I am not entirely sure why we were being flooded with films about Abraham Lincoln in 2016. Admittedly, “flooded” may be a somewhat exaggerated metaphor, but there are at least a few circulating at the moment. When I first heard about Abraham Lincoln vs. Zombies I could hardly believe my eyes, and when I then came across this one, my immediate assumption was that it must be a sequel. At present, however, I have no idea whether that is actually the case, nor which of the films was produced first. What is clear, though, is that they are remarkably similar — aside from the matter of zombies versus vampires, of course.
In both films we witness the young Lincoln seeing a loved one attacked, an event that eventually leads him to devote his life to fighting “evil” — in this instance, vampires. I would argue, however, that this film manages to pay greater tribute to Lincoln’s real-life legacy, particularly through its metaphors concerning slavery and freedom, something the zombie film did not handle nearly as effectively.
The entertainment value of the battle scenes is roughly comparable between the two, and the stylized blood flows quite generously. In fact, it can even be rather beautiful at times.
I think Bill Oberst Jr. achieves a better physical resemblance to Lincoln in the zombie film than Benjamin Walker does here, but both deliver solid performances. The effects used during the transformation sequences — the vampires actually transform into monstrous creatures — are excellent, and the film maintains a good pace.
At least until politics begins to dominate Lincoln’s life. He eventually realizes that the power of words outweighs that of his silver-edged axe when it comes to the larger issues, and with his sights set on freedom for all, he marches to war against the South — reinforced by an army of vampires.
