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    Home Media Review: Vampire tale 'Let Me In' a faithful remake
    Review: Vampire tale ‘Let Me In’ a faithful remake
    Richard Vogel
    Movies
    September 30, 2010

    Review: Vampire tale ‘Let Me In’ a faithful remake

    By CHRISTY LEMIRE AP Movie Critic

     

    When the Swedish horror film “Let the Right One In” debuted a
    couple of years ago, it was deservedly hailed as one of the most
    original vampire tales to come along in a while — no small feat,
    given the bloodsuckers’ ubiquity both on the big screen and
    television.

    Now, it’s been remade as the American thriller “Let Me In” — but
    rest assured, much of what made the first film so special remains
    intact.

    Aside from making a few structural tweaks, writer-director Matt
    Reeves (“Cloverfield”) has stayed extremely faithful in his
    adaptation, right down to chunks of dialogue, details like the
    Rubik’s Cube the kids play with, and the jungle gym in their
    courtyard — even some camera angles. Reeves also smartly recreated
    the sense of tension that built in the original film’s stillness,
    and similarly, the quiet moments that allowed the two young
    characters to forge their bond.

    On the surface, both films (based on the book by John Ajvide
    Lindqvist) are about a bullied boy and the 12-year-old vampire girl
    who comes to his rescue. But really, they’re about a couple of
    lonely misfits who are drawn together — the sweetness in the way
    they strengthen each other, and the sadness of the realization that
    their friendship can’t last — and Reeves gets that right, too.

    “Let Me In” is also gory, startling and intense, as you’d expect
    from any worthwhile vampire story, and the score from Michael
    Giacchino (“Up”) adds to the chilling vibe. Reeves makes the
    violence more explicit, which wasn’t terribly necessary — what’s
    merely implied can be even more frightening — and the special
    effects when our hungry young heroine is in full-on attack mode
    make her movements look jumpy and jerky, which detracts from the
    film’s otherwise realistic approach.

    Still, the relationship at the film’s core always works, with
    excellent casting choices in Kodi Smit-McPhee as Owen and Chloe
    Grace Moretz as Abby. Smit-McPhee, who played Viggo Mortensen’s son
    in “The Road,” has an innocence about him that makes him a
    believable underdog; with his wide eyes, lanky frame and slightly
    eerie disposition, he resembles a young Billy Bob Thornton. And the
    engaging Moretz, who was such a scene-stealer earlier this year as
    Hit Girl in “Kick-Ass,” shows a different side of her talent here.
    She brings a sense of regret and melancholy to the character, who’s
    been 12 “for a long time,” as she puts it. If it’s possible, “Let
    Me In” actually makes Moretz look less than cute.

    As in the original, the two meet at night (of course) in the
    center of their shabby, snow-covered apartment complex. (The
    action’s been moved to Los Alamos, N.M., but it still takes place
    in the early ’80s.) By day, Owen gets beaten up by the tough kids
    at school while his new neighbor Abby slumbers in her makeshift
    bathtub tomb. When the sun goes down, they shyly get to know each
    other the way any awkward preteens would.

    Meanwhile, Abby’s guardian — played movingly by Richard Jenkins,
    as if he were capable of any other kind of performance — seeks out
    sustenance for her, but it’s getting harder to find, and with each
    killing he comes closer to getting caught.

    A car crash during one such outing that’s been added to the
    remake is harrowing and expertly staged; alas, Reeves omitted the
    Swedish film’s gnarly cat attack. Still “Let Me In” lands
    beautifully on its own two feet.

    “Let Me In,” an Overture Films release, is rated R for strong,
    bloody violence, language, and a brief sexual situation. Running
    time: 116 minutes. Three stars out of four.

    ___

    Motion Picture Association of America rating definitions:

    G — General audiences. All ages admitted.

    PG — Parental guidance suggested. Some material may not be
    suitable for children.

    PG-13 — Special parental guidance strongly suggested for
    children under 13. Some material may be inappropriate for young
    children.

    R — Restricted. Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult
    guardian.

    NC-17 — No one under 17 admitted.

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