Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter (Review)

*** WARNING: A FEW SPOILERS***

A friend and I decided to check out the new film Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. The first time I heard the title, I was all over it. The marriage of the 16th president of these United States and vampires seemed like a fit. So, was this a go see or not?

We'll get to that.

First, a little background. Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter is based on the book of the same name by author Seth Grahame-Smith, who also served as the writer for the film. It's directed by Timur Bekmambetov who gave us a taste of his action film directing skills with 2008's Wanted. The story follows Abraham Lincoln (Benjamin Walker) as a boy who witnesses his mother killed by a vampire, Jack Barts (Marton Csokas), due to a debt his father owed. He grows up seeking revenge. When he catches up with the fiend he's beaten nearly to death and saved by the mysterious Henry Sturgess (Dominic Cooper). Lincoln, impressed with the fighting skills of Sturgess, begs him to teach him how to fight. After a stern rebuff, Sturgess finally agrees and this serves as preparation for the next round against Barts.

Lincoln (Walker) and Sturgess (Cooper)

What Lincoln discovers is that this is no single instance and that there are many more bloodsuckers hellbent on ruling the nation. Leading the undead is Adam (Rufus Sewell), a cunning villain who just so happens to be a slave owner and a Confederate sympathizer. After killing Barts, Lincoln focuses his attention on killing Adam and stopping his sinister plans while balancing being president. 

Abe decides to kill after a day of campaigning 

First off, I didn't read the book. Guilty. I take it as a good thing because I'm watching with a fresh pair of eyes and I consider myself free from trying to nitpick inaccuracies. That being said, the movie was good. This was an action film; there were slow motion sequences that'll make John Woo squeal and Lincoln shows how handy he can be with an axe. It keeps your attention for the entire film. The characters involved, though not memorable, were just enough to keep the narrative going. 

Not surprising is that it's just an action film. The title and the trailers pretty much tell you what you're in for: Abraham Lincoln as a vampire hunter. Bekmambetov really focused on Lincoln fighting vampires. Lincoln's dynamic relationship with the characters around him really go no deeper than the surface: there there and their interacting with him. Even his relationship with Sturgess is shallow. What I found intriguing is that the whole time the film reminded me of Blade; instead of a black man with a mean streak swinging a katana, imagine a lanky white guy swinging an axe. The training sequences between him and Sturgess were a tad ridiculous (the "forest" scene, 'nuff said) and so were some of the action scenes (the "stampeding horses scene", 'nuff said). Plus, I find that Will, former slave and Lincoln's best friend since childhood, knew karate and fought side by side with Lincoln against the undead hoard (apparently slaves were prohibited from reading, but kung fu was alright).

My friend, who read the book, just plain hated how they adapted the film from the novel. According to him there were a lot of inaccuracies, especially the ending. Sturgess had no backstory in the book and the first vampire that Lincoln kills wasn't some shop owner but an old lady. Suffice it to say, he gave the film a low score of 2/5. I gave the film a 3/5 on the principle of it being fun to watch on a Saturday night. And it was.

Though the film wasn't stellar, it was still enjoyable. I wouldn't own it on DVD but I would definitely watch it again. I found the blending of anachronisms and the bloodlust of the undead into 105 minutes of blood and gore entertaining. Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter gives you exactly what the title implies. And that's as honest as ol' Honest Abe.        

Hans Zimmer to Score "Man of Steel"

Hans Zimmer, the composer who crafted the amazing soundscapes heard in many of Christopher Nolan's films, has been slated to compose the new Superman flick, Man of Steel. Initially there were rumors, but were silenced by Zimmer himself in 2010.

This is good news. I find myself hearing his menacing strings from The Dark Knight playing in my head ever so often. His ability to create the sound of the Joker was a beautiful marriage to Heath Ledger's sinister portrayal. 

It makes sense that he would be involved, in my opinion. Nolan is the producer of the new flick and from the looks of the stills they are going for a darker appeal this time and Zimmer has proven that he can bring the darkness when it comes to sound.

Check out the article Here. A sample of those strings are Here

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter

Coming up in a couple of weeks is the film Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. As the title implies it involves the 16th president of these United States and the undead creatures of the night.

Suffice it to say that I'm looking forward to seeing this. Based on the book of the same name by Seth Grahame-Smith, the story is a bit of a "what if". A "secret diary" that Lincoln kept is discovered and reveals that he was not only keeping the union intact but also killing bloodsuckers with extreme prejudice.

This is the second American film by director Timur Bekmambetov (Wanted).

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter is scheduled for release June 22nd.

Prometheus (Review)

Got a chance to watch Prometheus on a pleasant Saturday night. I purchased my ticket and my nachos all in anticipation of a film that I've been waiting for since I heard of its existence.

Let's start with a little synopsis: Prometheus is director Ridley Scott's newest foray into sci fi; a land where he's no stranger (I need not mention Blade Runner) and is set in the 21st century and follows a crew on the ship "Prometheus" as they discover the remnants of an ancient civilization on a foreign planet that could be a link to human existence. The film follows Elizabeth Shaw (Noomi Rapace), an archaeologist who leads the team that includes Charlie Holloway (Logan Marshall-Green), fellow archaeologist and Elizabeth's love interest, and an android named David (Michael Fassbender).

They are summoned by the Weyland Corporation to discover this ancient planet. Weyland Corp. is headed by Peter Weyland (Guy Pearce), an old man who has long passed on and is introduced to the crew via hologram. Meredith Vickers (Charlize Theron), an employee for Weyland, is there to ensure that things go as instructed. She's cold, strict, and by the books. As the story progresses we find that they may have instead stumbled upon mankind's extinction.

So, was it the film that I hoped for? Meh. That's right, "meh". The film was decent in its visuals (the opening was stunning, in my opinion) and in its premise. But I felt that a few things caused the film to not reach its full potential. For one, for a film that started as a prequel to Scott's Alien film, then not connected at all and supposedly standing on its own, there were many references to Alien. Again, the premise of humans trying to find the link to existence and possibly to a creator "god" or "gods" is good. With that said, allusions to Alien only serves as a reminder that Ridley Scott directed Alien. Prometheus can stand on its own.

As far as the characters, I could see early on in the film that they all have wants and desires. This was displayed without being too obvious. I felt that Theron played the role of the icy Meredith Vickers well. The android David's desire was that of any android: to be human. To me, he takes that desire in a different direction in the film.

With Shaw, though I wasn't hoping for Ripley's "tough bitch" attitude to be replicated (a role that was played brilliantly by Sigourney Weaver), I was hoping for tough. With Shaw, I didn't get that despite the events that transpire in the film. I found myself not really caring about her to a point and becoming interested in David's wants (when you see the film, you'll know why). I felt that he was more interesting.

The film also left a few questions unanswered. One big one being "why?". It leaves you feeling as though you have to wait for the next film (if there ever will be a next film).

All in all, despite the aforementioned hiccups, the film is enjoyable. It'll keep your interest, at least. From watching the film I can only guess where Scott will take the new Blade Runner film currently in development. Let's hope for more than "meh".