TIFF 2010: 'Let Me In' Review

Dark, Erie, & Entertaining 

After his success with Cloverfield, I was excited, but anxious to see what Matt Reeves had in store for us this time. Walking into this TIFF film, the vibe outside was positive and moviegoers seemed excited for one of the more anticipated films of 2010. From the trailers, to the dark and puzzling images that surfed through the Internet, I was curious to know how this film would play out. Although the movie started out a little slow for my liking (my buddy I went to see it with passed out within the first three minutes), Reeves definitely did not disappoint with this horror-romance film. Let Me In tells the story of a developing relationship between a bullied boy at school named Owen (McPhee), and a vampire named Abby in hiding (Moretz). I know what your thinking right now - 'oh no, not another twisted vampire flick', but Revees did a good job differentiating his film from the typical Twighlight romance. Unlike other films in the same genre, it is real, effective, and as 'un-cheesy' as one could ever hope for. There is no glitter on these actors bodies, and although there is romance in the film (between and human and vampire), Reeves does a good job of making that relationship feel real and effective in the film. 

Reeves' directing and writing of this film was superb, keeping the audience hooked with eerie scenes, good dialogue, and of course a little but of comic relief here and there to keep you on an even keel. His dark and cold cinematography really set the tone for the movie's gloomy and eerie feel. Audiences were as much captivated by his suspenseful and gory scenes, as they were by his simple directing and intelligent dialogue.The one knock I would put on this film is that it is not a fast-paced one - it may be a little long for what it is. At times I felt like it was moving a little too slow for my likings, and near the end, I found myself waiting eagerly for the credits. The run-time of just about two hours seemed a little excessive for a movie like that - I would definitely recommend cutting it down by at least 20 minutes. That's not to say the film was bad, because it wasn't, but it definitely fell short of spectacular.

Chloe Moretz and Kodi-Smith McPhee both gave great performances in this film, and Reeves did an excellent job of developing their relationship from start to finish. The two delivered what I think to be some of the best child-acting performances I have seen in a while. Moretz, fresh off her amazing role in Kick-Ass, took on a very different role in this film, and definitely mastered it once again. Though she wasn't the same 'rock em sock em' superhero we saw in Kick-Ass, she still rocked on screen, this time in a much more sadistic and gruesome way. The young actress does a great job of playing with the audiences emotions, by either scaring the living daylights out of them, or making them feel for the young girl inside this hideous monster. Kodi-Smith Mcphee really made audiences feel for the lonely, insecure, and bullied boy (Owen) he portrayed in the film. Both characters really balanced out each others' performances, and delivered some great acting for a such young actors. Though only in it for a little bit, supporting actor Richard Jenkins made a strong performance, playing Abby's (Moretz) guardian, and definitely did a good job of taking on a darker role that he's not really known for. Elias Koteas did not disappoint, portraying the prying cop trying to get to the bottom of these mysterious deaths and the questions behind them.

Let Me In was a good film, definitely worth seeing, though not necessarily noteworthy. To me, it is a film that will be a hit or miss for some people - some will love it, and others will hate it. Personally, I wouldn't say I loved the film so much as I did the performances, and will give it a B rating because of that shortfall. Although the film was entertaining for the most part, Reeves' directorial debut of Cloverfield definitely reigns supreme in the end. I wouldn't advise you to rush to see this film when it releases in a month, but if you are looking for some romance, drama, mystery, and a good old horror from a film, then Let Me In is your ticket.