The Sprout

Flick Flak: Let Me In

Posted by archifCLICarchive from National - Published on 10/11/2010 at 10:18
3 comments » - Tagged as Movies

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Let Me In
Director: Matt Reeves
Starring: Kodi Smit-McPhee, Chloe Moretz.
15, 117mins

I find it very tough to review Let Me In from an unbiased position, as I have read the fantastic book Let The Right One In, and seen the masterful Swedish film of the same name. Many people will question the necessity of Let Me In, given that it is a direct remake of one of the best films of 2008 (several critics said it was the best, and that it reinvented the vampire genre). To an extent this film is indeed a little pointless, given that all of its best moments are shot-for-shot copied from its Swedish counterpart. However, several little points and one major change make it worth watching even if you have seen the original.

The plot of the film follows Owen, a twelve-year-old boy who is badly bullied at school and who dreams of being able to fight back, and Abby, a girl who appears to be roughly twelve, whose friendship might be able to help Owen. Of course, she is not what she appears to be. Incidentally, you need to read the book and watch the original film if you have not. Both are classics.

I will start out with a couple of issues that I had with Let Me In, and I am going to try and judge it as a film in its own right as much as possible (although that will prove difficult). Firstly, I was disappointed that this film chose to focus so heavily on the two young protagonists quite so much. While it is a rich and interesting relationship to explore, the book contains so many more characters, and the original film managed to incorporate some of them to good effect. I have no problem with Let Me In narrowing in on just the children, but they still drag in other fringe characters so that they can include some of the most iconic scenes from the earlier film. As a nod to the film's background this may have pleased some people, but it bothered me slightly as these characters arrived with no explanation as to whom they were, and chopping out the brilliant stories that accompany them in the book.

The inclusion of these 'iconic' scenes was another thing that obscured my enjoyment of the film. Some of the film explores the source material in a very different way, which I loved, but when it came to these key scenes they were still shot identically to the Swedish version. I would have liked to have seen some different handling of key moments. Also, I am not sure to what extent this is true as, knowing the story, I was able to follow it fine, but at times the film seemed a bit disjointed in moving from scene to scene. If anybody can comment on this please do.

Another thing that I didn't quite agree with was the decision to leave little to the imagination - acid burns and vampire attacks were both eventually shown unflinchingly. I respect this decision, and in places it was well done, but I think this is a film which revels in an atmosphere of subtlety, and some moments were jarringly out of step with this.

There is a lot to like about Let Me In, even if you have enjoyed the original film. The main difference of direction which Matt Reeves, previously of Cloverfield fame, takes his film in (and I don't think this spoils anything as it remains ambiguous throughout) is his interpretation of the vampire, Abby. When I read the book I, perhaps naively, felt that the burgeoning relationship between the young characters was genuine, as they both needed somebody. Let Me In paints Abby in a light which I had never before considered, and suggests that she is only ever using Owen for her own ends. Clever little clues to this are scattered here and there, and Abby's vampire is altogether more frightening than Eli (from the book/Swedish film).

Reeves won me over to this film with a number of stylistic choices, such as never showing Owen's parents clearly - his father remains a voice on a telephone and his mother's face is never clearly shown. This struck a chord with me as I feel that the lack of impact which the boy's parents have in his life is a tragic part of his story.

For me the film's most chilling moments are the scenes of Owen's torment at the hands of bullies. Like much of the film these were unflinching and I found them pretty upsetting, but respect goes to Reeves for not shying away from the more unpleasant areas that the book whole-heartedly delves into. The nature of Abby's relationship with a middle-aged man is touched upon, and is very uncomfortable, as is the portrayal early on of Owen as a child who fantasises about being a killer.

From the very mature nature of the film I am able to move on to say how fantastic the acting was from the two young leads. Kodi Smit-McPhee plays Owen, and puts in another remarkable performance following on from The Road. He is very natural and has shown more ability than most child actors, displaying a touching vulnerability in both of these films. The part of Abby went to Chloe Moretz, a thirteen-year-old actress who already has a startling number of films under her belt. She too has to be one of the best rising actresses around, and she is utterly convincing (and quite scary) in Let Me In.

So, if you have not read the book or seen the first film, absolutely go and see this film. It is a dark, atmospheric and original take on the vampire genre, with some unforgettable moments. If you have experienced the story before, I would suggest it is still worth watching for the conversation which the differences will raise.

However, I would understand if some fans of the original felt short-changed at this new version.

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