A US remake of the brilliant Swedish vampire film Let the Right One In, which Flicks.co.nz voted as the best film of 2009 and the 13th best film of the decade. Directed by Matt Reeves (Cloverfield).
It's about an alienated 12-year-old boy, Owen (Kodi Smit-McPhee, The Road), who befriends a mysterious young newcomer in his small New Mexico town (Chloe Moretz, Kick-Ass). When her odd 'father' (Richard Jenkins) goes missing, the girl is left to fend for herself. As he endeavours to help her, Owen soon finds out she is hiding a dark secret.
Let the Right One In, the Swedish horror-romance this film is adapted from, was the Flicks.co.nz film of the year for 2009 so you can imagine the anticipation around the office for this release. A fair bit of trepidation was involved too, because Hollywood hardly has a spotless record when remaking foreign material. Fortunately, this effort is a success.
It’s a relatively faithful adaptation, keeping the story and, importantly, the moody sense of pathos largely intact. The notable additions are increased gore in the moments of horror and an additional suspense scene. These shift the story into a more traditional American horror style, replacing the chills of the original with a more direct style of frights. They’re effective, but they seem a little at odds with the gentle adolescent love story and coming-of-age theme, meaning the narrative flow is never quite seamless. The love story remains strong, however, and the ‘father/daughter’ relationship may have even been improved thanks to the performances from Chloe Moretz (Hit Girl from Kick-Ass) and Richard Jenkins.
Whilst Let Me In may not have the depth or nuance of the original, it’s still a great story, stylishly told. If you haven’t seen the Swedish version you won’t notice any of the minor problems mentioned above. It’s been a pretty weak year for horror films but this stands out as one of the best.
By Andreas Heinemann, Flicks.co.nz
Haven't seen the original but thoroughly enjoyed this movie, kept me captivated and entertained throughout.
see the original but this re-make isn't to bad. Nice little film, some things they have done better than the original some they haven't, the cat scene is definitely missed. enjoy
Having seen LET THE RIGHT ONE IN and given it 5 stars, I give this version ( Not strictly a remake as there are some major plot changes ) 4 stars; Not that I dislike it, as it stands well on its own merits and has a great cast, it's just that it has chosen a darker path and introduced some elements from other styles of film that are not such a success. Chloe Moretz is wonderful as Abby, a dark figure of menace and a welcome change form the "misunderstood but lovable loner" that vampires are now considered as in the majority of films ( Probably a deliberate move by the film makers and a departure from Eli of the Swedish version - I could explain but that would involve spoilers ) and possibly why the TWILIGHT crowd are so against this one, and the rest of the cast do splendid jobs as well. the production is extremely well done too - Certain scenes needing to be cut form the original are missed, true, but made up for by the one sequence involving Abby's ghoul and the last victims - Oh and of course Owen's mother. ( Without giving much away, if you think someone is critiqueing this film when they haven't seen it, confirm it by asking them about what's so odd about her face - if they haven't seen the movie, they will give you the wrong answer every time.) So, like Olivia Hussey's and Leo DiCaprio's ROMEO AND JULIET movies, I think the two films are different and good in their own way. judge for yourselves, but ask what if this one had come out first?
Do yourself a favour and see the original.
Those hoping to see a "vampire movie" will be surprised by a good film.
Not as deep as the original, but certainly more of a crowdpleaser — and it’s hard to imagine a more intelligent and well-crafted American horror being released this year.
Key to the remake's ultimate success is the casting of the troubled young leads.Smit-McPhee and Moretz possess the soulful depth and pre-adolescent vulnerability necessary to keep it compellingly real.
The subtext of the relationship is not sexuality, as it is in "Twilight" or "True Blood," but rather the loneliness of children and their often unrecognized reservoirs of rage.
If we hadn’t already seen it in Swedish, we’d probably be talking up Reeves’ dark, gripping vampire remake – and its two lead performances – as something rather special. Actually, we’re going to do that anyway.
We've been told the NZ release date for this flick is Thursday, 25th Nov 2010.
Release date: November 25th 2010.
We haven't received times for this movie in this location yet. However these are updated as cinemas announce them, so check back soon. Hopefully the lovely cinemas in your location will choose to play it shortly. ~Ed.
