Day 84- Movie 81. Let Me In (2010)

I am still struggling greatly with what to think about this movie. The question isn't about the quality of this film- it's very, very good. However, I am not sure if it's a great movie. The problem is that this is an American remake of a terrific Swedish movie, Let the Right One In. I need to talk a little about that movie first (and if you haven't seen it, check it out. It's excellent).

Let the Right One In is one of the best vampire movies I've ever seen. It is a quiet, poignant movie about two damaged people (one a human, one a vampire) who connect in a simultaneously beautiful and disturbing way. The movie represents European cinema very well- it's a reflective, meditative look at relationships, power, and evil. It is not an easy movie to watch- it challenges the audience, never pandering to it. It is complex and difficult, but it is also memorable and beautiful, in a sense. I really, really liked it.

I don't believe there was an reason for an American remake. The original film came out in 2008, and two years later for the American version is too short a time span. This movie may prevent some people from checking out the original Swedish one. So, while I wasn't initially excited about it, I was still curious to see what director Matt Reeves (I loved his previous film, Cloverfield) would do with the story. I was even more excited about the cast.

The cast is brilliant. Reeves got two of the best child actors in Hollywood today- Kodi Smit-McPhee (who was incredible in The Road) and Chloe Grace Moretz (who gave one of my favorite performances of the last 10 years as Hit-Girl in Kick-Ass). These two young actors are amazing and I could not think of anyone better for the two roles. As you might expect, they are both quite good. They are better actors than their Swedish counterparts (although the relationship in the original was a bit more powerful). I liked them both immensely in this film. The movie also features small roles for Richard Jenkins and Elias Koteas, both excellent actors. Bravo for great casting.

While there are some differences between the two films, Let Me In is careful not to stray too far from the original. Reeves recreates some shots identical to that film (which isn't necessarily bad, because the shots there were so brilliant). That is what makes rating this film so hard- it is a very close remake to the original (which I loved)- does that mean I should love this film, too? Or, does that mean I should criticize this film from basically copying, instead of creating something unique? It's hard to say.

I do love Matt Reeves for not ruining the original story. Yes, he played it very, very safe by sticking to what's already proven to work. He even dumbed down some of the controversial parts of the film for the less cultured American audience (which I didn't like). I'm glad I didn't hate this movie, but I still don't know if it really needed to be made. It is a very, very good vampire tale (that isn't really a true horror movie). However, I have to give the edge to the original. I gave Let the Right One In a very well deserved 8. I'm giving the American Let Me In a very solid 7.5/10.

Has anyone seen both films? I'd recommend seeing both of them, but go with the original first. It isn't the easiest movie to watch (and is subtitled), but it's great.