The concept is brilliant: Axe-swinging Abraham Lincoln, that solemn face on our penny, out there kicking vampire butt and taking names. Yet "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter," based on Seth Grahame-Smith's book, doesn't live up to its wild and weird theme.

The film begins with a young Lincoln (Benjamin Walker) trying to protect a slave friend, Will, from a whipping. Turns out that the creep with the whip has a secret life, and soon Lincoln's mother dies -- not of the "milk fever" we learn about in history books, but of a vampire bite. When Abe gets older, he teams up with a man who teaches him how to hunt down vampires, and all through a job as a store clerk, legal studies and his courtship of Mary Todd, he spends his nights out defanging the creatures.

You know part of the story: Lincoln ascends to the presidency and the nation is torn apart in the Civil War. But in the movie's universe, the vampires need slavery to continue so they can have a steady food source, and thus throw in on the Confederacy's side. Lincoln and his posse -- including now-grown Will (Anthony Mackie) -- can't let that happen, for the nation's sake and that of the human race.

There are fun elements in the film, including one great line about the Underground Railroad and numerous appearances by familiar names out of our history books.

But nothing really comes together. Benjamin Walker plays young Lincoln with a nice amount of gravitas, but he never makes you really root for him, staying as remote as a five-dollar bill . The vampires are pretty much interchangeable, with veiny gray skin and "Matrix"-meets-"Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" moves. The movie didn't need to be in 3-D, but the technology is inoffensive here, with a few bullets zinging their way at the audience and some beautiful early Washington scenery.

It's a shame this movie wasn't livelier. It truly has the greatest film title outside of "Snakes on a Plane" -- which, come to think of it, couldn't live up to its promise, either.

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Anthony Mackie is ready to rewrite a little history, playing sidekick to President Abraham Lincoln, who spends his evenings chasing down bloodsuckers in "Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter."

Mackie said his character, onetime slave Will Johnson, is based on a real individual who was freed and employed by the president. "That's a fact!" he told TODAY on the Plaza Wednesday. The film opens June 22.

Later, Mackie returned with co-star Benjamin Walker, and the pair shared glasses of wine -- from Mackie's own Brooklyn bar, NoBar -- with Kathie Lee Gifford and guest Regis Philbin on the TODAY set.

"I've got the market cornered on weird interpretations of presidents," said Walker, who plays Lincoln in the film, and starred in the Tony-winning "Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson" as President Andrew Jackson.

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Photo: Stephen Vaughan / 20th Century Fox

Benjamin Walker plays Abraham Lincoln who moonlights as a vampire hunter in "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter."

Vampires and zombies will be forever pitted against one another. Between HBO’s “True Blood” and AMC’s “The Walking Dead,” this summer’s “Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter” and next year’s Brad Pitt-vehicle “World War Z,” the dichotomy is only becoming clearer.

In the Tim Burton-produced film, Honest Abe is reimagined as a nighttime vampire hunter, taking down blood-sucking evildoers. He’s the country’s finest leader during the day and the nation’s greatest assassin come nightfall.

Yet Lincoln himself may fall into the category of "vampire."

Video: Anthony Mackie as Abe Lincoln's sidekick

Like the blood-sucking creatures, he’s smart and charismatic, debonair and independent. He leads with adroit aplomb and destroys evil beings with sexy smoothness -- his well-worn top hat earns him fashion points while the axe he so gracefully wields creates macabre destruction that’s pleasing to the aesthetically-discriminating eye.

If Lincoln were a zombie, he wouldn’t be able to create the beautiful chaos that Seth Grahame-Smith, author of the book on which the film is based, claims he brought about. He would be a myopic plodder, seeing blurry visions of incoming assailants, unable to retaliate with cunning or with any thought at all. 

This is not to underestimate the zombies of our society. While our presidents and philanthropists are more vampire than zombie, the world's movers and shakers are often groups with a common mission: take Occupy Wall Street, for example, or that group of angry moms who want yet another stop sign in the neighborhood. These "zombies" achieve their missions in large groups, taking down mere individuals who stand in their way.  

