Plus, Roger Ebert is my absolute hero.
Let Me In. The reason I liked it was not just because I really like vampires. Because I do like vampires. But the reason I like them is because they represent a certain truth about humanity. There’s probably a psychological or philosophical or theoretical term for it, but I don’t know what it is. (If you do, let me know I’m curious.) Anyway, the cool thing about vampires in my opinion is that there’s a tradeoff for being one. Yeah sure, you get to be immortal and live forever, and depending on what vampire theory you’re following, you can possibly fly, have super speed and/or strength, maybe even turn into a bat… But you live a cursed life. You’re doomed to walk the night and never see the sun, and you have to take human lives to sustain you- not only that, but you have to drink their blood. Gross.
Now I’m not going to spend too much time on my hatred of the Twilight series, because we’ll be here for weeks. But I think it’s really too bad that the vampire-obsessed youth of today (and those Twilight-loving moms) are so enamored with a false sense of vampirism. Not only are Edward Cullen and his band of vamps “vegetarians,” feeding only on animal blood (not vegetarians, but whatever), the also sparkle in the sun. Not burn to a crisp, or erupt into flames, or turn to dust… mutherfucking sparkle. So much for being condemned to darkness.
Anyway. Let Me In. This film was no Twilight, so that automatically gave it a leg-up in my book. Though none of the summaries will tell you this, it’s really about bullying and being an outcast. The protagonist is twelve year-old Owen, who, after some research, I discovered was actor Kodi Smit-McPhee. He most recently played the son in The Road with Viggo Mortensen (which I didn’t see), but he was great in Let Me In in my opinion. Especially given the fact that he’s fourteen, Australian (I had no idea; his accent was flawless), and he carried the film- he was in almost every scene. But he wasn’t in my favorite scene of the movie, which took place during a significant car accident. The whole accident is filmed from within the backseat of the car, with what I can only assume is a hand camera, and I thought it was not only unique but also alienating in a way that connected me even more to the event that was occurring.
Back to the plot, Owen is bullied by douchebag Kenny, played by Dylan Minnette, who makes one hell of a convincing asshole (I actually recognized him from the four episodes of Lost where he played Jack’s son… holler!). I was surprised to find out that he and Kodi are a mere six months apart in age. When I was watching the film I was distracted by the fact that Kenny looks at least three years too old to be in the same class as Owen. But regardless of age, Kenny’s words cut like knives, and in his loneliness Owen finds another tortured outcast- though she’s tortured in a tad bit different way. Chloe Moretz’s Abby is Owen’s blood-drinker neighbor whose… condition… carries all of the normal implications of vampirism (and if you’ve known me for as long as this review, you know that those do not include happy sun glitter and refreshing bear blood). Chloe didn’t impress me quite as much as Kodi Smit-McPhee, but maybe that’s just because she was so phenomenal in Kick-Ass. That’s not to say she wasn’t good though; she has a real knack for being wise beyond her years (as she was in Kick-Ass) and brought a lot of truth to the “adult trapped in a kid’s body” approach- a feat that often comes off as too Neverland. I feel like I should mention Richard Jenkins, whose character is known only as ‘the father,’ because although I can’t off the top of my head name anything he’s been in, I know it’s because I recognize him from so many things that they’ve all blurred together (also I have a bad memory). I can say only that his character is quite tragic and unredeemed, though as I’m about to tell you, the film wasn’t really ever about adults.
The film wasn’t really ever about the adults. Which I find is an interesting slant, because vampires, by nature of being immortal, are impossibly old. There is a hint of criticism toward religion in the film, but it intelligently comes to a head at the same time we see the true purpose of the element of youth. In a particularly vulnerable moment, Owen calls his father and asks him about “real evil.” Of course, it’s the only time we hear his father’s voice, and Owen only calls him after failing to wake up his devout mother from her bed where she’s passed out drunk. But it becomes clear that the real evil in the film isn’t Abby at all, but is cruelty toward the innocent.
The lore of the vampire isn’t important in this movie, and I was glad for that- sometimes we lose the message when we’re left wondering how and why these people came into being. When I started writing this review, I wasn’t sure how I felt about the ending. But by the time I’ve reflected enough on the film, I’d say Let Me In ends hopeful that our children will overcome certain kinds of evil – whether they be aided by vampires or not.
The Point
In case you don’t have time to read my review, or you’re mostly illiterate due to the fact that you’re one of those Team Edward losers I talked about in the review that you didn’t read, I want to implement a “quick-rating” guide for those of you with short attention spans. Let me know how you feel about this, and please give me ideas in the comment for new categories or other ways I can improve this system!
Overall opinion: I liked this movie. Especially after writing the review and thinking a little more critically about it. I'm even going to look up some other critics' reviews and opinions, because I'm curious to find out if there's anything I missed thematically.
One word to describe this film: Cold.
Ages that will like this movie the best: teenagers mostly, but adults who like well-made films will appreciate it as well - that is if they make it past the marketing, which shows it as a lame teenager horror movie
Scare-factor: If you’re expecting a claw-your-neighbor's-arms-to-death horror movie, you won’t get it. It’s only slightly creepy at times and uses basic suspense technique (think eerie music)
Level of formulaity (I made that word up): fairly formulaic in terms of plot, but there are some surprises if you don't spend too much time trying to guess the twists
See it in theaters? If you like vampires that aren’t the Cullens, this isn’t an absolute must-see for the big screen but you’ll like it. If you miss it in theaters you’ll want to get it on DVD for sure.
Recommended if: You're a fan of vampires, you were bullied or marginalized as a kid or adult, or you're interested in seeing a well-made film that deals with some very human themes
As Promised...
Here's my link to another blog that I'm a fan of. (If you didn't read my About Know Subject page, I have a goal to pass on blogs that are particularly inspiring to me).
Okay, obviously I'm not sharing any new information to those seasoned blog-followers. But I figured that Roger Ebert's blog was not only appropriate given the subject matter of this post, it's also one of my most favorite blogs. Ebert is an amazing person with wonderful insight and knowledge into the world around him. And I admire his ability to pass on his wisdom to the younger, technology-driven generations. It's not very often that people with his life experience are able to pass on their sagacity to those who can really use it in terms they can understand. While you're at it, follow him on twitter - he's my favorite person to follow!
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