LET THE RIGHT ONE IN (2008)

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"A combination of disturbing moments and young love makes this the vampire movie to see this year. It's bloody great!"

I haven't seen too many vampire movies, but in this day and age, unless you're a huge fan of the genre, tales of the blood suckers are hit and miss. With Let The Right One In, the Swedish took a stab(or bite) at this fizzling genre and made something more with it, something that should make Twilight fanatics feel outright pathetic. Director Thomas Alfredson not only manages to make a disturbing piece of work using vampire mythologoy, but crafts an engaging young love story out of it.

In the film, a young boy named Oscar(Kåre Hedebrant) is tormented by school bullies and dreams of revenge. When he meets a young girl named Eli(Lina Leandersson), who is secretly a vampire, she not only gives him confidence to fend for himself, but gives him a friend he's never had. While it may not sound too interesting, fans and non-fans alike of the genre shouldn't be disapointed. Let The Right One In is bloody great!

What makes the movie so great is its daring look and presentation of vampire lore, and how it doesn't solely focus on Eli's lust for blood. While that does offer some disturbing and ultimately great blood-sucking scenes, the movie, when you get down to it, is about love. Leave it to the Swedish to make something that is both disturbing and sweet. However, most of the violence is either shown off camera or from a distance. This shooting style is well recieved by me. It gives the movie a sense of depth and eeriness. The sound of Eli's growling and sucking on the victim's neck is all you need to get a visual.

Like I said before, I haven't seen too many vampire movies. I understand the impact they've had on cinema, though. Movie monsters would be nothing without the big three: Wolfman, Frankenstein's Monster, and Dracula. That last one pertains to this particular genre of film. Vampire movies have always had there own fan base, much like with other areas of film. Those fans should take Let The Right One In as a serious dose of blood for a dying genre...well, that is, until Twilight raked in $70 million, but I don't take Twilight too seriously. It is a "Paris Hilton vampire" movie. By that, I mean that everyone likes her, even if they have no idea why. She's just the latest "it" girl, and Twilight is the latest "it" vampire movie. Let The Right One In, however, is like the final NASCAR race of the season: the driver who wins the last race gets paid little attention due to the Points Champion being announced. LTROI is the last race winner, but Twilight is the Points Champion, meaning all it did was make more money. You might not be able to understand what the people are saying(ironically, much like a NASCAR driver), but it shouldn't persuade you the other way. Who cares if you have to read a little? It's worth it.

LTROI definitely offers some weird points. There's a scene where a lady gets attacked by cats. Me not being a vampire fanatic, I didn't know if that was significant to vampire stories...and there are many nods to original vampire stories and features. Burning when exposed to sunlight, only being able to come in if somebody invites you, etc., all show up here. Now, back to the weird aspects. There's also a brief shot of nudity...totally unexpected. I don't have as much of a problem with it though seeing as how it's a foreign film that still manages to be better than some(or most) American vampire movies.

In the end, Let The Right One In is the right vampire movie to see this year. Watch it online if you have to(that's what I did), because it is just great. By the end of the movie, you'll know what the title means and you should hold a soft spot for vampires. It's touching, moving, bloody. It's not perfect, but it reinvigorates new life into a genre, which gets it five stars from me.

Agent Vis's Verdict:

*5 stars-Masterful* 4.5-Outstanding 4-Impressive 3.5-Passable 3-Disappointing 2.5-Mediocre 2-Below Average 1.5-Bad 1-Awful .5-Garbage 0-Unwatchable