There are several conscious reasons why I did not want to start writing this review until after I had a chance to sleep on it. Let the Right One In was the first film I ever gave an A+ review for, and was as close to a modern masterpiece as any film I had seen up to that point. This year I’ve spread the A+ reviews a little wider, including Inception, Never Let Me Go, and now The Social Network into that club. That kind of recognition stems from every element of the movie working together so seamlessly that nothing can justifiably lower the grade, or at least, bring it down to an A status. Knowing how much I loved the original, and how I would inevitably be comparing it to the “Americanized” remake, I was hesitant to give Let Me In a shot. Matt Reeves appeared to be a very talented director in his own right, but I had never seen anything he had done besides Cloverfield. Not knowing how well he would handle a classically photographed narrative gave me pause, as he would have incredibly large shoes to fill. Does Let Me In manage to justify its existence so soon after it’s predecessor, or does it bring nothing new to the table?

I think I can equate Let Me In to a talented band covering a song you love. It doesn’t make you cry in pain, and you enjoy it in many of the same ways, but when your iPod’s on shuffle and the choice is there, you’ll still go with your old favorite. Make no mistake, this is still an extremely well crafted adaptation of the original source material, and it will be much more palatable to American audiences due to its mid western setting and lack of subtitles. Those who haven’t seen the original will likely see this as a phenomenal film, and that is their prerogative. It’s still a great story, a vampire myth which acts as a parable for growing up and falling in love, two themes which resonate on a universal level. The fact that it’s hidden in a classic vampire story is what makes it so unique, and rest assured, nobody sparkles here.

What made the first film so terrific were the performances of the two leads. Child actors are always difficult to direct, and the original cast was uniformly superb in this regard. I personally think that Richard Jenkins and Elias Koteas were significant upgrades over the original, though they had less to do than their previous counterparts. The real highlights here are Chloe Morentz, fresh off her fabulous work in Matthew Vaughn‘s Kick-Ass, and Kodi Smit-McPhee, who was equally impressive in The Road with Viggo Mortensen. In a lot of ways, Reeves got really lucky here, as there are very few actors and actresses in this age

group who have the ability to really nail these characters. Morentz, in particular, is tasked with believably portraying a 300-year-old girl, one who has never developed past the physical or mental age of twelve. She has had incredibly traumatic life experiences, but she is still emotionally stunted by her affliction, and that makes her relationship with Kodi even more tragic.

So the performers are great, the story is great, and the director is talented. What are the downsides?  For one thing, the cinematography, while striking, lacks the beautiful framing and subtlety of the original film. The final scene, in particular, is one of the original’s great triumphs, and here it seems a little less impactful. Also, in the interest of keeping the story more focused on the relationship between the kids, a lot of world building and supporting parts have been cut or reduced. This is more of a writing choice than a positive or negative, though it would have been nice to get to know the other characters a bit more. There is no pathetically rendered CG cat moment, but we do see a whole lot more of Abby running and climbing in vampire form. It’s unsettling to be sure, but not nearly as frightening or effective as not seeing it, something the original did incredibly well. Once we get a good look at her, the mystery and terror falls away, and we’re left with a decent, though certainly not flawless, special effect shot. Those are my gripes, and they are surprisingly few considering my complete adoration of the original version. If you haven’t seen the original, and find yourself highly adverse to subtitles, then this is a worthy, if not altogether necessary substitute. A remake that actually works? I didn’t believe it either.

Synopsis:

Owen (Smit-McPhee) is an alienated and bullied 12-year-old who builds a tentative friendship with his mysterious new neighbor, Abby (Moretz). Only socializing at night and seemingly immune to the winter climate, Abby reveals her true nature to Owen after her father (Jenkins) disappears and a series of murders grips their town.