8.7.12

The Truth According to Abe

Part of me thinks it would've been awesome if a former president had been a vampire hunter. But then the other part "wimps out" because the idea of vampires actually existing kind of terrifies me*...






While waiting for the Katy Perry: Part of Me 3D movie release in Asia, the decision was between Abe or Spidey. It being the weekend and Spidey topping the Box Office, I decided to avoid a crowded theater.

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter doesn't mess about or disappoint if you're looking for a fun action-packed time. That is, if you aren't skittish when it comes to gruesome creatures and blood.
From the get go, there's rarely a minute of inaction (story-wise too).
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Paul Bunyan, anyone?
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We see the evolution of Abraham from child to avenger to righteous man and overall ass-kicking extraordinaire.
Benjamin Walker was the perfect choice for Abe.  "Common looking"** though he may be, he is charming and intense; he has a look that is so expressive, he exteriorizes what goes on inside him without it being over the top. Plus, those axe-wielding stunts he pulls are awesome.
Funnily enough, I'd noticed a resemblance to Liam Neeson a couple of times and what do you know? He was young Liam Kinsey in Kinsey! I'd be good at casting- maybe I should look into that...

Surprisingly, there was a little romance in the film too. It managed to touch on various events in Lincoln's life without it ever being distracting from the story or removing your attention.
The first 15-20 minutes are an excellent example- enough is shown about his childhood and how he trains to become a vampire hunter sans long-windedness & irrelevant side-stories.

The supporting characters were also great: Anthony Mackie, Dominic Cooper, Rufus Sewell and Jimmy Simpson. A real sense of camaraderie permeated within the characters, so much so that the geek in me thought on various occasions, "Hey- I want to be a part of the Lincoln gang too!" 

Where be my axe at?
The action sequences can't be omitted. It was obvious they were intended to be seen in 3D, but it still translated well to the "2D eye". As I've already mentioned, the axe stunts are what I found to be the best bit about the fighting and choreographies.
A scene involving a stampede of horses took it all too far, in my opinion. That was the only time I found myself saying, "Aw, c'mon, really?!".

I'm considerably more drawn to read the book now, especially since Seth Grahame-Smith*** also penned the screenplay. Also because the story seemed to work so much better visually- I don't know if I'd like reading pages and pages of battles. 

And so there it is, another epic tale of good vs. evil. Of humans vs. vampires. And a history lesson, albeit rebooted.
I think it's safe to say now that John Wilkes Booth was a vampire.

Back at home, I decided to give my best vampiric shot a go...





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Wait, what? I didn't grow fangs?!
But I did buy that headband today- these headbands are all the rage here in Bangkok. They're pretty cute (and I admit they make me feel like a princess...).

But back to vampire hunting:
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Ah, internetz, you amuse me so.

Have you seen Abe axing up vampires yet? Think you will?
What are you watching this summer?

* Unless it's Robert Pattinson in all his glittery splendour, of course.
** I'm quoting the movie. I actually think he's quite handsome.
*** He also wrote Pride and Prejudice and Zombies which has been on my To Be Read pile for ages...


4 comments:

  1. Good review Mariana. This movie was a lot of fun, believe it or not, but whenever they focused on the plot/story/history, it got boring. Also, should have been as ridiculous as the title suggested.

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    1. Agree with you; but I still think they did a good job including the history :)
      Thanks- and thanks for stopping by!

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  2. haha, love that last picture- that would be great :D & i've read p&p&z... it was ok, but there were many crude jokes which i personally found detracted from the atmosphere.

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    1. Oh, hmmm. Well, I'll probably still give a go eventually.. Thanks for letting me know :)

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