The coming together of visionary director Timur Bekmambetov and talented author and screenwriter Seth Grahame-Smith was music to my ears when this project was originally announced. But would such a promise of likely ground-breaking visual treats, slick filmmaking and a solid script bring this book to life on the big screen where it belongs?
Benjamin Walker slips under the stovepipe to help blow historical accuracy right out the window in this heavily effect laden circus of entertainment. With Dominic Cooper as friend/foe and ultimate vamp fight trainer Henry, the gorgeous Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Mrs Lincoln and Anthony Mackie and Jimmi Simpson as a couple of bosom buddies of Abe’s the cast is a interesting mixture. And of course Rufus Sewell is on board as the obligatory British star that gets the job of playing the blood sucking bad guy.
The movie blends a whole host of semi-accurate happenings from America past with that modern techno turn that was once shamelessly overused in Barry Sonnenfeld’s ‘Wild Wild West’. The Battle of Gettysburg in particular being highlighted in the last third turning the Southern Confederate States into a mixture of Confederacy forces and accommodating vampires.
The films effects and most complex scenes, involving various set fight sequences, often resembled that of oil paintings and did absorb an almost historical feel to them which I can’t be sure was intentional but still effective. However, imagination and your patience is fully stretched when viewing some of the more over the top choreographed fight.
Walker is more that competent with such a high profile role and certainly further establishes himself as a rising star and solid performer. The supporting cast is equally satisfactory but there’s no real panache about the relationships and there feels like a real strain of apathy towards them. And its certain level of forcefulness makes it all somewhat contrived and unengaging.
OVERALL SUMMARY
Although visually stunning in places as expected from such a director, and Tim Burton in the production seat, the collective is nothing more than popcorn fodder leaving very little in the audience’s minds shortly after leaving the theatre. I think it can be best summed up as a more intelligent and interesting ‘Van Helsing’. It arrives here in the UK on Blu-ray 3D, Blu-ray and DVD from 22 October and would make a decent treat for any avid Halloweener this season.
