Let The Right One In
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Movie Reviews of Let The Right One In
Movie Review: Really good vampire movie...
Summary: 5 Stars
I wasn't sure about this movie; I remember the reviews when it first came out and they were a little mixed. I can see why because it's not your usual kind of vampire movie. One thing I will caution about: it's very slooooow. That kind of bothered me but I went with it. Foreign films often have a different kind of pacing from American ones.
That said: I really enjoyed the movie in spite of the slowness. It stayed with me for a long time after I watched it. I went back and watched some scenes again after I read up on it here and on IMDB. I did not find it predictable and that's a good thing in a vampire movie, since the topic has been done to death, so to speak. I will admit I did not understand one of the key things about Eli until I read some stuff on IMDB. (I just finished reading the book and it was explained there, but I felt it was unclear in the movie, as were several other plot points.)
The movie is beautiful to look at, very good photography. I thought the two young actors who played the leads were great. There was a lot of honest emotion in the movie. I felt emotionally connected to the characters in a way that I normally don't with this type of film. One can't help feeling pity for Eli even while being horrified by what she is and does.
I hear an American remake of this movie is on the way, which is probably unfortunate and which I'll probably skip, because it will most likely be loud, overly bloody, and poorly written. We tend to ruin this type of film.
I don't think this film is over-the-top gory compared to some vampire films but the squeamish might want to avoid it.
Book compared to movie: I think the book explains some things better and there are some subplots that didn't make it into the movie that I enjoyed, but I would rate both about equally. The film is beautiful and haunting, which the book can't really manage.
Overall, highly recommended, I am planning to buy it because I'd like to see it again.
Movie Review: The "Right One" Indeed!
Summary: 5 Stars
Right up front, let me make clear that I'm only reviewing the FILM here -- as screened in THEATERS -- and NOT this specific DVD release:
Simply put, 'Let The Right One In' is a hauntingly beautiful gem -- a quiet little masterpiece -- and probably the best sound-era vampire film, in ANY language, EVER.
There have been, obviously, a staggering number of vampire-themed films in the history of cinema. And I added the term "sound-era" because of my equal admiration for both Murnau's 'Nosferatu' and Dryer's 'Vampyre'. But, since those early dark wonders, I'd be hard pressed to think of another film on the general theme of vampires which has the emotional depth or startling impact of this small-scale Swedish marvel.
And marvel I did at how sensitively and subtly and uniquely this oft-mined genre was handled in this very special case.
'Let The Right One In' is, decidedly, NOT your daddy's vampire flick. For this unique take on the genre is also as much a love story and coming-of-age drama as it is a vampire movie. Perhaps MORE so, as there is really less emphasis here on the specific details of vampirism -- though they are NOT shied away from either, as is shockingly evident in several memorably chilling sequences.
But it's really the brilliance of the direction, cinematography, writing, and, perhaps most of all, the superb performances of its two young leads which sets this movie apart, in terms of overall quality, from the majority of other films dealing with this theme.
Yet, perhaps the word "theme" is misleading in this instance. For if I had to pinpoint the true central theme of this refreshingly non-traditional vampire film, I'd have to say it was loneliness rather than blood sucking.
And it is precisely that thematic core, and how it is conveyed cinematically, which, more than anything else, gives this film its peculiar resonance and a securely high place in the history of sanguinary cinema.