In Marc Forster’s upcoming movie “World War Z,” the task of stopping a zombie pandemic falls to Gerry Lane, a United Nations worker played by Brad Pitt. While the movie has been having its fair share of budget-related troubles as of late, a zombie apocalypse could spell out even greater trouble. Zombies, with their undead arms extended, wreak havoc en masse, easily collecting a nearly unstoppable group hell-bent on mindless destruction -- a feat that eludes the self-absorbed, hedonistic vampires.

Lincoln may be a vampire but perhaps the real power lies in the masses -- groups that have a common goal, a common faith or a common enemy.

Director of “Quantum of Solace,” Forster takes on this zombie idea from Max Brooks’ novel of the same name with a sense of seriousness, telling the Los Angeles Times that the film has “the grounded, gun metal realism of, say, Matt Damon’s Jason Bourne series tethered to the unsettling end-times vibe of AMC’s ‘The Walking Dead’.” In fact, “World War Z” achieved such a serious realism that the Hungarian Anti-Terrorism Unit raided a warehouse that housed the film’s prop weapons during shooting in Budapest, thinking they were smuggled weapons.

Clearly, zombies are serious business. So who would come out on top if zombies and vampires faced off?

Initially, zombies would seem to be at a great disadvantage. Their lumbering, soulless bodies are often too slow and their lack of intelligence or rational thought makes them prone to falling for tricks and cleverness. However, while vampires are fast, seductive and smart, their egos can easily be exploited. They are obsessed with their own desires, putting their wants above any sense of morals or principle goodness; they're easily corrupted and unable to control themselves.

Indeed, it’s extremely difficult to pick a winner between the two (but that hasn't stopped some from trying). “World War Z” has an A-list actor and a budget nearly twice that of “Vampire Hunter,” but that doesn’t mean “Vampire Hunter” won’t be able to better market its witty concept to outdo “World War Z” at the box office.

Who, then, is superior? Heroic individuals like Lincoln? Or the inspired masses? 

That's for you to decide, but both films hold the vampire characteristics of sleek, seductive and funny. They'll just need to channel their inner zombie if they want to attract the necessary hordes of excited theatergoers.

"Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter" opens June 22. "World War Z" was recently postponed until 2013.

Who do you think has the upper hand: vampires or zombies? Will you see "Vampire Hunter" and/or "World War Z"? Share your thoughts on our Facebook page.

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Oh yes. THIS is summer. Two big movies and a big juicy HBO show all coming our way. Here are our three great entertainment picks for the next seven days.

FRIDAY: 'Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter'
As if his presidential deeds weren't enough, Abraham Lincoln's image is getting a fictional makeover. In the new movie "Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter," opening this week, our 16th president finds a new use for the axe he used to chop down trees. As a child, he learns that vampires, not illness, killed his mother, and vows revenge. And who doesn't want to see our lanky national hero swinging an axe and knocking down bloodsuckers? The film is based on Seth Grahame-Smith's novel. (Opens June 22.)

FRIDAY: 'Brave'
Flame-haired Merida is a Scottish princess who likes her independence. She's a talented archer, loves riding her horse, and sees no need to rush into marriage to one of the goony heirs from the other clans. But when she takes out her anger against her queen mum, strange things start to happen and Merida realizes how much she loves and needs her family. Although it doesn't quite have the heart-tugging pull of a "Toy Story," all Pixar films are kind of like that saying about pizza -- even when it's not great, it's still pretty good. (Opens June 22.)

SUNDAY: 'The Newsroom'
Aaron Sorkin's "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip" didn't last, but that doesn't mean there's not a devoted audience who loves his whip-smart patter and smart characters. Sorkin's new HBO show, "The Newsroom," is set at a cable news network, with Jeff Daniels playing the veteran host who must deal with a new staff and his own moral quandries. But for fans, a Sorkin series could be set anywhere -- a sewage-treatment plant! the zoo! the grill at a McDonald's! -- and they'd tune in. Daniels told Entertainment Weekly that Sorkin's writing "is like lyric poetry." (Premieres June 24, 10 p.m., HBO.)

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The summer movie season is heating up, whether you're a fan of superheroes or super laughs. We asked our staff members to tell us what movie they're most excited about this summer. Pass the Raisinets and crank up the air conditioning.

