Let the Right One In - Re-Review

In an age where even the term “vampire film” is often met with either an eye roll or spiteful chuckle thanks to the abominable Twilight novels and adapted films (yes, both are bad, don’t make any excuses), it’s a shame that a film like Let the Right One In is so overlooked in the U.S. Come to think of it, foreign films in general are harder to jump into, especially for the average moviegoer. I’m a film buff as well as film student, so I have the prior knowledge and tact regarding them, but the general public is so spoon fed on commercial schlock that art house films are rarely profitable in America. The Tree of Life, for instance, despite being an American-made film, only made back little over a third of its original budget in domestic market but did about 4 times as well in other countries. But, I’m getting off-topic.

Let the Right One In (Låt den rätte komma in) follows a young boy named Oskar (Kåre Hedebrant), a morbid, lonesome boy of 12. Oskar spends his day going to school, where he is bullied by a group of kids his age. In one of their encounters, Oskar is actually sliced across his cheek. When home, he uses his spare time to fill in his scrapbook of newspaper clippings regarding murders, crime and forensics interest him, as indicated by both the scrapbook and his knowledge of the subject during a scene in the classroom. His frequent abuse at the hands of his cruel classmates causes him to visualize and partially act out physical retaliation, often stabbing a tree with a pocket knife while muttering the same insults he himself receives. When new neighbors arrive, he quickly befriends a young girl, Eli (Lina Leandersson, dubbed by Elif Ceylan), despite her initial and open hesitation towards him. As their relationship grows, so does Oscar’s affinity for violence and desire for revenge. Upon the revelation of Eli’s vampirism, Oskar still welcomes her.

Oskar is obviously not an a-typical pre-teen, his fascination with the macabre and openness towards Eli forebodes a dark future for him as an adult, though we shall never see him as one. Not only is this unconventional for the vampire sub-genre, it’s a rather unconventional horror film to boot, being that it’s an art house piece as well as partly a black romance. The child actors are nothing short of great, and it further institutes my stance that youth is no excuse for poor performance. Oskar and Eli are two halves of a whole, Oskar bringing out Eli’s humanity while Eli helps Oskar awaken his animosity. Oskar is a character of mystery and sympathy but is never uninteresting nor preachy, Eli is just as quiet and reserved as he is, but she exhibits the confidence and surety Oskar needs, being far older than she appears on the outside.

Because the narrative is so fresh, it’s hard to predict where it will go, which makes the horror all the more compelling as well as generally effective. From a technical standpoint, it’s a very visually appealing film, with the backdrop of Sweden in the snow to the magnificent indoor lighting thanks to some creative techniques by the filmmakers. The film’s greatest strength though, is ambiguity. Points and questions raised by the progression of the plot or the audience are rarely answered but aren’t ignored; instead we are given the opportunity to debate amongst ourselves for the answers. It’s the unfortunate shortcoming of the American remake by Matt Reeves (Cloverfield), Let Me In, which sacrifices ambiguity and subtlety for the grotesque and for shock value.

All-in-all, Let the Right One In, to me, is a masterpiece. Its main cast is impactful, its narrative wonderfully fulfilling, its presentation nothing short of enchanting. To label it as just a vampire film greatly undermines its overwhelming integrity. I have seen it again and again and find nothing significant enough to take away from the experience, except maybe visual effects due to it being a low-budget film, unavoidable, either way. Other than dismissible nitpicks, it’s a film that had me thinking about it for weeks the first time, and still causes me to ponder a little with each new viewing, morbid and gorgeous at once and throughout. 10 out of 10.

Superman vs. The Elite - Review

I find myself defending Superman as a character more and more these days. In a world where characters are flawed and grounded in realism, even in the comic book industry, a red and blue boy scout can seem fairly dated. Superman is one of my favorite comic book characters, right under Batman for the top spot, and while more than enough people offer well-deserved praise to the Caped Crusader, people tend to dismiss or berate Superman for what he is. What is the real problem when you get down to it? I usually hear the following:

• He’s too powerful.
• He’s too much of a boy scout.
• He wears red underwear on the outside.
• He’s not that interesting a character.
• He isn’t relatable.
• He wears red underwear on the outside!

DC Comics themselves have had trouble with the character in recent years, what with Superman Returns’ critical backlash and the constant change in writer and artist for his non-Action Comics New 52 run. Everyone from bloggers, classmates I’ve talked to, to fellow comic book fans argue that Superman is no longer relevant in today’s world. If we were to channel the debate into a single Superman story, we would have Superman vs. The Elite. Based on Action Comics #775, entitled “What’s So Funny About Truth, Justice, and the American Way?” The film depicts Superman’s interaction with a new group of anti-heroes called The Elite, led by Manchester Black. The Elite are modern, new school, and are willing to do what is necessary to enforce what they believe is peace, including stepping above the law and murdering criminals.

This of course doesn’t suit Superman, and causes him and the group to butt heads. Superman works inside the law, doesn’t take a life, and will often settle a dispute diplomatically before taking physical action or precedent. Superman is the ideal citizen, a symbol of old-fashioned peace and justice; The Elite represent an order of lethal force and action. The argument that Superman isn’t relatable baffles me considering his origins as an alien sent to Earth and had to struggle with fitting in with a society that could and would most likely shun him for being different, Superman was an allegory for prejudice and status quo decades before X-Men had ever touched the subject. Though to be fair, it isn’t as prevalent as X-Men mostly because it isn’t the central focus of Superman’s appeal. He’s not really meant to be relatable so much as he is supposed to be looked up to; he sets a better example for humans than humans do themselves.

That’s not to say Manchester Black is an entirely black and white individual, he just comes from a different world. He was brought up differently, were he not put through such hardships as a child; he might’ve become more like Superman, who he initially admires but later looks down upon. Black is the leader and most important aspect of the group, whereas the rest of the team is there to act as variance and have very little traits or personality quirks to remember, other than Menagerie constantly hitting on Supes and making plenty of entertaining innuendos whenever around him. The art style definitely put me off at first. I got used to it as I watched the film but I wouldn’t exactly call it good. There seems to be no rhyme or reason that the movie decided to adopt this very cartoony, very caricature style with Superman having a ridiculous chin. Action Comics #775 never had such a style, so it’s not like they were taking example from it in the character design department. Either way, the narrative would have benefitted with a greater art design, this just looks kind of silly.

The film was written by Joe Kelly, who had written the original issue, and the writing is good. Superman is written properly and voiced by George Newbern, who had previously voiced him in Justice League and Justice League: Unlimited. The story addresses serious issues but like a true comic book adaptation it knows when to take a step back for some fresh air with effective comic relief and levity. Bottom line, Superman vs. The Elite is an effective way to represent the argument I’ve had to defend more and more often. It, like the All-Star Superman adaptation before it, are both credible representations of the Man of Steel, and why he is the way he is. Looking forward to the next DC Universe Animated Original Movie, The Dark Knight Returns, Part 1. 8 out of 10.