Historical fiction-based action thriller ‘Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter’ hit theaters June 22, 2012, battling against Disney and Pixar’s ‘Brave’ and Dreamworks’ ‘Madagascar 3.’ Unfortunately, it couldn’t hold its own against the kids’ movies; however, the box office numbers do not reflect the actual quality of the film. ‘Lincoln’ is a fantastic film with a surprisingly rich story and truly epic action sequences.

Spoiler alert!

‘Lincoln’ is based on the novel of the same name written by Seth Grahame-Smith, who also wrote the screenplay for the movie. The story begins with Lincoln as a child with two hardworking parents on a plantation. When Lincoln sees one of his friends, William Johnson, being hurt, he attacks the owner, Jack Barts (Marton Csokas), and his father intervenes. Lincoln’s father, Thomas (Joseph Mawle), quits and Barts demands that his debt be repaid immediately. Thomas refuses and Barts decides to settle the score another way. One night, he sneaks into their home and bites Thomas’ wife, Nancy (Robin McLeavy), which Lincoln witnesses. She dies the next morning, leaving Thomas and Lincoln heartbroken.

Thomas makes Lincoln vow to never seek revenge and he agrees, but after the father dies nine years later, Lincoln (Benjamin Walker) gears up to kill Barts. He gets drunk to work up the nerve for the kill and bumps into the mysterious Henry Sturgess (Dominic Cooper), who warns him not to be reckless but he does not listen. Lincoln confronts Barts at the docks only to learn he is a vampire, and is nearly killed until Henry intervenes.

Lincoln wakes up in Henry’s home the next day and learns the truth about how vampires came to America looking to rebuild their ranks and thrive. He still wants revenge for his mother’s death so he makes a deal with Henry to be taught how to kill vampires if he takes on the mission to exterminate all of them, instead of just Barts. He trains for a while and then heads to Springfield where he lands a job with Joshua Speed (Jimmi Simpson) and takes assignments to secretly kill vampires in the city.

During his time in Springfield, he meets Mary Todd (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) and the two fall for each other. However, Barts discovers their relationship and threatens to kill her, beckoning Lincoln to settle the score once and for all. Lincoln kills him but learns that he is only an enforcer working for Adam (Rufus Sewell), a powerful vampire ruling over New Orleans who wants to expand his influence throughout the entire country.

Not long afterwards, Lincoln finds out Henry is a vampire whom Adam created out of spite. Since vampires cannot kill one another, Henry has been making human protégées to hunt in his place, but Lincoln is angry when he finds out the truth and gives up hunting to marry Mary and become a politician. He later becomes President of the United States during the civil war, along with the help of his childhood friend William (Anthony Mackie), which escalates when Adam sends his vampire followers onto the battlefield to turn the tide for the South. Adam’s sister, Vadoma (Erin Wasson), murders Lincoln’s only son William, and he determines to end the war and the dispute once and for all.

Despite the tongue-in-cheek premise for the novel and film, ‘Lincoln’ is actually a fantastic experience due to the masterful casting. Benjamin Walker is exceptional as Lincoln, both as a young man and as his older, more well-known self. He brings an incredible sense of honor, strength, and determination to the role, while still being a genuinely good man who wants to save the people he loves and the nation he serves.

The other actors are also cast perfectly. The villains are vicious and unforgiving and Lincoln’s friends are self-sacrificing and loyal to the end. This is also due to the fact that the script is relatively clear of clichés and provides enough time to develop the characters and give them distinct roles alongside Lincoln.

The plot flows well and never drags in any particular spot. It is especially engrossing because of the story’s historical fiction setting. Most of Lincoln’s important moments in history remain unchanged, even with the inclusion of the vampires threatening America, and it is interesting to see how he changes from a hardened young man to a responsible leader of the Union. This is the main appeal for the novel as well, which is part of the mashup genre where authors take a pre-existing text and combine it with a supernatural element. Other popular works similar to this one are ‘Pride and Prejudice and Zombies’ and ‘Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters.’

