Bloodletting...

Let Me In (R)
Directed by Matt Reeves and Starring Kodi Smit-McPhee, Chloe Moretz, Richard Jenkins, and Elias Koteas

A year or so ago, I took a chance on a film called "Let the Right One In".  It is a Norwegian made vampire film that is smart, frightening, and enigmatic.  It is beautifully made, the characters are relatable and honest. As I watched it, I forgot I was watching a foreign film.  It pulled me in to a sad and dark tale of lost innocence in a harsh and lonely childhood.

Now, here we are a couple years later and the American cinema jumps yet again on the remake bandwagon based on the success of "Let the Right One In".  Usually, I can't stand the jump they take and the changes they make... however, this is one shining example of doing it right (minus one small thing and one large thing-- which I'll mention in a moment).  It is beautifully made, the characters are relatable and honest (and both off of fresh hits, McPhee with "The Road" and Moretz from "Kick-Ass"). The Director obviously loved the original enough to keep the feel while, at the same time, putting his own signature on it.  I was pulled in to a sad and dark tale of lost innocence in a harsh and lonely childhood.  It ultimately brought a thought to mind of parental absences and how in those absences, a child will find a way to survive... they will find someone who needs them.  Of course, the choice here was to love a violent and murderous vampire in the form of a twelve year old girl.  Even in the darkness of it, you could feel the love between them as something they both needed-- it was true and honest.

These kids both have amazing futures ahead of them and this film was a perfect vehicle for them to really shine.

Here's the (slightly) bad and the (really) bad...

The (slightly) bad is how annoying it is that Hollywood constantly thinks of its audience as morons.  By changing the title from "Let the Right One In" to "Let Me In", they think just that.  Hey Hollywood, guess what?  We're a lot more intelligent than you think.  We can actually figure things out on our own without you spoon feeding it to us.  

And, the (really) bad was the addition of some absolutely HORRIBLE special effects.  It was completely distracting and in the three instances they used it, I was totally taken out of the tense moments they were meant to create and gave audible moans of disappointment.  You (Matt Reeves, I'm talking to you...) had no reason to add these effects.  You could have completely done without and the film would have been amazing.  Just because you can do something, doesn't mean it's a good idea, bro.

With those two things out of the way, I have to say I really enjoyed this stylistic and cerebral vampire story.  I definitely prefer the original, but will surely enjoy watching this one again.

If  you like vampire movies that aren't the norm, this one's for you.

Enjoy.

Brice