Let The New American Version In

Sorry if I'm late to the party on this one, but it wasn't until recently that I was finally able to see the trailer for Let Me In. This is, of course, an American remake of the rather brilliant Swedish film Let The Right One In. The original film, by Tomas Alfredson, was unlike any monster movie I've seen: blending the blood and gore of the horror genre with a tale of two misunderstood children trying to get by in their drab, otfen depressing lives. The trailer for the American version (directed by Cloverfield filmmaker, Matt Reeves), looks all kinds of faithful to its predecessor, but I wonder if that's a good thing.



I'm glad they didn't go the usual Hollywood route of casting teenagers (which would have been such an easy decision given the Twilight and True Blood craze) in the lead roles. Most of the charm in the original was that it was the most innocent creatures in the world who were wrecking such havoc. I do wonder, though, if the film could get swallowed by tweens who are used to more shallow, commercial vampire stories. Either way, there aren't any other child actors whom I would recommend for these parts over Moretz and Smit-McPhee, since both have shown wisdom and sincerity beyond their years (certain people are so talented they disgust me). Oh, and having the lovely Richard Jenkins to play Moretz's loyal, but tormented caretaker is certainly an excellent decision. I doubt this will capture the power of the original--particularly since it looks like such a closely-followed remake. But I'd like to see what the Edward Cullen fans would think of a more intellectually stimulating film like this.