Beystiman It's fun, it's light, [but] it has a hard time when its tries to get heavy.

WillSushyMedia This movie was so-so. It had it's moments, but wasn't the greatest.

PiraBit if their story seems completely bonkers, almost like a feverish work of fiction, you ain't heard nothing yet.

Stephanie There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

darkreignn If you're reading this, you know the basic premise of "Let Me In." If you DON'T, I recommend you immediately stop reading this and watch the movie blind, because I can only imagine that it would be the experience of a lifetime. For the rest of you, what will follow is my thoughts and analysis on what I consider to be one of the best films that I have ever had the pleasure of viewing."Let Me In," directed by Matt Reeves, stars Kody Smit-McPhee as Owen, a lonely, bullied 12-year-old boy. He goes through life with a mother who is implied to be fervent in her religious zeal, with a father who seems to never make an effort to visit him because of his hatred for his soon-to-be ex-wife, and with a group of three children who make it their daily goal to terrorize him as much as the law allows, and then some. What they do to Owen is virtually unforgivable, but luckily, a 12-year-old girl moves into the same apartment complex as Owen and gives him some potentially life-saving advice: when the bullies hit him, he needs to hit back harder.This girl, Abby, is played by Chloë Grace Moretz who, without a doubt, should have won an Oscar for her performance; she steals every single scene that she's in, and portrays a complex character who is equally lovable and terrifying - on one hand you feel for her, and on the other, you can see her manipulativeness, but whether or not she is being purposefully manipulative is a different discussion altogether. Going into this film, I expected mediocrity. I knew it was a vampire movie, and a remake, and that's all. I held off seeing it in theaters 8 years ago, mostly because I was 14 and too afraid to go watch a "horror" movie. But finally, watching this film at the ripe old age of 22, I've learned two things: 1) 14-year-old me was dumb af for not going to see this, and 2) "Let Me In" is much more than a horror film, and to classify it as such completely tarnishes the complexity and BEAUTY of the movie. Watch the trailer for this film. Go ahead, watch it, but ONLY after you watch the actual movie. Then watch the trailer and witness, right before your eyes, the butchering of one of the best love and coming-of-age dramas in recent years. And if for some unknown reason you liked the trailer, then I bet you didn't like the movie because the trailer portrays a movie that was never made. While the trailer markets the film as a straight up horror film, filled to the brim with all the little girl vampire action you could ever want, the actual movie is a slow-burn, meticulously planned, methodical love story, but is also, somehow, much more than that, too.You see, the meat of the film lies on the relationship between Owen and Abby - if the chemistry and acting is unbelievable, then as a result the film would be as well. But because both performers act in a very mature and human manner, the film is elevated well beyond what anyone would expect from a so-called "vampire" movie. The most interesting aspect of the film is how it handles the relationship between Abby and Owen. It is obvious that they have feelings for each other, and Owen, while horrified that the girl he feels love for has to rip open people's throats with her teeth to survive, clearly feels for her regardless. And I will admit, watching their friendship turn into something more, watching these two people develop feelings for each other, it was sweet, but underneath it all is a feeling of dread and hopelessness as the audience knows what will become of Owen if he continues his life with Abby in it. And to me, that is what's so brilliant about this film. At its core, it is a romance and coming-of-age tale about two children who are trying to figure themselves out in a world that constantly hands them cruelty. Abby and Owen need each other - that much is clear, and as much as a joy it is to watch them become friends, it also stings, knowing that Owen will most likely eventually be forced to do the same thing as Abby's previous caretaker: stalk, kidnap, and murder people, all to drain their blood so Abby can survive. What kind of a life is that to live? We see the misery in Abby's caretakers face, the pain and the anger, and we know that for years he has murdered a countless number of people so the girl he fell in love with can live. Owen may believe that he has found true love in Abby, but we know that the possibility exists that he will turn into the same miserable, angry, tired caretaker that will be forced to kill others so someone else may live. It's diabolical, really, but so thought provoking. But on the other hand, "Let Me In" is also a movie that teaches people to look beyond the surface. Let me explain: Abby obviously contains an evil side to her, as EVERYONE does. However, Abby's evil is a little more extreme. For example, while you or I might decide to shoplift or trick people out of money, Abby has to rip open people's throats to survive. If we saw someone do that, we would definitely be horrified, much as Owen at first is. The difference between us and Owen is, however, that Owen knows this evil doesn't define Abby. She does evil things, but she isn't evil. He understands this and looks past her evil actions to see who she really is as a whole, complete, complex person. And the film almost dares us to do the same. We see Owen's bullies as, well, evil, but then we see why one of them is the bully that he is. The film asks us, do we continue to demonize him, or will we feel bad for him, even as he continues to terrorize Owen? And at the end of the film, when the bullies reap what they have sowed, the film is almost mocking us in a way. Are we satisfied to see (or rather hear) these bullies getting ripped to shreds, or should we be like Owen is with Abby and look beyond their actions and into their core?"Let Me In" is a movie I haven't been able to stop thinking about it, and I watched it two weeks ago. It is a beautiful, thought-provoking, romantic, dramatic, and dark film that may have taken its place as number one among my favorite movies. Part drama, part romance, part coming-of-age tale, "Let Me In" is a film that asks its audience to question preconceived notions about evil and humanity, about love and romance, and about friendship. I urge you to watch this movie and let it change the way you think about life. - 10/10