The only significant flaw in ‘Lincoln’ is the rather noticeable CGI, which can get distracting in scenes where it takes up most of the environment. The vampires themselves look excellent and terrifying, but the CGI for backgrounds is mediocre at best. The worst offenders are the horse stampede and the end sequence of the fiery train tracks. It is quite easy to tell that they are standing in a green screen and thus some of the action feels less intense due to the substandard visuals.

Still, ‘Lincoln’ is an exciting foray into the mashup genre and should not be missed.

Grade: 4.5/5

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Initially, the director of the upcoming vampire thrill ‘Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter’, Timur Bekmambetov, was to serve as a producer until Tim Burton convinced him to take the reins as the director of the film. “I wanted to see Timur’s version of this story!” Burton says. “A big plus was that Timur is from another country, so he provides a different perspective on these characters and historical events.”

The “vampire hunter” portion of the story offers explosive thrills, scares, and stunts, but the filmmakers never forgot that they were also presenting a portrait of a beloved figure, as well as the monumental events that shaped our nation and continue to define contemporary discourse. “Everything had to be presented in a very straightforward way,” says writer Seth Grahame-Smith. “We never wink at the audience; not even once. Tim Burton really supported us and protected that vision.”

Grahame-Smith notes that his idea for his book Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter came from an observation he made during a 2009 tour to promote his previous tome, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, another unexpected connection between disparate cultural entities. The author/screenwriter recalls: “That year marked the bicentennial of Lincoln’s birth, and many of the bookstores on my promotional tour had two displays: one featured books about Lincoln’s life; the other was a vampire-themed display, including the Twilight and Sookie Stackhouse books [upon which the television show “True Blood” was based].  It led me to think about combining the two subjects.”

Grahame-Smith’s vampires were polar opposites to the romantic figures captured in the pages of the books he saw on display. His creatures of the undead pay proper reverence to the classic tradition of vampires in the movies. “The vampires in our movie aren’t romantic or funny, and they certainly don’t sparkle,” he notes. “Our vampires are bloodthirsty and cunning – and most frightening of all, they’ve become a part of the fabric of everyday life, working as blacksmiths, pharmacists, and bankers.”

The vampires’ principal foe is one of history’s most beloved figures, whom many consider our greatest president. This story covers 45 years in Abraham Lincoln’s life, from 1820 to 1865, and is set in Kentucky, Illinois, and Louisiana and, of course, the nation’s capital. So, who would follow in the footsteps of some of our most accomplished actors, and play the iconic leader and fearless vampire slayer? The nod went to stage actor Benjamin Walker, who coincidentally already had accrued some “presidential” experience as the lead in the play “Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson,” which had a Broadway run in 2010.

“Ben brings humanity and a mischievous quality, which felt very real, to the role,” says Tim Burton. Adds producer Jim Lemley: “Ben captures Lincoln’s honesty, integrity, courage and sense of purpose.”

Most important to Walker was the opportunity to portray not only what made Lincoln a giant, but also a relatable human being. “What’s dangerous about playing an icon is not allowing the character to be human,” says the actor. “You must allow the character to be vulnerable or even silly. Luckily, Tim and Timur were open to making Abraham a flawed, funny and conflicted man.”

“The human side is always the most important thing,” Burton concurs. “And the character has to have a sense of humor because no one could survive as a vampire hunter without it.”

Walker, a 6’3” Juilliard-trained actor certainly had the physical stature to portray the lanky Lincoln. But could the young actor, 29 at the time, convey, physically, the Civil War-era figure whose iconic, aged visage graces our history books and currency? Bekmambetov, Burton and Lemley put Walker to the test – a screen test – during which the actor donned prosthetics that aged him to 55, and delivered one of the most renowned speeches in history, the Gettysburg Address.

Walker more than impressed the filmmakers. “My reaction was, ‘Oh my god, it’s Abraham Lincoln delivering the Gettysburg Address!” Lemley exclaims. Looming ahead for Walker was the imperative to drop 30 pounds to achieve the requisite Lincolnesque leanness, as well as hundreds of hours of weapons training to turn him into the ultimate hunter of the undead.

