Film Review: Let Me In

"I'm really sorry, Abby! I didn't realize how much you really needed those tampons!"

Let Me In (2010)

Overall Score: 88%

Certified: Black Swan

Score Breakdown:

Performance: 100% Plot: 90% Script: 85% Visuals: 85% Music: 80%

Americans are just ruining movies by making remakes from a book, a game, or another film, but not this time. Cloverfield director, Matt Reeves  remade a remake from a novel adaptation. Låt den rätte komma in, translated to Let the Right One In is a novel made by Swedish author John Ajvide Lindqvist. The book was adapted to 2008 Swedish movie with the same name and gained positive reviews and praises in the Sweden itself. On 2010, Matt Reeves is taking a risk by adapting it to an American movie. And guessed what? He did it.

Some changes are made to create more adjustment and settlement for the viewers. The title’s changed (from Let the Right One In to Let Me In to make it shorter), the setting took place in a different location (from the Stockholm suburb of Blackeberg to a small New Mexico town) and the character names are changed (Eli to Abby and Oskar to Owen). Matt Reeves took a risk and he did it without ruining the essence of the movie. The changes won’t bother with how the whole movie can capture fear and thriller, and plant it deep inside the movie.

“Smit-McPhee and Moretz possess the soulful depth and pre-adolescent vulnerability necessary to keep it compellingly real.” – Michael Rechtshaffen, The Hollywood Reporter.

Chloe Grace Moretz and Kody Smit-McPhee, the two protagonist of the movie really shows maturity on screen. Their chemistry, being the two troubled young leads, is very honest and pure; they bring out the darkest, deepest fear of the youth.  They projected a very true image of twisted adolescent on screen. They are very professional, and in such young age they are able to portray characters that is difficult to play but they still nailed the role. Kodi are able to show paranoia and anxiety, as he is a target of the school bullies. But in other times, he can show his dark and cruel side because it is still a time where a kid wants to kill, wants to torture the people who bully them for revenge. For Chloe, she can really show both innocence and guilt at the same time. She can be seen brutal at some scenes, but she can seem so naïve and childlike while still showing some guilt for being whatever she is. She represent a perfect resemblance for a adolescent monster who can’t help but being what she is and still wishes for everything to be easy even though it’s out of reach. This duo really impresses me as they complete one another. They did not bring out a ‘lovey-dovey’ romance but developed it into a risky, threatening level where it’s just not that simple. They characterize children, being simple minded and immature, but they can still be very adult about it. Other than the two main characters, Richard Jenkins portrayal as “Abby’s Father” deserves an honorable mention. He seems so sad, losing youth, sacrificing it for love, pained and exposed. It shows on screen, creating a darker plot, a pedophilia theme that adds perfectly to the line of themes this movie hold. Friendship, monsters, loneliness, bullying and rage all fitted perfectly.

The music really supports the movie and brings more fear out. The music creates more of a innocent fear into the picture. The visuals are also stunning. The blood red splotch on the white snow made the film more sad and scary, creating more tragedy to the story. We wouldn’t go against the computer graphic since Matt Reeves has doneCloverfield, there’s really nothing debatable about his animation sequenced scenes handling ability. The plot and the script itself is also very good as it was handled by the author of the original book himself.

“I might just be the luckiest writer alive. To have not only one, but two excellent versions of my debut novel done for the screen feels unreal. Let Me In is a dark and violent love story, a beautiful piece of cinema and a respectful rendering of my novel for which I am grateful. Again” – John Ajvide Lindqvist, Author.

I actually read the book before watching the movie. They amputate quite a whole lot of scenes, changes the ending a little bit, and write off quite a handful of characters from the movie. I can’t say that I’m not really disappointed, because there are a few scenes from the book that I would love to see it got visualized. But they really did a great job, and the story still made sense without the deleted parts of the original plot. I feel sad because some scenes on the book aren’t filmed, but that way the story gives more focus a more direction for the two protagonists of the movie. And it worked out ok-no, not ok, but really really well. It would be better for the movie to have some of the characters from the book, emphasizing more on Lacke’s and Virginia’s circle of friends, and of course the crazy cat man Gösta. It's also better for Abby's father to actually have a name, like in the original book and film it was Håkan. Also, the movie could have some more dark themed sexual themes and sensuality to create a more sinister and evil themes to the film.

“Let Me In is a genre-busting triumph. Not just a horror film, but the best American horror film in the last 20 years.” – Stephen King, Author. 

Let Me In has made it to the circle of American-adaptations-that-did-not-suck and not many adaptations can do that. Matt Reeves really pay his respect well to the original film doing it with extra care since adapting a movie is not easy and should be handled with care since it’s so fragile. He captured that childhood terror of the movie. Overall, it’s an amazing movie, a great tale to be (correctly) retold. I love this movie. I really think everyone should watch this. It’s more of a romance, a tragedy, a heartbreaking adolescent opera because it’s not a thriller with a love story in it; it’s really a love story with monsters in it. And dare I say that I am in love with this elegant sick fairytale because this is how vampire romance should work.

+R