Review by dazworthy

When I heard that a Hollywood would be remaking the brilliant Swedish film, Let the Right One In, I was a little concerned. Hollywood has a long history of re-imagining (and ruining) foreign films by simplifying the stories and characters, and adding in irrelevant effects and corny plot devices. But to his credit director Matt Reeves (Cloverfield) has shown great restraint and remained quite faithful to the original movie and novel, so that the American version Let Me In is in itself quite a good film. Owen (Kodi Smit-McPhee )is a 12 year old boy living in frost-bitten Los Alamos, New Mexico. He is himself isolated - the product of a broken home, and the victim of vicious bullying in school. An escape arrives in the form of a mysterious girl of the same age, Abbey (Chloe Moretz) who moves in next door to Owen. The two lonely characters quickly form a bond. Meanwhile the town experiences some mysterious murders and attacks, and it's not long before Owen realizes that these crimes and the arrival of his new friend are no coincidence. It would be grossly unfair to simply call this a vampire or horror film, because it is so much more than that. In actual fact it's probably more of a love story/drama with some horror themes. But it's the clever story, complex characters and great performances from the leads that raise this film above the standard Hollywood vampire fare. It's kind of what Twilight hoped to be, but never was. If there is one criticism of Let Me In, it is that it's perhaps too similar to the original. Some scenes are almost shot-for-shot copies. Having said that, the Swedish version Let the Right One In is still far superior. It is one of the most beautifully photographed and directed films I have seen in a long time. It has an ethereal atmosphere to it that makes it an impossible film to forget. So if you don't mind the subtitles, I would recommend the original on DVD rather than Let Me In. But despite having that such a daunting original to live up to, Let Me In is still an acceptable alternative.