action, and even history to come together without resulting in a sour blend. 

The film finishes with an aged Lincoln who have already won the war, defeated the vampires and eradicated their presence from the U.S. territory going to the theater with his wife where he will meet his final destiny. Before that, Henry offers him to make him a vampire but Lincoln declines.

If you are just looking to have fun and fantasize a little with all these "could have been" or "what if" situations then this film is right for you. I was not bored by it but was not particularly excited either. Perhaps the drama war that Spielberg is releasing this year and is just titled Lincoln, with Daniel Day Lewis as the leading actor,will do a better job into bringing the figure of this exceptional individual into the minds of the worldwide audience without resorting to fanciful elements.

Out of respect I give the hunter 2.5 out of 5.