Popcorn-Sized Movie Reviews: Let Me In
Here’s a popcorn-sized movie review you can read on the go. It’s low on fat but with all that buttery goodness.
In 2004, Swedish author John Ajvide Lindqvist wrote a love story between a young boy and vampire girl. Two years later, director Tomas Alfredson brought Let the Right One In to theaters. This month, Matt Reeves spared American audiences the trouble of reading subtitles, casting Kodi Smit-McPhee and Chloe Moretz as the star-crossed Owen and Abby.
Scene by scene, Reeves maintains a faithful reproduction of the original while making some minor changes. The time (1980s Reagan-era) and place (somewhere lakes stay frozen long enough to safely play hockey on) differ but barely scratch the surface, along with the needless cutting of the full-length title. “Let Me In,” as opposed to “Let the Right One In,” suggests a menace of a Hollywood horror film, but Reeves doesn’t bother reducing the story to something it’s not. Instead, Let Me In carries on the very human friendship that the characters share.
One or two scenes pale in comparison to the original feel, but for the most part, Reeves keeps the blood and special effects in check, and dares not make too great of leaps. Moviegoers who are looking for a gory or even sparkly vampire flick will be disappointed (no sappy teenage love songs here), but the more open-minded crowd might be pleasantly surprised with what they find. Fans of Let the Right One In will be paying for the same movie, essentially, but at least seeing it on the big screen earns it brownie points.
