Review of Let Me In (2010) by Alex G — 31 Mar 2013

Let Me In - A surprisingly great film for the fans of the original. And it would probably be a bloody masterpiece for those who haven't seen it.

Let Me In is a Hollywood remake of the Swedish version of the film Let the Right One In, that is based on the book. A lot of reviews consist of the audience comparing the remake to the original having seen both. Barely anything has been changed from the original story, but the cinematography, some dialogue, different actors and adjusted characters make for a new movie.

If your not familiar with the original's story, which is kept essentially as the exact same thing in Let Me In, tells the story of a lonely pre- pubescent boy whom is an extreme outsider of anything relatively well, that has to do with life. This connection he can't make is due to the hindrance from the lonely home life being endured from a divorce mother and bullies at school. The boy evokes every attribute of innocence, something that is trying to be corrupted against his will thus the loneliness. All is cold and somewhat hopeless until a mysterious young girl who is the same age as Owen moves into the same apartment complex. After nights of awkward mingling on the freezing, iced over playground belonging to the apartment complex, Owen and the mysterious Abby who only comes out at night barefoot, finally make an immediate intimate connection. Oh yes, did I forget to mention that Abby is a vampire? From there the film spirals into the emotions of lost childhood, innocence, beauty, regretful violence, and every intimate emotion that has been dealt with in life.

The remake seemed to take a greater interest in the horrific violence, the original had the perfect blend of genres (thriller, romance, horror, fantasy). Both films had many beautiful contrasts: coldness vs warmth, chaos vs peace, guilt vs innocence, darkness vs delicacy, and despair vs hope.

If there are any problems with the film, its with the Richard Jenkins character which is Abby's caretaker who drains his victim's blood for Abby to feed off. The problem I had with this version of the character juxtapose to the original's is that the character's back story is kept completely ambiguous in the original. In Let Me In there is sort of a hint as to who he was at one time. This felt as if the filmmakers were depriving the audience of letting us use our imagination. This isn't to say Richard Jenkins gave a bad performance though. He is actually quite good as this character.

I must also mention that I preferred the sense of ambiguity presented in the original. Very few questions were answered, and the whole film was more of a mystery left to interpretation. In contrast, Matt Reeves was more clear and direct in his screenplay with the mystery surrounding his characters. It's all a matter of personal preference, though. I believe that most people will prefer what Matt did, since the original has a certain style that less people can appreciate.

Kodi Smit-McPhee was spot on in his interpretation of Owen/Oskar, being vulnerable when it calls for it, when he's bully fodder, or when the feeling of isolation just overwhelms from discovering the truth about his new squeeze and a mom who gradually finds solace from the bottle to numb the pain of an impending divorce, his false bravado in role play reversal of standing up against his physical and mental tormentors, and the child like innocence he fills the screen with when he plays Romeo to a Juliet that can never inhibit the same waking hours as him.

Chloe Moretz saw her stock rise with her profanity-spewing Hit Girl in Kick-Ass, and here she's in a totally muted role as the 12 year old, more of less, young girl who's more than meets the eye. Moretz brought out her apprehension of being discovered and found out, her helplessness at the sight of plasma, and the start of yet another budding romance, although she was quite unmistakably replaced by a CG equivalent for her character's most violent action scenes, an effect that drew unnecessary attention to itself, whether be it scaling walls, or pouncing on the pack of her prey and making a rag doll out of them.

If anyone deserves the most limelight for such a fantastic remake Reeves should be bestowed that honor. His scripting and artful direction doesn't feel the need to go full Hollywood (which was also his method for Cloverfield) and glamorize every little blip of action - for example the shot inside the car crashing. It's this faithfulness not to stray too far from the original's rigorous control but take risks that don't push the boundaries, which make this masterpiece as being every bit impressive to the original.

Technically, the film is absolutely outstanding. The production design is homely/quaint, making it calm, peaceful, yet very moody when it needs to be. The editing crisply paces the film at a steady pace without it being too fast nor too slow, it moves along very nicely; you won't feel rushed watching the film. The cinematography is eye-poppingly, beautifully, and serenely framed. Lastly, Michael Giacchino's hauntingly melancholic score proves him as one of the best, most promising and versatile film composers as of late.

Despite the comparison, I believe that they are both great movies that can be enjoyed by everyone. Both Let the Right One in and Let Me In are both masterful bites on the vampire genre and cinema alone. With both films I felt the exact same sensation. It was a mixture of every adolescent feeling I had endured throughout my life. For me its beyond a movie going experience, it's being absorbed into a thing of beauty and art. This is when you know you are being wrapped up into something that will forever leave an impression on you.

Review Number: 31.