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Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter

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Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter - 21/6/2012 12:01:05 PM   
Empire Admin

 

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Post #: 1
RE: Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter - 21/6/2012 12:26:34 PM   
jobloffski

 

Posts: 1837
Joined: 30/9/2005
From: elsewhere
 Sounded like a crap idea when I first heard of it. Sounds like a crap film. May as well have included a time travel plot and a bunch of presidents as a vamp hunting squad/Avengers style pastiche, with old timey presidents in it and more recent ones and been called 'Commanders in Chief' or something, at least that could've been funny. (Reagan!! Bush!! Cut their fucking heads off, it;s the only way!!!/There is no requirement for harsh language in this matter, sir, fortitude is the tonic the soul requires on a day such as this, fortitude. And the biggest axe you can lift... etc)

What really is the fucking point of films like this if they aren't even fun?

< Message edited by jobloffski -- 21/6/2012 12:37:11 PM >

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Post #: 2
Still going to see it!! - 21/6/2012 12:52:10 PM   
Imrahill

 

Posts: 10
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Cant possibly be any worse than MIB 3 or prometheus credit should be given for it not being sequel/prequel or re-boot.Clearly a leave brains at door kind of movie.

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Post #: 3
P.S - 21/6/2012 12:56:08 PM   
Imrahill

 

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Bet it still does £100 million just looked at last years top ten earning films and empire gave them all 3 stars or less(fast five the exception) and a few got 2 stars, the gap between critics and the public is getting wider by the day.

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Post #: 4
P.S - 21/6/2012 12:59:50 PM   
Imrahill

 

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Bet it still does £100 million just looked at last years top ten earning films and empire gave them all 3 stars or less(fast five the exception) and a few got 2 stars, the gap between critics and the public is getting wider by the day.

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Post #: 5
RE: P.S - 21/6/2012 2:05:14 PM   
Filmfan 2


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I'm disgusted to say that I'm seeing this later on (tickets booked, so no backing out) as I needed to see something new that I hadn't watched already. I had a feeling it wouldn't be up to much, but I fancy escaping from reality for a little while.

Will send dispatch from the field later.

< Message edited by Filmfan 2 -- 21/6/2012 2:06:36 PM >

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Post #: 6
RE: P.S - 21/6/2012 2:24:33 PM   
fuzzy


Posts: 1790
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From: Grizzly Flats
 Where's the Empire review?

Edit: It's there now, wasn't the case earlier in the day.

< Message edited by fuzzy -- 21/6/2012 2:27:03 PM >

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Post #: 7
RE: P.S - 21/6/2012 2:27:44 PM   
OPEN YOUR EYES


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 I could never get my head around the concept,which I find weird because im open to usually anything (anything!!).

Makes me feel that this film was (maybe) always going to fail because of its over the top subject.

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Post #: 8
Ridiculous from the start... - 21/6/2012 2:38:32 PM   
ronniem

 

Posts: 141
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Was and will always be a mind numbingly idiotic and outright STUPID concept for a movie...Hollywood will do anything these days..seems like Timur Bekmambetov is a one hit wonder...NEXT!

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Post #: 9
RE.PS - 21/6/2012 2:39:40 PM   
Imrahill

 

Posts: 10
Joined: 5/6/2010
Probibly be entertaining enough, was hardly ever going to be critics choice as for the review talking about the digi grading i havent seen it yet but 3D is hardly ever an improvement to the film(there are afew exceptions) but in most cases it just makes the film look worse i prob see it once in cinema but better waiting for 2d blu ray which would prob look better, but overall as i have said before it would need to go some to be worse than prometheus(too long,poor acting,boring)and MIB(waste of opertunity)

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Post #: 10
RE: ridiculous from the start - 21/6/2012 2:46:24 PM   
Imrahill

 

Posts: 10
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The studio should be lauded for at least attempting something different as apposed to all the re-boots sequals prequals that are littering about just now come on spiderman re-boot its not even been 10 years since the last and what have we got to look forward too.....Mad max(re boot) total recall(re boot) robo cop(re boot) and a possible lethal weapon re-boot it might be daft and silly but it will be entertaining and new.Why bother with new films if this carries on the studios will be like"look at the DVD shelf whats been out 5 years.....lets re-boot it" fair enough ALVH might not be a classic or that good but at least its fresh.

