Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter Hype - History Meets Vampires Meets Superhero
Another vital component to a super-hero story is their weapon or power; the skill they possess which makes them special and tough to defeat and for our historic vampire hunter that is his axe. All three trailers offer us lots of axe-wielding mayhem proving that he has indeed found many uses for it beyond chopping trees. And is that a self-customised axe/gun I spy? Very impressive. There will of course be two of the biggest superheros returning to the big screen this summer with Dark Knight Rises and The Amazing Spider-Man- but before these guys were slinging webs or crafting batarangs the heroes of history found much more practical ways to overcome the badguys. Could Abraham Lincoln provide a welcome reprieve from the metropolises and dystopias in which we are used to seeing superheros? There certainly seems to be enough jaw-dropping action to please most comic-book movie fans but is this likely to be a case of style over substance? 
Interestingly, the one component they have missed which causes the series of trailers to fall short of perfect- is the romance element. We know that Mary Elizabeth Winstead (best known for her role in Scott Pilgrim) will be playing the leading lady and yet we get not a glimpse of her in any of the trailers. Furthermore she isn't featured on any of the promotional images or posters for the film- rather unusual perhaps when you consider other action films centered around a male here. It is of course possible that her role (despite being the hero's love interest and eventually wife) is cut relatively short in the film- I will shamefully admit to not having read the novel so perhaps she really is rather irrelevant. However, as far as the movie industry is concerned, shouldn't every male hero have a significant female counterpart? Doesn't there need to be a hint of romance at the heart of every good story regardless of genre? Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter is touted as being the tentpole hit for 20th Century Fox this year, an odd statement perhaps considering its flirtation with horror and gore. That being said the book sold well among the teen audience and Twilight has of course proven that Vampires CAN be family friendly (:P) But despite the high-octane trailer it doesn't scream block-buster material. Fortunately for 20th Century Fox they have another gem in their toolbox with Prometheus this month, already doing great business at the UK box-office and set to reach the top of the charts in the US when it opens there this Friday. And lets not forget that they have their family franchise Ice Age set for release in July which will no doubt keep the bank man happy. As visually striking as it may be- can a post-modern gothic tale of an axe-wielding 16th century president prove as popular as the long-awaited return to the much loved Alien franchise? Only time will tell.....