Let the Right One In
Finally found away of seeing this very good movie. I'm just glad that i read the book first, which is so much better in comparison. Much more indepth, detailed and at times disturbing. The more disturbing parts of the book couldn't be shown in the movie for obvious reasons as it involves
Spoiler:paedophilia
I'm not gonna explain what the story's about as that info can be found all over the net.
I do have a few problems with the film but not that many. Overall i found it to be an enjoyable watch and it keeps relatively faithful to the novel. The two child actors play their roles very well and i can't imagine anyone else doing a better job in the american remake. Most praise has to be given to Lina Leandersson who plays Eli. Perfectly dark, mysterious, dangerous, memorable, haunting, sweet and pretty. With everything else that goes on in the book/movie (including vampirism, which is what drew me to LTROI in the first place), it's really Oskar and Eli's relationship and interactions that make this story special. And even though it's a story of friendship and love, thankfully it isn't the soppy lovey-dovey kind of love that's no doubt present in Twilight. Plus, it's dark and bloody.
Two of my favourite scenes are when Eli enters Oskar's apartment without being invited and the other being the sweet and touching ending. I've grown quite attached to these characters, especially Eli. So much so, that, as i was reading the book, i was afraid of Eli's fate at the end.
I have to be honest that i'm not a fan of the twist that Eli is in fact
Spoiler:a castrated boy. 
I much prefer her character as a 12 year old girl - the perfect sole mate for Oskar means they're both similar in certain ways. But then it's really about friendship/companionship than a sexual relationship.
The main problems i have with the movie is:
- The pacing. Personally i found the pacing a bit too quick, but then that's down to having read the novel. In the novel it takes a little while for things to get going as your introduced to the characters etc. Obviously movies have to have a reasonable running time and this movie clocks in at an hour and 55 minutes (i think) as it is. But still, as a result of the pacing...
- Some of the secondary characters aren't explored as much, such as Lacke and Virginia, and others are missing completely. And it feels like some of the more memorable parts of the novel, that are in the movie, seem to come and go a bit too soon.
- The CGI cat scene was probably the worst/daftest scene in the movie. Great to read. But amusing and daft to watch. Thankfully, (and i wish other filmmakers did the same sort of thing) the rest of the CGI effects are used very sparingly and subetly.
- There are a few questions that are left unanswered. Having read the book i know the answers. But after reading people's thoughts of the movie on message boards there's been a bit of confusion. I do believe these unanswered questions were intended as it gave the film a bit more depth and has caused people to come up with their own theories. I guess this is fine. It certainly works well and is effective, but still... i'd've liked these things explained just like they were in the novel.
This is certainly a movie i'll get on DVD.
Overall:
4/5
