Review:Abraham Lincoln Vs. Zombies- History AND zombies, what's not to like?

Raahh... argh?

Abraham Lincoln Vs. Zombies(Video,2012)
Rated R
Runtime: 96 Min.
Directed by  Richard Schenkman
Starring:
Bill Oberst,Jr.-Abraham Lincoln

Bernie Ask- Edwin Stanton
Jason Vail- John Wilkinson
Debra Crittenden- Mary Todd Lincoln
Baby Norman- Mary Owens

From IMDb-"While the Civil War rages on, President Abraham Lincoln must undertake an even more daunting task - destroying the Confederate Undead."

So, around Halloween last year, I picked up the PlayStation remote intent on finding something for my annual(annual? OK, sort of annual) Halloween party. As I tabbed through the choices on Netflix, I stumbled upon 'Abraham Lincoln Vs. Zombies'. Now, of course I was familiar with 'Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter', but never having seen that, thought OK, what the hell,why not try Abraham Lincoln fighting zombies? Sure, it's a mock-buster. But I was intrigued and it sounded interesting, so I gave it a try. And I'm always up for another zombie flick.

Needless to say, I was hooked. Sure, it's low budget. OK, it's not Benjamin Walker playing Lincoln, but the very talented Bill Oberst,Jr. Who, in my very humble opinion does a damn fine job is this role. Bill doesn't really look like the real Lincoln, but he makes it believable by the simple fact of how he played him. It feels right, and his performance is just completely captivating and convincing.Halfway through, you really believe he's Lincoln.  President Lincoln was always my favorite president(having learned much about him in school and just reading everything I could get my hands on), and Bill's portrayal brought him to life, much more than anything I'd ever seen.  Of course, he also made him completely badass, so that was a plus.  Also, sexy.  Because badass is sexy.

AHEM.Sorry, got carried away a little...

Anyway.

If you don't mind low-budget flicks, and you love zombie movies of any sort, this one is a good pick.   The storyline is decent,the special effects were good,the make-up effects are really good, the costuming...okay, well, while a lot of the costuming seems pretty accurate, there were some zombie extras who looked a tad out of place(maybe it was the history buff in me that saw some of the costumes as being a little anachronistic, but what do I know).  Oh and special mention goes to General "Stonewall" Jackson- he looks like an escapee from ZZTop.  While the real Jackson had a beard, it wasn't nearly as long.  Yes, that's a nitpick. But I like ZZTop too, so that's OK.

The other cast members(Bernie Ask, Jason Vail, Baby Norman, et al) also did damn fine jobs as their characters.  They too, were very believable.

I loved how the zombies in this movie "slept" sometimes.  It's a good idea, really.  I'm also glad these weren't running zombies.  I don't know why, but I really hate running zombies. Maybe it's because I know I could pretty much get away from slow moving zombie, rather than a fast one.  No, I don't follow the cardio rule. (But I do follow rule #33: Swiss Army Knife).

To sum it up, an altogether exciting and fun zombie flick, packed with gorey goodness, and plenty of action. And history(albeit a bit skewed). So it's a B-movie. Doesn't change the fact that it's a thoroughly entertaining movie.

Well, go check it out-it's currently on Netflix Instant Streaming. If you haven't seen it, it's totally worth it.  If only for Lincoln saying, "Emancipate this!". Told you he was badass.

4/5 Stars.


P.S Can I mention how MUCH I loved the foldable scythe? Man, what a cool weapon! I would give much and more to be able to have something like that.