Leofwine_draca LET ME IN is a well-directed and engaging little story about a young and isolated boy who befriends what turns out to be a vampire girl. I admit to thoroughly enjoying it, not least thanks to the sterling work of CLOVERFIELD director Matt Reeves. I even enjoyed the performance of Chloe Grace Moretz, and I tend to find her largely overrated except in the likes of the KICK-ASS films. The main problem with LET ME IN is that it's a remake, and a remake of a film that had only been made a couple of years before. The Swedish version is lower budgeted but more atmospheric and better, purely because it's closer to the Swedish source material and more icy and disturbing. This Hollywood outing is slicker and eventful, and certainly worth a look, but as the original exists I have no wish to go back and rewatch it.

Chiller7 I saw the Swedish version, Let the Right One In, years ago and loved it. I finally gave the American version, Let Me In, a chance and I can see why you'd like this movie if you haven't seen the original, but sadly I just found it to be inferior to the Swedish version every step of the way.First of all, so much of the subtlety of Let the Right One In was lost in Let Me In. Let the Right One In allowed us as viewers to figure out certain mysteries on our own, for instance, the disturbing aspect of the true nature of the relationship between the girl and her "father," whereas Let Me In is more content with all but spelling out for us what's going on. I definitely prefer subtlety, since that's so much harder to pull off, so it's impressive when a movie like Let the Right One In manages it.And I don't get the choice of starting off the movie by spoiling something that happens midway through. Doesn't that just ruin the tension of the early part of the movie, by simply letting viewers know where events are headed?It's not just subtlety in storytelling that I admire about the Swedish version, but also in how it was shot. The Swedish version, for instance, used quite a lot of long takes with a stationary camera, especially during the vampire attack action sequences, whereas the same events in the American version tended to be shot with a ton of cuts and shifting camera angles. I get that they were probably going for a more chaotic look, but I found the wide-angle long takes to be more effective, by allowing the horrific events onscreen to sink in, rather than shifting the camera all over the place.Plus the American version makes some questionable use of CGI effects and I'm not even the type of viewer who usually complains about CGI. There was a scene with a fire that somehow looked a whole lot more real in the Swedish movie than in the American movie. And then there's the rubbery-bodied vampire attack scenes. I see what they were going for, making the vampire's movements seem inhuman, but it ends up looking cartoony and silly compared to the Swedish version, which I'm sure opted for real stunt performers instead.And finally, the musical score in movies is very important to me and I'd say the music of Let the Right One In was easily superior to Let Me In. Johan Söderqvist's score was absolutely beautiful, some of my favorite music of any movie, in fact. Listen to the track titled Eli's Theme, if you want to hear an amazing piece of music. Let Me In's score, in contrast, just seemed to be there to set the mood, but doesn't stand out as beautiful music in the same way.Overall, I don't think Let Me In is bad, but I just thought Let the Right One In was so much better.

