Five years ago, nobody would have thought that vampire love may be romantic. Now, it seems as though that is the only way people can picture vampire love. Sookie frequently gets ravaged by Bill on True Blood. Bella is evermore loyal to Edward in Twilight. Along came a spider called Let the Right One In, a charming and disturbing Swedish film that was about adolescence and love infused with a little vampire horror. It was a film that was said to be perfect in many ways. And then it was remade as Let Me In and in a surprising turn of events, it worked very well. Let Me In is almost as good as Let the Right One In. Matt Reeves has masterfully matched the tone and cinematography of the Swedish film and tweaked it a little bit to make it his own. Some of the best performances of the year so far are in this film and Michael Giacchino's score shines in a subtle and beautiful way. The few plot changes are inoffensive and the writing is well done.
Let Me In is not what it seems to be. It is a case of poor advertising in which it so frequently portrays the film as an in-your-face horror movie. Let Me In is actually a rather tender tale of boy meets vampire. Owen (Kodi Smit-McPhee) is a twelve year-old who is constantly bullied at school. One night, Owen meets a strange, but friendly girl who moves in next door. She is twelve (more or less) and appears perfectly normal. Her name is Abby (Chloe Grace Moretz). One problem: she is a vampire. The film beautifully examines pre-pubescent love. It is only a horror movie sometimes, but most of the time, Let Me In is a drama and romance.
Matt Reeves, who previously directed the cinema verite horror film Cloverfield, slows it down a lot with this film. He has reproduced the tone of the Swedish film quite nicely through color palettes and cinematography. The film is often subtle and solemn, except for in the gory scenes, which nicely contrast with the rest of the film. The score from Michael Giacchino, who has also composed the scores for Lost and Up, matches the tone of the film. At one moment, the score can be sad and sweet, while in the next moment, it can be loud and booming. What is most interesting is the switch between the two moods, which is equally as subtle as some of the action and chemistry that goes on between Abby and Owen.
Reeves has also done a very nice job with the actors involved in this film. Chloe Grace Moretz, who plays her role with equal maturity as she did for Hit Girl in Kick-Ass, is worthy of an Oscar again for playing Abby. She makes the viewer, as well as Owen, feel so emotionally distant simply through facial expressions and simple mannerisms. Kodi Smit-McPhee does a fantastic job as Owen. Never once was there a time when the audience did not feel sorry for his character.
It is very possible that Let Me In is the best remake to date. Nobody would have ever predicted that someone could reproduce Let the Right One In in a way that was original and faithful at the same time. It may not be the horror movie that the studio was advertising, but it certainly is a movie that is worth watching. Matt Reeves, Chloe Grace Moretz, and Kodi Smit-McPhee are names that people should keep an eye on. We'll see a lot more of them in the future. As for Michael Giacchino, he has got some tough competition from Hans Zimmer for the Best Original Score Oscar, but he definitely deserves it.
People may criticize Let Me In for being too much of a direct copy of Let the Right One In, but honestly, a good movie came out of it, so who cares? Besides, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.
Let Me In is not what it seems to be. It is a case of poor advertising in which it so frequently portrays the film as an in-your-face horror movie. Let Me In is actually a rather tender tale of boy meets vampire. Owen (Kodi Smit-McPhee) is a twelve year-old who is constantly bullied at school. One night, Owen meets a strange, but friendly girl who moves in next door. She is twelve (more or less) and appears perfectly normal. Her name is Abby (Chloe Grace Moretz). One problem: she is a vampire. The film beautifully examines pre-pubescent love. It is only a horror movie sometimes, but most of the time, Let Me In is a drama and romance.
Matt Reeves, who previously directed the cinema verite horror film Cloverfield, slows it down a lot with this film. He has reproduced the tone of the Swedish film quite nicely through color palettes and cinematography. The film is often subtle and solemn, except for in the gory scenes, which nicely contrast with the rest of the film. The score from Michael Giacchino, who has also composed the scores for Lost and Up, matches the tone of the film. At one moment, the score can be sad and sweet, while in the next moment, it can be loud and booming. What is most interesting is the switch between the two moods, which is equally as subtle as some of the action and chemistry that goes on between Abby and Owen.
Reeves has also done a very nice job with the actors involved in this film. Chloe Grace Moretz, who plays her role with equal maturity as she did for Hit Girl in Kick-Ass, is worthy of an Oscar again for playing Abby. She makes the viewer, as well as Owen, feel so emotionally distant simply through facial expressions and simple mannerisms. Kodi Smit-McPhee does a fantastic job as Owen. Never once was there a time when the audience did not feel sorry for his character.
It is very possible that Let Me In is the best remake to date. Nobody would have ever predicted that someone could reproduce Let the Right One In in a way that was original and faithful at the same time. It may not be the horror movie that the studio was advertising, but it certainly is a movie that is worth watching. Matt Reeves, Chloe Grace Moretz, and Kodi Smit-McPhee are names that people should keep an eye on. We'll see a lot more of them in the future. As for Michael Giacchino, he has got some tough competition from Hans Zimmer for the Best Original Score Oscar, but he definitely deserves it.
People may criticize Let Me In for being too much of a direct copy of Let the Right One In, but honestly, a good movie came out of it, so who cares? Besides, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.