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Post #: 11
RE: ridiculous from the start - 21/6/2012 3:08:42 PM   
jobloffski

 

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 It's NOT original. Taking a historical figure and crafting a fictional story for them to take part has been done before. Usually resulting in a one joke premise in a poorly executed narrative. And what exactly is fresh about a story revolving around a vampire slayer? That's one of the most over-used ideas there is.

With the help of Google, I've learned the novel the film is based on is by the same writer who did Pride and Prejudice versus Zombies. So, take something/someone/some story that's already famous, add monster movie staples that are already popular and you have...er, whatever it is you end up with. Who needs to invent anything anymore, eh?



< Message edited by jobloffski -- 21/6/2012 4:52:33 PM >

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Yes, dreamers dream and doers do. But if dreamers DON'T dream, doers don't have anything TO do. Everything that is only here because people exist, only exists because someone thought of it., or in other words, dreamed it.

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Post #: 12
RE: Ridiculous from the start... - 21/6/2012 4:45:22 PM   
fightclubber954

 

Posts: 32
Joined: 18/2/2009
From: Belfast
 yeh ridiculous ideas never work. It's almost as stupid as say... a dinosaur theme park or a time travelling delorian. Admittedly it is likely not even close to as good as either of those movies but don't criticise it for being a stupid idea, criticise it for being poorly executed.

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Post #: 13
RE: Ridiculous from the start... - 21/6/2012 4:55:37 PM   
jobloffski

 

Posts: 1837
Joined: 30/9/2005
From: elsewhere
 Any concept can be made to work, IF the concept is fleshed out with a decent script. Neither of the concepts you mention fit the formula being used here, of two already famous things being 'mashed-up'


< Message edited by jobloffski -- 21/6/2012 5:01:45 PM >

_____________________________

Yes, dreamers dream and doers do. But if dreamers DON'T dream, doers don't have anything TO do. Everything that is only here because people exist, only exists because someone thought of it., or in other words, dreamed it.

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Post #: 14
I Enjoyed it, So There - 21/6/2012 5:03:25 PM   
pom86

 

Posts: 1
Joined: 12/6/2008
Just putting it out there, it's Abraham Lincoln fighting Vampires so it's a bit of a laugh and if you go into it thinking otherwise you've probably missed the point.

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Post #: 15
RE: I Enjoyed it, So There - 21/6/2012 5:08:16 PM   
jobloffski

 

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From: elsewhere
 All would be forgiven if it happens to be a bit of a laugh, but the reviews make it sound like it's aimed at people who like the result of the mash-up of monsters for Van Helsing, which was starting from a far tastier potential concept. Abe fighting Vampires is a good one liner. So is Gandhi versus Predator, but nobody would expect that joke to carry a film,

< Message edited by jobloffski -- 21/6/2012 5:09:55 PM >

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Yes, dreamers dream and doers do. But if dreamers DON'T dream, doers don't have anything TO do. Everything that is only here because people exist, only exists because someone thought of it., or in other words, dreamed it.

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Post #: 16
RE: Ridiculous from the start... - 21/6/2012 6:33:46 PM   
fightclubber954

 

Posts: 32
Joined: 18/2/2009
From: Belfast
 i was replying to the idea that stupid concepts don't work, i was simply saying that they can work and you shouldn't disregard them because the basic idea is ridiculous. But also how is jurassic park not like that? It's dinosaurs and theme parks mixed together.

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Post #: 17
RE: Ridiculous from the start... - 21/6/2012 7:28:51 PM   
R W

 

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It’s been four years since Night Watch director Timur Bekmambetov last made a film, being his Hollywood debut: Wanted, which was noticeable for featuring a buffed-up James McAvoy, a nude Angelina Jolie stepping out of a bathtub and best of all, the Loom of Fate. Since then, he has been a producer of works such as The Darkest Hour which have been quite lacklustre. Re-collaborating with producer Tim Burton, Bekmambetov’s latest is about the secret life of the 16th President of the United States.