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Before actor Benjamin Walker takes center stage as Abraham in the upcoming movie-adaptation of ‘Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter’, we meet the character as a child. His journey begins when his mother Nancy is stricken with a disease of unknown origin – but recognizable to young Abraham as resulting from a vampire’s bite. Nancy was a woman of intelligence and heart, imparting on her son the notion that, “until everyone is free, we are all slaves.” Abraham never forgot those words, which came to define his views toward slavery. Nor would he ever forget the eternal evil responsible for his mother’s death: a vampire (and local businessman) named Jack Barts, portrayed by Marton Csokas, against whom Abraham swears revenge.

But his first attack against Barts fails, and Abraham narrowly escapes with his life. He is rescued by the charismatic Henry, a high-living and refined ladies’ man. Henry, portrayed by British actor Dominic Cooper, is not interested in Abraham’s simple quest for revenge. Instead, he instructs Abraham to control his rage, become stronger, and fight for the greater good of mankind. “It’s a choice,” Henry tells Abraham, “between doing something extraordinary or being satisfied with simple vengeance.”

“Henry finds the young man’s thirst for revenge to be uninteresting,” says Cooper. “But he sees Abraham of being capable of so much more, and thinks he can help him rise above a selfish quest.”

Henry instructs Abraham – physically and intellectually – on the fine art of vampire hunting, for a purpose far greater than revenge. But the teacher is far from being a righteous figure. “Henry is at the top of his game at being a vampire hunter, but he’s also very flamboyant,” says Cooper. “He enjoys life to its fullest and often goes to extremes in doing so.”

But certain revelations lead Abraham to question Henry’s true purpose. Is he a dedicated hunter of unspeakable evil, or an evil manipulator with dark intent?

A figure in Abraham’s life beyond reproach is his friend and bodyguard, Will, portrayed by Anthony Mackie. The character, which did not exist in the book, becomes a catalyst in Abraham’s life.

Mackie says he was drawn to the project by the chance to work with Timur Bekmambetov and Tim Burton, both of whose films he had long admired. “I loved ‘Wanted,’ and I loved that ‘Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter’ is a historical movie that turns history upside-down,” says the actor. “And Tim Burton brings a magical aspect to everything he does, and this time he’s presenting a kind of underworld you’ve never seen before.”

The only person closer to Abraham is his wife Mary, portrayed by Mary Elizabeth Winstead. Their first meeting at a Springfield, Illinois general store is full of sparks, potential, and sweetness, providing a stark contrast to Abraham’s dark and secret life as a vampire hunter.

“The beginning of Abraham and Mary’s relationship is like a romantic comedy,” says Winstead. “They’re young and there’s a real connection between them. She’s attracted to his intelligence, integrity and humor.” Their feelings for one another escalate during a memorable picnic for two, during which Abraham confesses to Mary about his other life. But the bright sunshine, pastoral and romantic setting, Abraham’s halting delivery, and the sheer outlandishness of his claims, lead Mary to think it all a huge joke, and they both break out laughing.

Of course, there’s little that’s humorous about Abraham’s deadly secrets. After his picnic “confessional,” he decides it’s best to keep Mary out of his life as a vampire hunter. “Mary and Abraham’s relationship complicates his journey because he has to decide what’s more important – his marriage or his vow to slay the undead,” says Walker. “As we all know, Abraham is an honest man, so he must ask himself, at what point can he be completely honest with Mary?”

“It’s interesting because that’s something all couples deal with, in the 19th century as well as today,” Walker continues. “How do you reconcile a relationship with your life’s passion?” Only with Abraham, that “passion” is killing vampires. These secrets lead to an unspoken rift in their marriage. “Mary is not involved in this part of his life, which causes tension,” says Winstead. “She knows Abraham is hiding something from her, but she cannot ask what it is.”

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