Movie Review: Greatest Horror Movie since the 70's
Summary: 5 Stars
I have always thought that Horror movies could be art, and go beyond the tropes that they generally find themselves in. This movie was able to be eerie and satisfying to the horror movie lover in me, but at the same time, I have shown this movie to people who do not generally like horror movies. I think what seperates this movie from others is though it does have gore, jump effects and a generally nihlistic point of view, it does not rely on them, but rather, it uses all of the tools at its disposal. The focus of the story is on a child who goes through some of the worst bullying ever seen on film without every seeming to go overboard. I believed the problems the protaganist was having both at school and at home with his mother going through a divorce. He meets someone as he sits out by the playground outside of his apartment complex at night. They talk as too people that may be the most lonely and in need of a friend relationship I have ever seen that transends the ages they both appear to be. There are murders going on in the background. There seems to be a focus on the animalistic qualities of man eating each other, and just how bleak our day to day existance is, and the glimmer of hope is seen between the two children and a group at a bar, that seem to discount civilized morals, in favor of a more pride mentality of taking care of only the group at any cost. You can also see this in a group of children who act as the tormentors to the protaganist. I want to add that one of my favorite parts of the book is the revelation that the little girl is really a little boy. There are small references that indicate that she is not a girl, and it was assumed by me that it was a reference to her vampire nature, when really it is a reference to her having a crude sex change operation and sold into prostitution, and though we may think we have become more civilized, but we really haven't. The question is not whether violence is justified, by what justifies it.Movie Review: Let the Right One In
Summary: 5 Stars
I'm going to try to keep this short since I loved both the book and the film. If you're familiar with the novel do know that John Ajdive Lindgvist who wrote both the novel and screenplay excised a lot of the more horrific stuff from the film. Also gone was the humor involving Tommy the stoner kid who takes to harassing his soon to be stepfather while the turning of Virginia is shorter and sweeter in a way. One of the strong points of Tomas Alfredson's film is just how subtle it is in telling the story of how a bullied twelve year old forms a relationship with a child vampire. Theres not a lot of frentic camera movement and editing with some nice long shots combined with superb image composition. While Eli described in the book is almost animalistic when she needs to feed the film seems to have two people playing her at times while hinting at her power through small shots. It also smartly plays up something not really done in the book with Eli's view towards killing people and how she uses Hakan not only as a caretaker but as a willing person to collect blood. I won't describe anymore but the ending while not unfortunately having a scene where Eli needs to be invited in to save Oskar from bullies, is simpler and more brutal in a way. If I had one complaint its a small one involving the fate of Hakan that isn't really given a good explanation. Other than that everything makes this a perfect horror film in my opinion.
The DVD as it is has excellent picture but doesn't feature a whole lot in the way of extras. Theres a making of where Alfredson basically talks for ten minutes on the making of. Theres six deleted scenes and after that a picture gallery and poster gallery. I'm kind of disappointed that the disc defaults to an English dub but other than that with the price and the availabilty I do hope people check this one out before the American remake comes out. I'm reserved in my judgement of that film but this one is a classic of the genre.
Movie Review: The Barnens O of Vampire Films
Summary: 5 Stars
Stop! Spoiler alert! Do not read on if you don't want any spoilers! Let The Right One In is not a typical vampire movie.There is nothing typical or "Twilightish" in it or a silly Vampire in a cape running around in a castle with a coffin hidden in it,intsead what one has is a thoughtful,disturbing tragedy and a film that strangely enough seems to have strange similarities to the 1980's Swedish film Barnens O.Both Barnens O and this film are Swedish films set in the early 1980's and have characters that look amazing similiar as they traverse a strange landscape which ultimately end in a rather strange life or death struggle in a pool-the sililarities are really amazing. In both stories,the main character is told through the eyes of a 12-year old boy.In Let The Right One In the boy is named Oskar. He happens to live next door to a girl who turns out to actually be not a girl or a boy -though a boy who is not a boy since Eli is undead,sexless and has been been this way since the late 1700's using his power of mesmerism to find one caretaker after another to care for him since he was casterated and left for dead centuires ago and them "saved" by a Vampire and given undead life.What one is left wondering most about by the end of the film is if Eli has idenditified himself as a girl,does he love Oskar or is Oskar just under a spell to become the next caretaker for a creature that just uses all humans for his purposes?.Does Oskar chose to ignore the fact that his "love" is a boy and not a girl and not even alive or is more of the Vampires power over him? And what of Oskar's fate-is he doomed to age and grow old while Eli remains young forever and will Oskar come to the same fate as Eli's older caretaker...alot to think about in this film.If you like this film see Barnens o- the stories are both set in Sweden in the early 80's with two boys who seem so very much alike and who look alike as well in taking a surreal journey.