Following the death of his mother at the hands of a vampire, Abraham Lincoln (Benjamin Walker) has dedicated his life, slaying the blood-sucking undead. As Lincoln gets more involved into politics and later becomes president, the vampiric lord Adam (Rufus Sewell) has plans to take over the nation.

Based on the mashup novel by Seth Grahame-Smith (author of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies), the film is one of those classic cases of “good title, shame about the film”. While the book was uniquely presented as the “secret diaries” of Lincoln, which blended vampiric horror and political satire, Grahame-Smith’s adaptation of his own work is reduced to a muddled plotted actioner that fails to show substance on the life of Lincoln who might as well be a precursor to Buffy or Blade.

To also dishonour this strange blend of fact-meets-fiction, Bekmambetov can’t quite understand what it is he’s trying to tell, as the film moves at such a quick pace, Lincoln’s life from child to president are more like individual set-pieces, primarily action, rather than a fluid narrative. In terms of the look of the film, the 3D doesn’t support Caleb Deschanel’s cinematography that is constantly displaying heavy fog/smoke, which is very distractive to the stylish action. If directed by Tim Burton, who was originally signed to do so, the film would have a greater approach towards its gothic horror, similar to Burton’s very own Sleepy Hollow.

Whilst we wait Daniel Day-Lewis to take on the role as president in Steven Spielberg’s upcoming Lincoln biopic, newcomer Benjamin Walker impressively shows off his tough physicality, but once he puts on the makeup to go full Abraham, he’s quite off-putting. On the side of the vampires which are more animalistic than expected, Rufus Sewell does his best at what is frankly a Dracula-like villain.

Like Cowboys & Aliens, all you need to know is the title as the film isn’t unique like its source material, as well as being a bloody mess of a disappointment.

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Post #: 18
RE: Ridiculous from the start... - 21/6/2012 8:44:48 PM   
Imrahill

 

Posts: 10
Joined: 5/6/2010
just returned from seeing this is it a dissapointment....a bit.however its not as bad as some of the reviews on here would have you believe,some of the points that people are complaining about are that it doesnt look good well i agree to a point it could do without 3D(wouldnt make it worse) it s a bit over graded, none of these are that bad(will be better on small screen when you can fiddle about with it).Yes the story is stupid and takes itself just a little to seriously, but what film doesnt after all the Dark Knight is a billionaire in a S&M outfit(much better film)but no more plausable.Its biggest problem is the pacing its a bit to fast in bits.The acting is passable no more than that.The action scenes are good if the camera work is a little overcooked it could have done with more traditional camera work on some of the actions scenes.In the empire review it states that the gettysburg battle is a bit distastful well in that case what does that mean for Pearl Harbour(much bigger effect on the psyche of the us) or even titanic? Over the last 4-5 weeks i have seen MIB3 terrible,prometheus major major let down,snow white and the huntsmen ok. well ALVH is okay not great not bad either its as entertaining as any of the previous films(much better than mib) i would say a solid 6 out of tenHowever i feel if tom burton had directed it could have been a lot better(in saying that TB has been of the boil recently dark shawdows anyone?)

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Post #: 19
RE: Ridiculous from the start... - 21/6/2012 11:07:16 PM   
Filmfan 2


Posts: 973
Joined: 30/9/2005
Just got back from seeing it. Will post more tomorrow, but the jist of my upcoming review: it's crap!

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Post #: 20
I agree - good review - 22/6/2012 7:52:49 AM   
jace007


Posts: 60
Joined: 14/5/2007
3/5 stars - good, not great. Tim Burton as a producer is to blame and managed to add a dash of douche to the proceedings. And Timur's magic is missing - you're better off watching WANTED again...and again.

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Post #: 21
A steaming turd of a movie. - 22/6/2012 12:44:35 PM   
Filmfan 2


Posts: 973
Joined: 30/9/2005
SPOILERS AFOOT!!


So, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter.

I had gone into this expecting an hour and a half of a escapist fun. I know that kind of defence of a movie 'but it's only a bit of fun' is the last resort of the scoundrel, but it can be warranted. Such movies, mostly high-summer Hollywood fodder, are possessed of at least some redeeming features that make up for the general naffness of the film, but I'm afraid to say that this flick is not one of them.

Timur Bekmambetov is a filmmaker who is increasingly disappointing me as he increases his canon. His breakout movies that put him on the map, Nightwatch and Daywatch were a genuine breath of fresh air. They had a lovely visual sense to them that equaled, if not surpassed, what bid budget American movies were producing, and he married that with a compelling story. There were flashes of brilliance as well, with animated sequences that were very Eastern European, and the overall result felt that a new talent was emerging that would bring much to the table. It's obvious that he was influenced by American movies and his making movies in that system was inevitable, but any initial promise seems to be ebbing away.

AL:VH is hopeless on pretty much every single level. The characteristion of Abraham feels weak, and all of the other great deeds of that man feel utterly tacked on just to fill up the screen time between him cutting vampires to pieces. Most of the 'best stuff' when it comes to his slaying is already available for you to watch for free in the trailer, and it very quickly becomes very boring indeed. The di(re)alogue is filled with with lots of fortune-cookie wisdom and platitudes, and all of the red-herring actions of a few of the supporting players stand out a mile. I second-guessed pretty much everything that happens in this film, as it's filled with hackneyed, seen-it-all-before storytelling tropes. The action tries to be bold and move into new ground in places, like during the fight that takes place during a horse stampede, but just like the dialogue it has a real whiff of seen-it-before, and it sucks any kind of excitement and/or tension out of the set-pieces.

The best thing about the film is Ben Walker, who does as much as he can with the little that he has to play with. As the Empire review says, his resemblance in the movie to Liam Neeson is startling, and if anyone is ever looking for someone to play a young Liam in a lesser role, they wouldn't have to look far. In fact it's a movie of lookalikes, with Jimmi Simpsom, who play Joshua Speed, bringing to mind a young James Spader. That aside, however, the likes of Marton Csokas and Rufus Sewell phone it in, and their deaths are as utterly forgettable as they are shite villians.

"NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!"

It's what Lincoln yells as Speed is killed by his nemesis, Adam. It raised a few laughs in the viewing I was in (myself included), and it sums up perfectly everything that is wrong with this film; it's derivative, hackneyed nonsense. Like Empire said, if the film had more of its tongue in its cheek, this could've been a lot of fun. However, with a po-faced approach to everything, not to mention the lacklustre action and phoned-in performances, this is never anything less than a steaming turd of a movie.

3/10.

P.S. Always nice seeing Mary Elizabeth Winstead on the silver screen.

P.P.S - The 3D in this is not needed at all, and looks terrible in places.

< Message edited by Filmfan 2 -- 22/6/2012 2:01:51 PM >

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I am not drinkin' any fuckin' Merlot!

"All I wanted me was a piece of cornbread, you motherfuckers!"

Defender of all things Batman Begins


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Post #: 22
- 22/6/2012 2:01:19 PM   
Scooper.duper

 

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I enjoyed it. I didn't go into the cinema expecting a 5-star masterpiece and definitely wasn't met with one, but I thought the plot was enjoyable, especially with the great action sequences, I mean who doesn't like a guy swinging an axe around? I also thought that the 3D in this film was a lot more suited to it than in most films. I gave 3 stars but in my books that doesn't mean bad, it means the opposite, overall I think it was a good effort with a good plot and fully enthralling action sequences, hats off to Benjamin Walker who gave a great performance and also had an astonishing resemblence to honest abe.

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Post #: 23
RE: Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter - 22/6/2012 5:40:18 PM   
TheMightyBlackout


Posts: 94
Joined: 28/4/2012
From: Oxford, UK
 Imagine, if you will, the aura of Interview With The Vampire, told through the lens of The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, with all the rompy fun of Van Helsing, but none of the campy humour. That, ladies and gentlemen, is AL:HV.

