Let Me In (LMI) is coming out on DVD here in the states soon.
So, I figured a comparison thread to Let the Right One In (LROI) was in order.

For the uninitiated, these are two films based on the same novel.
I suppose what sets this pair apart from movies like True Grit is...
The films were released just two years apart.

Let the Right One In is a 2008 Swedish production.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1139797/

Let Me In is a 2010 American production.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1228987/

The other reason this comparison is interesting is because its set to repeat itself.
This year, David Fincher will release his version of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.
Which is two years removed from the successful Swedish production.

I think both films are good, but for very disparate reasons.
LROI focuses more on the relationship between the two protags.
LMI is more concerned with mood and atmosphere over characterization.
It feels stripped down to the bare cold bone, exposed and raw.
And there's absolutely nothing wrong with that, its a very meditative film.
In the end though, I prefer the time spent on characters than evoking mood.

LMI devotes time to the detective tracking the murders. Didn't intrigue me at all.
Nothing against the actor, Elias Koteas, he's up to the task.
For me, devoting a percentage of screen time to that character felt wasted.
LROI used that time to color the community the protags lived in.
I prefer the dark fantasy set against the human community.

LMI makes the boy out to be an isolated observer, clogged with frustration.
LROI portrays him as a quiet oddity that goes unnoticed by most.
I prefer the latter, it opens up the story instead of cutting away the probabilities.

In the end, I think it will come down to the kind of movies you like.
Do you prefer insular dark mood pieces with long silences?
Or do you like odd but accessible characters carving out some warmth for themselves?

Both films are worth the effort.
I enjoyed revisiting LROI after watching LMI for the first time.

Ironically, Matt Reeves says he made LMI to bring the story to a wider audience.
LMI has about 8,000 votes on IMDB. LROI has over 65,000.

E.D.

haven't seen Let Me In, but i do love Let The Right One In.

I definitely preferred the Swedish original over the Americanized remake.
The camera work was better.
The characters were more interesting.
The sequential storytelling made more sense.
The SFX were better (OMG! The man frozen in the block of ice was fantastic! LOL!)

I respect DFincher and hope he doesn't flub-up on GWTDT, the trailer doesn't look all that special, like a frame-for-frame reshoot, but I sure do like the original stories I & II. Lisbeth Salander/Noomi Rapace rocks!
(I can tell they already went conservative on the tattoo itself - unless there's some additional stunt to be revealed).
TGTKOTHN didn't do much for me.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Girl_with_the_Dragon_Tattoo_(2011_film)
I just hope when Rooney Mara takes off her shirt I don't go "Yeeesh!"




* * * *

Quoted from Grandma Bear Ray, I think you (possibly someone else) once asked me after reading a script of mine why the hell I was having a character named Noomi in three scripts.  Now you know.

Aye, I don't recall - which certainly doesn't preclude me!
It's a nice sounding name to my American ears.
I've seen her in interviews and she's quite the nice lady it appears.
I hope she has a good career.

And I hope your "Noomi" character stories do quite well!
GL & GB!

Ray, I think you (possibly someone else) once asked me after reading a script of mine why the hell I was having a character named Noomi in three scripts.  Now you know.  

Ray for every reason (besides the SFX) that you said the Swedish version was better, is every reason why i thought the American version was better. I thought the characters, story line, and camera work were much better in the American version. let me in seemed to clarify and elaborate on things that let the right one in only hinted at. furthermore, the cinematography in LMI was amazing. that scene where the car pulls out from the gas station and into a ditch? one of the best shots from 2010. my only gripe with LMI was the special effects. they looked horrendous and they really gave in to some vampire stereotypes. anyways, just my two cents. i thought LTROI was VERY overrated. i gave LTROI a B+ whereas I though LMI deserved an A-

Quoted from albinopenguin let me in seemed to clarify and elaborate on things that let the right one in only hinted at.

Wow, I could not disagree with you more. I adore this vampire story, have seen both versions, and read the book.

That scene where he steals a peek at Eli as she changes is pivotal, and while the implications are really only hinted at in LTROI, they are completely ignored in the American remake, which is just cowardly and unfaithful to the story in the worst way.  And that is just one of many examples where the American version fails.

Granted, judging the two films based on the original source material may not be a standard that most would apply -- but in this case, I do.

I also like Chloe Moretz quite a bit, but how anyone could argue that she even holds a candle to Lina Leandersson (in this specific role, at least) is totally beyond me.

So the American version is good, just not AS good -- a vote over here for Låt den Rätte Komma In.

...Låt den rätte komma in...  

Quoted from Grandma Bear ...Låt den rätte komma in...

Well, it was right when I typed it in...

Don has explained to me why sometimes characters will get screwed up....but I still do not understand, really.

Quoted from Ray I sure do like the original stories I & II. Lisbeth Salander/Noomi Rapace rocks!

I think so, too.  I liked the second much more than the first.

I ordered the 3rd book off Amazon but did not realize I had ordered a "large print" version and the stupid book is bigger than my phone book haha.

Quoted from bert Well, it was right when I typed it in... Don has explained to me why sometimes characters will get screwed up....but I still do not understand, really. I liked the second much more than the first. I ordered the 3rd book off Amazon but did not realize I had ordered a "large print" version and the stupid book is bigger than my phone book haha.

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Me, too!

& LOL!