Yesterday I saw "Let Me In", the Hollywood remake of the Swedish "Let the Right One In". Both films are adaptations of John Ajvide Lindqvist's bestselling book. This brilliant story is part coming-of age tale, part horror, part serial killer drama, part revenge thriller, and part sweet romance. Which film stays closer to it's source material? Well you'll just have to read it to decide that!
The reviews for "Let Me In" have been good, despite it being a remake. I came away with mixed feelings to be honest...I guess as a film in it's own right it was pretty good...but when compared to the original...well, there is no comparison really. "Let the Right One In" is a masterpice. It's slow-burning, subtle, touching...and by the final scene I found myself so engaged with the two lead characters and their beautifully believable relationship that I welled up. The remake has none of that subtlety, favouring instead sensationalised gore and many more special effects than the obviously lower budgeted Swedish version (although given that the film was released by Hammer films, that should come as no surprise). More gore, more effects, more dialogue...well in this case less really is more.
Don't get me wrong, I did quite enjoy it, in it's own way. It certainly had it's good points. Without giving too much away, the addition of the car sequence, and the removal of the cat scene from the original were good decisions by Matt Reeves who both directed and wrote the screenplay. Kodi Smit-McPhee, the young actor who plays 12 year old outsider Owen, is outstanding. Chloe Moretz who plays the vampire Abby, an old soul trapped in a 12 year old's body turns in a reasonable performance, but fails to portray the depth of the character in quite the way Lena Leandersson portrays Eli (Abby's Swedish counterpart), though whether that's her acting or the way she was directed I can't say. Consequently the connection between Owen and Abby doesn't feel as real or as touching as Eli's connection with Oskar (Owen's Swedish Counterpart) Abby is more animalistic, less remorseful, less tender than Eli...But while 'Let Me In' may not be as deep, it will doubtless appeal to a wider audience, from the subtitle shy, to those who prefer their vampires sparkle-free. But regardless of whether you chose to watch "Let Me In", I would urge you to watch "Let the Right One In" if you can lay your hands on it. It might not have had the widest distribution in cinema's, but the dvd is readily available - I picked up my copy in my local supermarket for £5 - what a bargain!
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