Daniel Eugene McHale As someone who has (seemingly unfortunately)not watched the original 'Let The Right One In', I have found Reeves' 2010 remake to be one of those understated and under-appreciated gems of film that make me thoroughly happy to have a Netflix account. Truthfully I selected this title with a sigh, wanting a film from the horror genre but grimly aware that most films of the flavour come and go straight into my 'eh' bucket. So imagine my surprise that two days later I am still thinking about the expertly crafted mystery/romance/thriller/horror/growing pains story that can't be singularly lumped into the horror genre without considerable insult to the film.First up is Casting, and for good reason. While many of us sniff at the notion of a good child actor (myself included), I cannot deny that watching Moretz and Smit-McPhee outperform many adult actors at the strangers-turned-romancers story was highly amusing. The on-screen chemistry they share and the adolescent romantic tension they exude is just palpable. Chloe Moretz rightly steals the stage at every turn with a versatile acting ability that far belays her youth. Unfortunately this review is too little, too late to express her talent in words better than other reviews, so I'll sum it up as an all-round powerhouse of a performance.The actor I can't quite shake however is Kodi Smit-McPhee and his role as the quiet and troubled Owen; at school, at home and inside his own psyche. While not necessarily the strongest performance of the film, I think this is the one that truly made it so dark and disconcerting. If everyone loved Haley Joel Osment as the 'sweet kid with a troubled home' character, Smit-McPhee is without doubt the 'victimised child slowly turning serial killer'. From the peeping to the masked knife-wielding, from how he mewls his words and the constant tightness of his shoulders to the almost unflinching gaze at what the normal child would perceive as frightful, Owen is clearly a child who is as much afraid of the day and comfortable at night as the blonde creature he comes to fall for.A pleased nod to the rest of the supporting cast too. While there aren't many secondary roles in this film, Jenkins always brings a good performance to fatherly and guardian roles, and Dylan Minnette pulls off a surprisingly OK bully.With that said and done the real MVP of this is Matt Reeves, who has brought together a remarkable cast and walked them through a purposefully paced atmosphere of fear, curiosity, suspense and the cold. I found the lighting very good: a great contrast of dark corners and shadow against the bare bulbs of urbanised living and crisp white snow. The camera work too sat nicely between wide shots of Owen set apart from his peers and the intimate closed shots of the young acting duo. The only thing I felt nothing special for was the music - a few suspenseful ambiance tracks straight from the thriller shelf at HMV that lead to an overall meh of audio. That said, it did the job.I have read many reviews prior to writing this, comparing it to the 2008 original and being unimpressed with the level of blood and violence in the film. I find myself thankful that I am unencumbered with experience in the original film to draw that conclusion, as Let Me in has the kind of blood and gore that fully appreciates the diet and violence of a vampire without over-saturating the picture through gratuitous red (Blade, anyone? (I sort of enjoyed Blade, but still)).For me personally, a good horror/thriller finds the balance between the PG and the ridiculously bloody, the dull and the pants-wetting. Let Me In nails it - Great casting, engrossing atmosphere, tangible and believable suspense. This film is a beacon of the genre, guiding me back to land where others have left me floundering in the rocks of disappointment.Final note - Don't read this unless you genuinely watched the film.As much as I enjoyed the bittersweet fledgling romance between Owen and Abby, as I come away from the film a few days later I am reminded of the picture Owen finds in her house: Abby and her guardian as children taken a few generations ago. I realise the sourness of a new question - Were they childhood friends, or perhaps was he Abby's past, now aged and dead love interest? Is she less of an innocent child vampire and more of a cunning, manipulative immortal man-eater refreshing her carer/chef by tugging on some lonely heartstrings? It's a whole new film when I think about it this way (remember watching Fight Club for the second time, knowing Jack/Tyler is just a fruit-loop? Yeah, like that).I haven't felt this engaged with a vampire story since Stake Land.