Film Review: Let Me In

If anybody still has intentions of seeing Matt Reeves' Let Me In, a word of caution. If you're expecting something close to the original Let the Right One In, you may leave this film disappointed. If you're going in expecting a typical vampire film, you're even more mistaken. Let Me In is simply a different interpretation of the original story, and the best example of that is in the final scene at the pool. The original film took a low-key and artful approach to the scene, with one shot that remains classic. The new film delivers the true horror of the situation, even if the cinematography isn't quite as spectacular.

The film is about a 12 year old boy named Owen who is violently bullied at school. He doesn't have a lot of friends, if any, and he spends a lot of his time spying on the neighbors. Honestly, who wouldn't? So when a young girl named Abby moves in next door, he forms something of a bond with her. However, nothing is really as it seems, and her guardian leaves at odd hours of the night to kill people. As the relationship between Owen and Abby grows, the relationship between Abby and her "father" disintegrates. As the murders pile up, it becomes clear pretty quickly that there's a more violent force at play.

Let Me In is actually really close to following two parallel time-lines. The "father", played brilliantly by Richard Jenkins, is something of an omen weighing down upon the film. The way he ends up is grim to say the least. Out of fear of spoiling parts of the story, I won't go any further. Needless to say, this is still a brilliant story, no matter how it's told. Matt Reeves (Cloverfield) does a nice job directing this film, and some of the cinematography here is spectacular. As said before, the original film's greatest shot comes at the end, but the 2010 version's comes about midway through the film, and you'll know it when you see it.

The two leads actors in this film may be the best thing about it, and that's high praise for child actors. Kodi Smit-McPhee carries most of the film as Owen, and he really brings across the emotional anguish of his predicament. Chloe Moretz continues to be the best new thing in violent cinema, giving a performance that comes close to rivaling her turn as Hit Girl in Kick-Ass. Michael Giacchino has a constant presence in the film through his score, though I must achingly admit that it's not up to the same standard as some of his other films. Given another month, he could've given us something a little more spectacular, but I still have few complaints about his work, as it wasn't bad. Let Me In isn't nearly as groundbreaking as Let the Right One In, if were going to compare the two, but we shouldn't. It's an individual effort that succeeds pretty well on its own terms, and occasionally does even better.

B