Sunday, October 31, 2010

Let The Right One In


PREMISE: In two words, vampire movie. But believe me, this movie a different from any other vampire movie you've ever seen. First of all, the original is in Swedish, so if you want to watch this movie, get used to reading subtitles, find a dubbed version, or learn to speak Swedish. Oskar is a bullied 12 year-old boy who lives with his mother in an apartment. A man and his daughter move in across the hall. One night, Oskar is outside and meets the girl, Eli (pronounced "Ellie"). They become friends. As plots advance, we discover that Eli is a vampire, and has been 12 for a very long time. Without giving too much more away, Oskar and Eli fall in love, with both of them making sacrifices for one another by the end of the film.

Being a vampire movie, there are some bloody scenes, but not nearly enough to discourage the squeamish from watching it. The stuff that Eli's "father" goes through to protect her also borderline on the gory, but the sense of devotion this shows creates a unique mood. Another interesting aspect is the relationship between Oskar and Eli.  Eli's arrival is a blessing of sorts, as she quickly becomes close to Oskar, and his confidence gets a boost. I loved the ending; even under the strange circumstances, it has a very positive feel to it.

The vampire mythology is well-preserved here. When Eli attempts to feed on a woman one night, she is interrupted and runs away. The woman starts to show all of the dependencies of a vampire, and then bursts into flames in the sunlight. Eli also cannot enter a home without being invited; this part of the mythology is often forgotten, and the consequences of entering uninvited is shown in one scene. She can also climb tall heights quickly, and in my favorite scene, it's implied that she is extremely strong and can fly.

Overall, this movie is very well-crafted. There is quite a bit of suspense, and the small action parts build even more on that. This movie is so great and unique. I take back what I said about this being a "vampire movie." I believe it's more of a great movie about strength and love, that just so happens to be about a vampire.

Let The Right One In: 8.0/10

33 comments:

  1. hmmm i shall have to finds it :D

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  2. Everyone I know has recommended this movie. I need to see it.

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  3. ive heard good things about this movie, but i keep putting off watching it, ill have to get it sometime

    P.S, great blog by the way, just started following you and some really good stuff on here

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  4. Swedish version rules

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  5. Wasn't going to watch it, but you pretty much convinced me haha, ill take some chick so she can pay

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  6. I think I'm going to need to look into this for no other reason than the commentary on being invited into the home. So many people forget the originally established Vampire mythos (not even getting INTO Twilight). I would be fascinated to see how this turned out.

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  7. Sounds alright, I may never see it - but i'll watch it if I get a chance.

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  8. It's an amazing movie, I'm a huge horror movie nerd and gore and violent stuff in horror movies don't make me cringe a bit anymore, but I must say that this movie created such an heavy and unconformable atmosphere that I wasn't able to feel in such a long time.

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  9. looks good, might check it out

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  10. hm i'll have to see if there's a torrent

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  11. heard great things, but its gonna take alot to top 30 days of night

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  12. I agree with the guy above. 30 days of night was pretty good.

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  13. Vampire movies are getting old really fast.

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  14. Kewl story, bra! waiting for updates from you

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  15. Awesome flick, I heard it was remade and they screwed it up.

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  16. I love this flick. It had flown under my radar for a bit, but a friend recommended it and I'm really glad I saw it. Quality stuff.

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  17. great review, can't wait to watch it

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