Now I'm aware, of course, that a large percentage of you disliked at least two of those three films I mentioned in comparison. Personally, I loved them all, which is why I enjoyed Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. It's not perfect, and it certainly isn't for everyone, but it kept me consistently entertained for the best part of two hours, so it's already ahead of many movies I've seen this year.

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Post #: 24
RE: Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter - 22/6/2012 5:59:50 PM   
drews


Posts: 271
Joined: 5/10/2005
From: Wimbledon Centre Court
 Shame it is getting poor reviews, cos that title is fookin' killer!!



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Post #: 25
RE: Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter - 22/6/2012 9:59:42 PM   
losthighway


Posts: 3167
Joined: 25/1/2006
From: Manchesterford
 Started reading the novel the other day and went to see the first screening of it this morning. First and foremost ignore all the negative reviews! There's been far far far worse films released by Temur (Wanted!!). It would appear he's managed to reign himself in a bit for this one and has made a decent schlock horror action film which never sets out to be an Oscar winner. Go in expecting a bit of OTT fun and you won't be disappointed. Overall: 3/5

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Post #: 26
RE: Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter - 23/6/2012 2:31:04 AM   
MARK11

 

Posts: 3
Joined: 6/8/2010
I'm seeing this and I know I'll like it. Why?

Great idea for a summer popcorn genre movie. That's it.

Timur is solid as a director of genre movies.

Knows how to use film-edit language; knows where to put the camera.
Knows he's telling a story called, yes, a movie. Not a play. Not a novel. Not a tv show.

Seth hit gold with the public, the audience with his previous history-genre mashup book.
He knows what he's doing.

Horror, history, mythology. 2 hour summer blockbuster roller coaster,
that isn't number 3 of whatever.

Anyone that doesn't like this before they've seen it?
That's fine.

Making comments about it, without knowing anything about it?

You're and idiot...so stay in your corner of the room and relax for your time out.

Watch your reality tv and twit your way to stardom on your own.
I wish you the best...but stay the hell away from me.
I do not want what you got in any way, shape or form.




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Post #: 27
RE: Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter - 23/6/2012 7:07:18 PM   
jobloffski

 

Posts: 1837
Joined: 30/9/2005
From: elsewhere
quote:


Making comments about it, without knowing anything about it? What, somebody made comments about a film they haven't seen on the internet? Stop the press, this is Pulitzer Prize stuff!!!

You're and idiot...so stay in your corner of the room and relax for your time out. I agree, absolutely anybody who has commented on things they haven't seen, on the internet, for reasons that may not be relevant to anyone but them must, and can only be, an idiot

Watch your reality tv and twit your way to stardom on your own.
I wish you the best...but stay the hell away from me.
I do not want what you got in any way, shape or form. I agree, the only response to anybody doing the above is the assumption that they watch reality TV or use Twitter and/or want stardom.



Conclusion, I'm off to watch this film right now...



_____________________________

Yes, dreamers dream and doers do. But if dreamers DON'T dream, doers don't have anything TO do. Everything that is only here because people exist, only exists because someone thought of it., or in other words, dreamed it.

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Post #: 28
RE: Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter - 28/6/2012 6:45:14 PM   
Dr Lenera

 

Posts: 3450
Joined: 19/10/2005
A surprisingly successful mixture of historical biopic and action/horror a la Blade and far better than its reception may lead you to believe. The action ranges from mediocre to genuinely original [a fight in a horse stampede] and there is sadly some very poor CGI which lets the side down somewhat, but overall this is big, dumb fun handled with tremendous style and certainly kept me entertained throughout.

7.5/10

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Post #: 29
I don't think I've ever been so bored at the cinema - 29/6/2012 7:55:11 PM   
flit88

 

Posts: 1
Joined: 16/1/2010
Never before have I seriously considered leaving mid-film, I just couldn't wait for it to end.

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Post #: 30
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