"Let Me In," the American remake from Cloverfield director Matt Reeves, was a highly anticipated film among most critics and anyone who has seen the original, but it fell under much speculation. Remakes, especially our fantastically product-placed money-mongering American ones, tend to do the original film less justice.
Well, my fellow moviegoers, Let Me In matches the superiority of its predecessor to the tee. In fact, I really only liked the American version better simply for the fact that it's in English and I don't have to draw my attention to those pesky subtitles diverting my attention.
Thus, Let Me In tells the tale of a boy and a girl who fall in love in a small New Mexico town. The boy, Owen (Kodi Smit-McPhee), is a troubled and constantly bullied kid who fantasizes about exacting revenge upon those who cross his path. Alas, his fantasies do not come to fruition as he would have hoped, and he is ever-wedgied and emasculated at every turn. One dark, cold, snowy night, he meets a girl his same age named Abby (Kickass star, Chloe Moretz), who immediately informs him that they cannot be friends. However, as nights pass, they increasingly become closer and closer to eachother, until finally Abby confronts Owen about his feelings for her.
Spoiler: Abby is a vampire.
Ok, that wasn't really a spoiler, you're probably aware from trailers and hype that there's a vampiric little girl engaging in vampiric-little-girl shenanigans, and considering she's really the only "little" girl you see, you should have guessed. If you didn't, shame on you.
The original story (adapted from the also Swedish book "Let the Right One In" by John Ajvide Lindqvist) penned by Reeves is where the film shines. Think Twilight, back in time, reversed, and without metrosexual werewolves, and that's the essential plot of Let Me In. However, there's much more to it; visually, the film is equally as striking, presented in an extremely harsh, cold setting with backdrops consisting of bleak and dreary set pieces such as a boarded up apartment, a living room with a drunken sleeping mother lit only by a television and the eerie scene of a forest against a chilling nighttime sky.
What you see on-screen drains your emotion and happiness little by little, with interspersed moments of biting intensity (much like a vampire might do, aye?). The story, though, is where your emotion is brought back. Although neither Owen nor Abby may be instantly relatable characters, you grow to like and eventually love them. Owen, initially, is your typically atypical school outcast. He has no friends, no life and is going nowhere, all while his parents are working through a troubling divorce. This is made apparent immediately, which is why the relationship between him and Abby is so poignant, especially when they first start to hit it off.
Really, I've never seen the genres of romance and horror come together (in general) or so neatly. The love between Owen and Abby is beautifully intertwined with the horror behind Abby's true identity and lifestyle. In fact, you end up becoming more scared of their relationship dwindling or being immediately cut off rather than any sort of grisly scene of violence; however, those grisly scenes of violence are ever so wonderful. The film has all the scares you need: immediate (BOO!), emotional ( aw =[ ) and atmospheric (oooo). The cinematography (Greig Fraser), if nothing else, deserves an Oscar all on its own. Owen himself is actually pretty adorable, and his performance can be appreciated from any angle: because he's cute, because he's creepy, or just because he's heartbreaking. Chloe Moretz of Kickass fame as Hit-Girl reprises another violent, dark role, and she doesn't miss a beat. She's just as endearing as she is standoffish. Both characters have an uncanny sense of fragility absent in many adult-films starring children, and that's where they truly come through.
And so, Let Me In is easily in the running for Best Picture this year, and my personal favorite of 2010 thus far. Charming performances, absolutely beautiful photography, an excellent script and just that hint of originality garner "Let Me In" access to anyone's homes and hearts.
10/10
-Kyle E. Shelton
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