Enjoy It While It Lasts
Project 365 here 365Pieces
Dec 1st, 2010 @ 10:17 pm
Remake Gone Good: Let Me In
It seems kinda pointless posting about this now since I saw it at the beginning of November and all, doesnt it? I don’t even think it’s showing in many cinemas anymore… Lol jk it was amazing and it’s one of the best films I’ve seen this year so naturally I will post about it.
Anyway, as a birthday present, my friend Rachel took me to see Let Me In (and got the popcorn too!). At this stage everyone knows that it’s a remake of my favourite film ever so I won’t harp on about that. Or maybe I will. You see, when news came out about this film being made there was uproar from fans of LTROI because, naturally, if a film you like is remade then the original becomes shit and “will be ruined!”.
… How about no? I couldn’t believe the actual amount of hatred that this film had amongst my fellow LTROI fans before it was even released! Before a trailer was even brought out! There is no logic here. Fucking pretentious idiots wanting to look smart and ~cultured. Obviously, nothing will be as good as LTROI but if the remake introduces more people to it the original then why be hostile towards it? Also, they’re both based on a great book so there is no reason why the remake shouldn’t be good. I was excited from the word go, and holy god, I was not disappointed.
It follows a young boy called Owen who lives in New Mexico in the 1980s. He is bullied awfully in school and his parents are divorced. He never sees his father and his mother is a jesus-freak. A new “family” move in beside him, consisting of a girl and a father-figure, and soon after, gruesome deaths start to occur in the town. All this happens with the threat of a nuclear war between Russia and the U.S.A breaking out. A barrel of laughs altogether!
This film is everything I could have wanted from a remake. It stayed true to the original while managing to incorporate it’s own new ideas and themes into it. Matt Reeves who directed Cloverfield is obviously a huge fan of both the book and the original film. While he hasn’t improved on Let The Right One In (…it’s kinda like improving on perfection, though) he’s made something almost as good, but also very different.
Let’s start with the cast. Right, I don’t care how dumb I sound, can we give these kids an Oscar? Or at least a golden globe? Y’all will snigger, but Kodi Smit-McPhee was amazing. Chloe Moretz was better in Kick-Ass (because that was basically her film) but this is Smit-McPhee’s film. He completely steals every scene he is in. I had seen him in The Road and I wasn’t overly impressed. After seeing this, however, it’s obvious that this kid is going to be something big. That scene on the phone to his Dad. I was almost creyin. Like legit creys. That clip isn’t the whole scene though so you mightn’t get the full effect. But my god, that kid can act.
The chemistry between them is also electric. They were cast so perfectly. You know how kids are often praised for their performances in films when they’re actually shite? Well let me just tell you that that is not the case with this film. They are something else. Just look at this clip
I would be genuinely elated to see him get nominated for any sort of award for this film. The two leads are guaranteed all those “Young Actor” and “Rising Star” awards, but wouldn’t something like an Oscar just be amazing? But, I’m fantasising about a world where the Academy and whoever else actually recognize horror films as in any way worthy of their recognition, and that is not a world we live in so I’ll stop now.
The film looks incredible (how many times have I said that on this blog?). While LTROI was black, blue, white and grey, Let Me In adds orange, yellow and some really disgusting brilliant greens into the mix. While the cinematography in LTROI is commendable for doing so much with so little, Let Me In is great because it manages to blend all of the aforementioned colours so well. The really harsh lighting in the courtyard scenes (where Abbey and Owen meet for the first time, and eventually become friends) makes the whole thing uncomfortable (as it would be) and somehow add to the 80s feel of the film. It’s a huge contrast to the cold, black, first meeting of Eli and Oscar in Let The Right One In but it works spectacularly. While it seems uncomfortable to begin with (like their friendship), the lighting et al begins to feel much warmer and softer as they get to know each other. I thought it was an ingenious way to show the progression of their friendship.
Another great way they did this was by shifting every interaction between Abby and Owen inside following the ~revelation (it’s not a revelation, it’s in the trailer) that she is a (..say it!) vampire. Admittedly, this is taken straight from LTROI but I only really noticed it in this one. I think it’s a nice touch and a great way to show how Abby has to keep this thing a secret.
Now, this film is a lot gorier than LTROI. Don’t let this put you off though because it is still minimal. In LTROI there were, what, three gory scenes not including when your woman bursts into flames? In Let Me In, the gore is gorier but I think it needed to be. Not only to make it more accessible to a wider horror-seeking audience, but to make it pack more of a physical punch. To be honest though, it’s not all that gorier than LTROI. The aspect of Let Me In that was far more brutal though, was Owen’s bullying. It was horrible to watch. It was bad enough in LTROI but the bullies in Let Me In were terrifying. It was just so realistic. Like when they get Owen in the changing room. I didn’t want to keep watching. Those were the scenes where my heart was beating like crazy. That is true horror. That is what was scariest.
There was nothing forced about this film. You’d think that by adapting an arthouse horror/romance for the mainstream that it could come across as a bit fake but it didn’t. You might also think that they’d get rid of some of the subplots but they didn’t. In fairness, they only made the Virginia-arc another way of showing Abby’s awful position, but they delved into other, possibly more interesting areas. Like the idea of evil and religion in the world. The film uses Ronald Reagan’s famous speech on evil throughout the film as a way of giving the from context but also because it echoes Owen’s inner conflict. If you watched the clip of Owen talking to his Dad then you’ll also know what I mean. With Owen’s mother being religious it also adds another interesting idea in there. Something else which was interesting was the opening of the film. Rather than the simmering tensions in LTROI’s first scene, we begin halfway through the story in Let Me In; with Richard Jenkins’ Father character being rushed to hospital with acid wounds and half a face. We’re thrown right it, which gives the film a faster pacing then LTROI.
That said, Let Me In is a remake, so any major points for originality are lost. There are various new scenes which work well but all the great things about Let Me In come straight from Alfredson’s LTROI (except maybe the bullying, and the actors who play the bullies). Michael Giacchino’s score (the guy who scored Up) is pretty nice, but I found it a bit forgettable. I really loved it as I watched the film, but now I can’t remember anything from it. I was humming Eli’s Theme from the LTROI score for ages after seeing the film and I can still recall it, but Giacchino’s score just didn’t ring through to me. That said, if I downloaded it and gave it a proper listen I think I’d love it.
While I don’t think it should be forgotten that Let Me In is based on one of the best horror films of all time, it should also not be forgotten that this is one of the only high-quality remakes there has ever been. It should be remembered for being something rare; a truly great American horror film.
4/5
On a side note, why does the world have no taste? This film has made fuck all money when it’s obviously the best horror film in years to be given a wide release in cinemas! Even if you’re someone who doesn’t read reviews, the trailer was brilliant so why don’t people bother their fucking arses? I am just losing faith in the cinema-going public…