June 8: 'Prometheus'
Two of my favorite films ever are science-fiction films directed by Ridley Scott. “Alien” and “Blade Runner” defined what the future should look like cinematically, and now Scott is taking us back to his future with "Prometheus," a much-hyped space odyssey. Since the film stars Charlize Theron, Noomi Rapace and Michael Fassbender, among others, I have high hopes that I'll be moved as much by the characters as by the visual effects. It was Sigourney Weaver’s Ripley in “Alien” and Harrison Ford’s Deckard in “Blade Runner” who made those movies stand out amidst the cutting-edge sights and sounds. No one has scared me with a movie as much as Scott did with “Alien.” And no one has wowed me as much with his vision of life beyond the here and now as the filmmaker did with “Blade Runner.” I know “Prometheus” will look fantastic -- the trailers have already assured that. Time will only tell if the futuristic thriller becomes a thing of the forgotten past.    --Kurt Schlosser

June 22: 'Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter'
Forget the superheroes in their fancy tights and masks: The coolest evil-hunter of summer moviedom is a tall lanky president in a stovetop hat, swinging presumably the same axe he used to split logs back home in Illinois. But now he's using it against the vamps who killed his mother. Yes, someone's playing fast and loose with historical facts, but the trailer makes this film, based on the 2010 novel by Seth Grahame-Smith, look like a delight. President Obama and Mitt Romney may think they've got the right stuff, but seriously, how many vampires have you seen them personally take down? Lincoln in 2012!  --Gael Fashingbauer Cooper

June 22: 'To Rome With Love'
After unexpectedly enjoying Woody Allen's “Midnight in Paris” so much, I’m ready to travel from France to Italy for the acclaimed director’s new release. In addition to a star-studded cast featuring Ellen Page, Jesse Eisenberg, Alec Baldwin, Greta Gerwig, Roberto Benigni and Judy Davis, Allen is also reunited with his “Vicky Cristina Barcelona” star Penelope Cruz as a confused call girl. By the looks of it, this film appears to run along the lines of Allen’s laugh-out-loud comedies, featuring locals and lovable misfits whose lives are interrupted by fate, with unintended and funny consequences. And of course, there will be plenty of sexy romping around in the gorgeous streets and famous hot spots of Rome.    --David Gostisha

June 22: 'Brave'
In our house, a new Pixar movie is an event. And having spent more time than I’d like to admit watching every “Brave” trailer that’s been released, I’m particularly stoked for the upcoming film from the best movie factory in the business. Having figured out it’s long past time to feature a female heroine, Pixar has gone all out to make this film's star, Merida, a modern gal in princess garb. She'll be chasing adventure and a bear across the gorgeous Scottish Highlands, all while flipping a lush mane of red hair that should squash any ginger jokes forever. I expect to again be wowed by the technical details, entertained by the goofy yet spot-on humor (particularly if the animals talk) and driven to tears by the emotional arc. (There are few Pixar releases that don’t turn on my waterworks at some point.) Bring it on!  --Randee Dawn

June 29: 'Magic Mike'
I’m no movie buff. I don’t go to the theater because some film is winning awards left and right. I don’t pay $11 to see what visual wonders a director can accomplish. I go to the movies to relax and have a good time. And with “Magic Mike,” a film starring some incredibly good looking men (Channing Tatum, Matthew McConaughey, Alex Pettyfer, Joe Manganiello and Matt Bomer) playing ridiculously hot male strippers, I know that plenty of fun is going to be had. In fact, my gal pals and I are so sure of it, we started planning our sure-to-be-giggle-packed girls’ night out weeks ago. And seeing as how the comedy is directed by Steven Soderbergh, we may be getting not just eye candy and laughs, but a good movie to boot.    --Anna Chan

July 20: 'Dark Knight Rises'
From "Star Wars" to” Lord of the Rings," successful movie epics invariably end in good triumphing over evil.  "Dark Knight Rises" director Christopher Nolan doesn’t exactly play that way. While Batman will almost certainly defeat Bane, his newest nemesis, Nolan isn’t always clear about what’s good and what’s evil.  Even Batman himself isn’t completely a hero. (Remember, he’s the reckless, megalomaniac playboy Bruce Wayne too.) What Batman will have to do, what he will face and what he will sacrifice in order to achieve the quintessential triumphant ending could be much murkier and more difficult than what we’re used to. We can’t know what exactly to expect from Nolan -- we only know it will be complex, dark and dazzling.      --Cody Delistraty

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