Movie

Let Me In (film): since we are talking about vampires

Name: Let Me In (film): since we are talking about vampires
Item: Let Me In
Author: @gooddream

Review by @gooddream · 2884d · of Let Me In

I had actually forgotten about this movie and it was not a commercial success but it was a critical success, it is however worth watching and kind of atypical as far as vampire movies are concerned.

This is apparently a remake of a Swedish film called "Let the Right One In," which i haven't seen. Many of the critics claim the original Swedish film was better and that is certainly something i can identify with. The last Swedish film I watched, "the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" was much better in Swedish than the USA couterpart.

Let me in is not a typical monster movie as it involves a couple of kids who happen to be neighbors: One of them is a vampire and the other one is not. The actors Kodi Smit-McPhee and Chloë Grace Moretz were particularly good in their roles, showing incredible chemistry and maturity despite the fact they are both quite young. I was surprised because I am extra critical of child actors, who I normally do not care for.

You might notice that I am not revealing a great deal about the storyline because I don't want to ruin it. Basically if you are a fan of horror or i guess this would be considered a horror/ drama movie, you should give it a try. The movie is quite dark as you would expect in a vampire film, but there are some interesting twists that take place that I can promise you won't see coming. The relationship between the two kids is quite touching and the mystery afforded by Abby's (Chloë Grace Moretz) "father" is another story in itself.

Overall this movie was well-received and was all but universally praised by critics. Therefore I have a difficult time understanding how it is that it barely made its budget back. Let me In won a wide variety of awards from many different award ceremonies but unfortunately none of the major ones paid them any mind. I suppose the horror genre doesn't generally attract the attention of the Oscar committee.

This trailer is epic

8 / 10

Comments · 6

@bharat273(45)· 2882d
Hiii.. Gooddream

Gn Sd
@kwadjobonsu(61)· 2883d
Given the background to this film, I must start by saying I have neither read the book it is based on, nor seen the 2008 Swedish original. After watching this masterpiece, I intend to do both.

This is a truly sensational film. When you can't really pin a film down to a specific genre, you know you're onto something special. Calling this film a "vampire movie" doesn't really do it justice, given the preconceived notions most film goers bring to the genre. It is part horror, part dark family drama, part love story, with all 3 categories succeeding admirably.

In my estimation, the director has come on in leaps and bounds since "Cloverfield", a movie with a clever idea that was hampered by a poor cast and so-so execution. Here the director sets a mood of oppression and isolation from the very earliest frames and never lets up. The locations are used superbly, as are lighting and sound to create the gloomy world poor Owen is stranded in.

The film undeniably belongs to Chloe Grace Moretz as the young vampire Abby. This girl is an absolute powerhouse of an actress, turning in a dark, subtle and convincing performance that belies her tender age of 12. If she does not make the shortlist for next year's Oscars, the Academy needs its collective head examined. She embodies the potent mixture of lovable innocence and animalistic darkness within Abby with such ease, you will be genuinely astounded.

If anyone is in two minds about seeing this film, take the gamble and shell out your hard-earned. You'll be glad you did, if for no other reason than witnessing one of the most impressive performances by a child actor in cinema history.
@rodneysreviews(53)· 2883d
I've seen three versions of this, the Swedish one, this one, and the play. All are great, but my favorite is the Swedish one, which is the least genre-fied, most creepy version.

Some spoilers follow, so stop reading NOW if you haven't seen this! . .

"Let Me In" takes a tremendously arty Swedish film, and tries to simplify it to spoonfeed the story to US genre audiences. The problem is that the concept is SO essentially arty, that no amount of genrification could ever satisfy horror fans needs for clearly defined heroes, terrifying villains and escalating jump scares.

This meant that the genre crowd refused to show up anyway, as they could tell from the trailer this was gonna be murky shit. After all, any which way you look at it, this is a movie in which a 250 year old fancies a 12 year old! So the following changes were ultimately self-defeating:-

(1) Eli is changed to Abby, so that you never realise that Eli was born a boy. US audiences can't handle transgender;

(2) The Father is no longer sexually interested in Abby, having grown up with her from his childhood. In the Swedish version, it's pretty clear that the Father was a paedophile adult, who linked up with Eli because she can never grow up;

(3) There is no investigating cop in the Swedish version, as Swedes don't need to reinforce their moral convictions by having cops lay down the law;

(4) In the Swedish original, the kid is not as isolated, like in the US version. His mom and neighbours are nice enough, like normal people, so his choice of allying with Eli is a morally ambiguous choice. The US version completely isolates the kid, so Abby is his one and only possible friend, absolving him from a morally complex choice.

On the plus side, the American film does 3 new things, which are cool:-

(1) It contrasts the Reaganite and religious clarity of the US mindset with the murky art shit from the Swedish original, which allows the film to be a commentary on the loss of US innocence;

(2) The cgi effects and car crash moviemaking are more viscerally exciting, though less creepy than the Swedish original;

(3) The new storyline, that has the Father meeting Abby, when he was a child, makes for creepy foreshadowing of what will happen to the new couple after this movie ends.

Both movies were better and creepier than the play, in which Swedish-named characters talked in broad Scottish accents lol.

But every version has been elevated by terrific naturalistic, emotive performances by young actors! Chloe Grace Moretz was particularly phenomenal as Abby. :)
@aydogdy(58)· 2884d
The desire to watch this movie certainly warms up the recognized "King of Horrors" Stephen King, who called this work "the best film of 2010". Paying tribute to the master, I started watching. I must say that the whole film did not leave me feeling that this creation belongs to the Great and the Terrible. The same children, the same cockroaches in my head, the same problems of the adolescent period, the same evil spirits ... Personally for me, this film is not about vampires, as it may seem at first approximation. Not about them. A film about children's solitude. About children, which adults prefer not to notice. About children's problems, which adults do not want to hear (Owen - father: "Is there evil in the world?", Father - Owen: "This mother told you? Give her a pipe! .."). This is a film about escaping from this loneliness. Children-actors are very good without adults, pushing the latter, if not the third, then the fourth plan, for sure. Since the film is an American adaptation of the novel by Jon Ivide Lindqvist, the plot is strong enough and there are significantly fewer "holes" in it, which the original scenarios suffer. The film keeps in suspense not so much a script, as a stunning atmosphere. The atmosphere of vampirism. I do not know about you, but I very well noticed the psychological implication.
@coolguy222(73)· 2884d
It's always a great fun to see horror movies. I haven't seen this movies yet but will give it a try. Thanks to @gooddream for the best review
@kamran600(41)· 2884d
Let me in. Hmmm this is quite a good movie despite the fact of me not watching it because didnt get the time. However i have heard of it once. You are the second tellin me about it. Well the story is good and the way the movie starts is brilliant too. The relationship between Kodi and Chlòe is pretty great. One a vampire and the other not. Its gonna be a fun to watch this movie. I really love this movie.