Let Me In Review (Spoilers)

Now children play nice

THE MOVIE: CRITIC'S TAKE

When I heard they were remaking Let The Right One In I was very excited hoping for good things. Let The Right One In was shockingly good. It had a unique story that trounced the Twilight saga ten times over. This movie was about friendship more than vamperism. I expected this remake to be just about the same. They did not disappoint.




STORY

The story takes place in 1983 where the big haired rock bands ruled the earth. It begins with a little boy named Owen, played by Kodi Smit-McPhee, acting out one of his sick fantasies. Owen is being abused by his peers at school. They beat him senseless and perform gruesome acts of humiliation upon him. He has no friends and keeps to himself most of the time. He meets a girl named Abby, played by Chloe Moretz. She's the typical young girl, wearing no shoes and smells funny. She tells Owen that she doesn't want to be friends and at first Owen obliges. Eventually they get closer when Abby helps Owen with one of his problems... completing his rubric cube. Too bad she turns out to be a Vampire.

I need blood to live.

Soon they start hanging out and becoming good friends. Owen starts to like Abby a little too much. He takes her to his favorite places and starts showing her what she's been missing as a child. Abby shows her affection for him by giving him advice on his bullies and eating one of his favorite foods, knowing it can make her sick. After their first date she returns home to her guardian, played by Richard Jenkins. He asks her not to see the boy again out of fear that something terrible might happen. He goes out one night to bring her back some blood when some unexpected events occurred. He drowned himself with acid to hide his face from the police. When in the hospital she pays him a visit to perform one last act of love and compassion. She puts him out of his misery.

Baby I'm sorry. I was just hungry. Can we still play?

Now with her guardian dead she goes to Owen and tells him mostly everything about her and her guardian. Owen asks her to be his girlfriend which at first shocked her but later agreed. When his bullies tried picking on him again he takes Abby's advice and hits one of them hard. Maybe a little too hard because one of the bullies' ear gets split in two. During the same day they found a dead body buried in the ice. Soon all of Abby's secrets begin to surface which puts her on edge.

This looks like fun.

Owen invites her out to celebrate his victory against his bullies. He ends up cutting himself and Abby's true form surfaces. In order to restrain herself she runs away and begins to feed on the closest victim. He goes over her place to get some answers and finds out that her guardian happened to be her brother and she's been alive for a very long time. This freaks him out and decides not to be friends anymore but Abby has a different point of view. She proves to him that she cares a great deal by entering his home without permission. Turns out if a vamp does that it can bleed to death!

Owen goes to her apartment and pays her a visit, unknowingly that a detective was hot on her trail. He tries to kill her but Owen comes to her aid and allows her to kill him. In return she helps him with his bullies once and for all. Despite the gruesome act of the ending you can't help but feel the connection of these two children. It's truly a violent and beautiful story about love and friendship.

Friends forever

ACTING

This has to be the best acting for a horror film that I've ever seen. Chole and Kodi both did wonderful jobs with their characters. They had excellent chemistry that drew you into the film. Not once did I think any of these actors were faking it. Richard played the tortured and confused brother very well. You can almost feel his pain through his face and eyes. At a matter of fact you'll be able to feel many emotions that these actors displayed on film.

I am what I am

SPECIAL EFFECTS

This movie didn't rely on its special effects to tell the story, which is a very good thing. The blood and gore was there when needed. They didn't go overboard with the effects, however, I did see a hint of cheesiness. I thought seeing Abby bounce around her victims was funny and reminded me of Gollum. Despite this flaw the special effects aren't daunting and can be seen with a gleeful eye.

WRITING AND DIRECTING

It's not often that a remake can surpass the original but this does just that. The movie was written and directed by Matt Reeves. He did a fine job keeping the feel of the original and staying true to the book. The dialog flows naturally from page to screen and the pace of the film is right on track. He directed it beautifully despite it being mostly shot in the dark. You can almost feel the cold blow into your living room as soon as the picture hits the screen. Despite the grittiness everything is sharp, dark, and crisp. All the ingredients for a great horror film turned into a love story.

I love my job

THE END

I love this movie and I think you will too. If you're not a fan of gore just press the fast forward button but try not to miss anything. It's not a waste of your time or money. You can pick the DVD up at any major store or market. Don't compare this to Twilight. Those movies don't even come close to what this movie brings. It's a lot better than anyone ever expected.

STORY 8 out of 10
ACTING 9 out of 10
SPECIAL EFFECTS 6 out of 10
WRITING 8 out of 10
DIRECTING 8 out of 10

OVERALL 8 (MUST SEE)