Review of Let Me In (2010) by Halfwelshman — 03 Aug 2011

It's a truly rare thing indeed when a remake not only equals, but very nearly betters its original. Matt Reeves manages to preserve the atmosphere and tone of Let The Right One In but also puts his own creative stamp on proceedings, yet again proving his great sense for maintaining tension and momentum so ably demonstrated in Cloverfield.

All performances are top notch, with Smit-McPhee and Moretz taking the two pre-teen leads of the original film in a new direction. While Moretz's Abby may not be quite as creepy as Eli in the original, her chemistry with Smit-McPhee lights up the screen.

The real acting highlight though, is Jenkins, who gives the character of Abby's guardian real emotion and understandable motivations for his killing spree - you are almost willing him not to be caught in the scene where he is hiding in a potential victim's car.

The story is more fluid and engaging than Let the Right One In, and the effects more polished, which will Let Me In a more appealing prospect to some. Others, however, may miss the originality and rawness of LTROI.

Whatever your view on whether it needed to be remade merely 2 years later, Let Me In has both respect for the achievements of its predecessor, but also manages to take the tale in a new direction, an extreme rarity with film remakes.