foutainoflife
This is an interesting take on a adolescent vampire. It starts to get a little confusing once you realize that Eli is a boy because this movie is about love. Love comes in all shapes, forms, sexualities and creatures and just because it is about love doesn't mean it has to be a sexually involved love. Love really comes down to a heartfelt desire to bond with someone regardless of their opposing or even negative attributes. It is touching when you take the time to look at it from that standpoint.
After watching both movie adaptations of the book, I can't really say that I prefer one over the other even though may folks seem to believe this is the standout. I do know that there is a lot that is left unexplained and that means, at least for me, that I will have to read the book to answer some of my lingering questions.
Overall, this movie works for me. I like the pace of it, the look of it and the care taken to show the bond developing between Oskar and Eli. I personally want my vampire movies to have an element of fear present and this just doesn't meet the mark and that is a bummer for me. Eli has the beauty and allure of a gothic vampire, especially in those eyes, but the danger he has the ability to impose is never really played up enough for me. I was so disappointed that the one scene that could have really shown his viciousness was only a shot of the aftermath.
It is a good film. No doubt but the horror lover in me wanted more horror.
Pjtaylor-96-138044
'Let The Right One In (2008)' plays with the conventions of its genre, and sub-genre, in a subtle way, ultimately becoming quite a touching and subversive story of outsider romance in more ways than one. The 'vampiric' elements of its narrative, which are all aptly rendered with proper reverence, serve both as literal and allegorical counter-points to the 'misfit' motifs found within essentially every character, including the 'blood-sucker' themself. The piece's dark, pseudo-destructive relationships are never easy, with essentially all except that of our protagonist and his mother being shown as quite disastrous, but its central dynamic is somehow quite sweet despite its sometimes slightly insidious implications (or interpretations, at least). It ends up being refreshingly accepting and inclusive without shying away from its more dangerous and blood-thirsty sides, becoming quite endearing without ever watering down the feature's darkest of moments - which, by the way, sometimes result in a genuine fear of its generally sympathetic creature of the night. 7/10
mlp-24956
"Let the Right One In", is a Swedish romantic comedy. The movie follows Oskar, a twelve-year-old boy, struggling with bullying in school, who meets Eli, another twelve-year-old ("more or less", in her terms) who Oskar is curious about due to her strange behavior. She is never cold, doesn't go to school, seems to know little about popular culture or teen activities, and answers everything in riddles. The two outcasts form a sweet love based around their inability to fit into society. Oskar comes to discover that she is a real life monster, a vampire to be exact. This fact doesn't destroy their romance though, it evens comes to bring them closer, as they both struggle to survive in this world.
The movie is shot from a third person view, and allows for the audience to catch onto the fact she is far beyond a human long before Oskar. Scenes show the man who Eli is living with, who is never fully revealed to the audience as to their relationship, is seen draining blood, burying bodies, and watching and attempting to control Eli from attacking publicly. Once Eli attacks, it switches the audiences' idea of Hakan, the man, being the evil force, to Eli being the cause. While this is happening, you can see Oskar collecting the snippets of the news with these attacks, clueless to the fact that his new friend is the cause. From the point that Eli's revealed to be bloodthirsty, the audience is on edge about how Eli and Oskar are going to end- will he be the next victim? It really builds a sense of suspense, as what you thought you knew about Eli is thrown in a whole new direction. And once it is revealed that she is a vampire, and Oskar is able to accept it, it demonstrates the beauty and purity of childhood innocence. Oskar is able to look past the fact that she kills, mostly due to the fact that he has also contemplated the idea, for selfish reasons, compared to her need to live. You can hear the fragileness in Eli's voice when she is pleading with Oskar to just try to understand. Oskar has come to really trust Eli, and see past her imperfections, no matter how large they are, and see that she really cares about him- something that not many others in his life do.
Both Eli and Oskar, played by child actors, do really well with their parts. Eli is shown as being both pure and evil at the same time- a very complex mixture. The actor does well with showing that the Eli is a vampire- the graphic scenes of attacks and the impulsiveness towards blood- while still being twelve. Eli likes things similar to normal twelve-year-old such as Rubik's Cubes, tapping Morse code to her neighbor, and getting a crush on Oskar. Oskar's actor does really well at portraying a bullied youth. Oskar is seen as both scared and frightening himself. He is scared when faced with the bullies, but within his own rooms, hints that he is thinking about harming the other kids with his knife. The choice in the overall look of the two really creates the sense of opposing forces as well- Oskar being pale, white haired, with light eyes and Eli having dark eyes and hair. Visually, it really separates the two characters.
"Let the Right One In" also stands out from many other films in that it is a romantic horror. It brings both the elements of a blossoming teenage love along with the gory, violence of monster movies. In comparison to other vampires, Eli is not violent or looking to attack, she is merely trying to survive. She still portrays a lot of the characteristics of a normal preteen girl, while still holding some of the iconic vampire legends. The scene where she bleeds when she enters the home without invitation leaves you knowing that something bad is going to happen- the invitation inside being one of the most common vampire myths- but what the director chooses to do is beyond what you expect. You see Eli struggling, looking as if she is able to pass out, before one of the goriest portions of the movie comes out- from Eli herself. She is bleeding everywhere before Oskar pleads that she is invited in. It pushes that unknown, as to what happens when the rules are broken, and makes it terrifying but leaves you continuing to watch. The music in the background is very sweet, similar to a romance, even in portions where the violence of the movie really takes over. This makes the movie, even with the gore, beautiful.
The movie overall is a masterpiece, both in its visuals, and the plot. The way that it is pulled together into a very sweet ending, really makes the film stand out in its genre. For those who say movies with subtitles are not worth the energy, this movie sets a prime example of it being worth it.
