It is extremely hard to even consider discussing Let Me In without making comparisons to its Swedish original, Let the Right One In. Both are very different films, but both have the same story at its core -- a lonely young boy (Owen in this version, played by Kodi Smit-McPhee) befriends a mysterious young girl (Abby in this version, played by Chloe Moretz), who he later figures out is actually a vampire. It does not sound like much, and is definitely unlike any American film made about vampires over the past few years.

Let the Right One In is an unadulterated masterpiece that will leave you reeling from its simplicity and quiet subtlety. It played itself out so slow, so calculating, and so unlike any vampire movie you would have ever seen. This is the movie that should have invigorated the genre, not that pesky Twilight franchise. So when they announced the American remake, it was obvious that a lot of people would be disheartened. Why remake something that was so well done in the first place (looking at you now, too, Girl with the Dragon Tattoo)? Have we not come far enough as a film-going audience that we can now sit through subtitles with ease?

And this is where my initial simultaneous concern and praise stems from. Writer/director Matt Reeves (best known for his work in Cloverfield) has recreated Tomas Alfredson’s film with such beauty and such grace, that it feels a bit too close to the original work. The storylines differ, but the snow covered look of the film and the silent subtlety of lost innocence is all too present in both films. I commend Reeves for maintaining the look, pacing and feel of the original film, and am even more impressed at how he did not allow the film to fall prey to becoming a cookie-cutter mainstream American thriller. But when he said that he was making the film his own, I did not think we would see identical shots from the original film recreated with new actors. Sure, he pushes a 1980s sensibility throughout the film (what with multiple shots of Ronald Reagan and a gross overuse of David Bowie’s “Let’s Dance”), but it does not shield or allow anyone who seen the original film to think this film is an original and unique product we were initially promised it would be.

What he also sadly maintains here are the absolutely atrocious special effects. While they were laughable at best in the original film, they still fit in with its charm and sensibilities. Here, they look even worse – they are downright awful. While I can forgive some of them (especially because Reeves wisely cut a memorable scene involving cats), the majority are just inexcusably bad. I understand Abby is not a human, and can move in ways that no human can really recreate, but standard effects in 2010 can make some of these moves appear totally realistic, especially in a darkened setting (where the majority of the film takes place). So why do they look even less believable than effects from the early 1990s? It just looks very sloppy, and very unpolished. Each time Abby moved around, it took me right out of the movie, and right out of what was happening. And considering how scary some of these scenes should have been, it made for a few rather disappointing sequences. At least some time was put into making the makeup effects look significantly better.

But Reeves does do a few things right. For one, he wisely amped up the role for the “Father” character (Håkan in the original), played here by Richard Jenkins. He is still an enigmatic and mysterious character, but he has much more depth than he had in the original. When some of the more emotional scenes hit, you actually feel for the character and understand his importance. Reeves even adds a whole layer of background to the character that was either hidden or merely poked at in the original film that makes his arc even more heartbreaking. He is such a small character in the grand scheme of things, but I could have only asked for more to be done with him. And having such an incredible talent as Jenkins in the role is an added blessing, as he brings an intensity that you would have never thought possible for this character.

Reeves also makes Owen and Abby’s friendship less creepy and more into a budding love story. In both films, these two individuals come together because of their loneliness and society’s rejection. Abby because she is a centuries-old vampire with only an elder “father” figure to keep her company, and Owen because he’s bullied at school and has next to no relationship with his parents. In the original, their union is more creepy and unsettling than anything else, but still comes off as rather beautiful and innocent because of how young these two appear to be. Here, there is still something rather unsettling about their union, but their tale is a much more involving story of love. I found the reality of their relationship to be much more obvious to grasp here, and much more delicately beautiful. Adding the quiet innocence of the two young leads, Smit-McPhee and Moretz, only helps add to how beautiful their relationship slowly becomes.

While it is nowhere near the masterpiece the original film was, Let Me In is still a well done remake. It follows a few elements a bit too close, but it adds and expands on others in ways the original never attempted. It could have easily been a better film, but for how low key and anti-mainstream it is, it just may have to be content being good enough.

  -- David Baldwin