The liner notes quote filmmaker Guillermo del Toro as calling Tomas Alfredson's Let the Right One in "a chilling fairy tale," and while I agree, I find it a bit darker.
On its surface, this delicate little film is the story of two twelve year olds, both outsiders in their own ways, who form a bond, and in their innocent way are at least in "like."
Once one recognizes what is occurring, it becomes apparent that conceptually, it isn't all that far off from Mr. Stoker's original 1897 classic.
Lina Leandersson plays a young girl who, aside from occasional problems with personal hygiene, makes a most supportive best friend.
While I'm viewing far fewer releases in standard definition these days, this transfer seems to hold up on a large screen, with no obvious deficiencies, and while it looked to be good of its kind, I still wanted to know what the bleak landscapes would have looked like with a 600% boost in resolution. After checking out a BD version, we'll find out.
Probably in many ways the antithesis of Interview with the Vampire and its 50+ million dollar budget, as well as that film's elegant little Claudia, Let the Right One In is worth the two hour commitment.
My single troublesome complaint regards the sub-titles in all their huge pixel, generated glory. While at least in the image area, which will please some, this is a classic case of over or at least odd translation, which as opposed to under translation found on films of the 1930s, I find just as annoying.
When a character says the word "Momma" we know what it means and don't really need the translation, which in this case is "Mom." But while I can pass on thing like that, I can't abide translations such as a verbal exhale being translated on screen as "Whew!" or other verbal noises translated as meaningless dribble.
UPDATE: Since the distributor has announced that a new (alternate) subtitled version will be coming, with proper titling, and that they have made a conscious decision NOT to place an exchange program into play, I must update this release to unacceptable, and thusly...
Not Recommended
The decision by the distributor not to replace product is extremely short-sighted, as when precisely the same program has been instituted by Warner, Sony, Disney and others, the return rate has been miniscule. The message from Magnolia seems to be loud and clear: We have no concerns about our customer base, and will allow you to repurchase.
Stupid, stupid, stupid! Apparently, while hiring those who make these decisions, they Let the Wrong One In...
RAH
On its surface, this delicate little film is the story of two twelve year olds, both outsiders in their own ways, who form a bond, and in their innocent way are at least in "like."
Once one recognizes what is occurring, it becomes apparent that conceptually, it isn't all that far off from Mr. Stoker's original 1897 classic.
Lina Leandersson plays a young girl who, aside from occasional problems with personal hygiene, makes a most supportive best friend.
While I'm viewing far fewer releases in standard definition these days, this transfer seems to hold up on a large screen, with no obvious deficiencies, and while it looked to be good of its kind, I still wanted to know what the bleak landscapes would have looked like with a 600% boost in resolution. After checking out a BD version, we'll find out.
Probably in many ways the antithesis of Interview with the Vampire and its 50+ million dollar budget, as well as that film's elegant little Claudia, Let the Right One In is worth the two hour commitment.
My single troublesome complaint regards the sub-titles in all their huge pixel, generated glory. While at least in the image area, which will please some, this is a classic case of over or at least odd translation, which as opposed to under translation found on films of the 1930s, I find just as annoying.
When a character says the word "Momma" we know what it means and don't really need the translation, which in this case is "Mom." But while I can pass on thing like that, I can't abide translations such as a verbal exhale being translated on screen as "Whew!" or other verbal noises translated as meaningless dribble.
UPDATE: Since the distributor has announced that a new (alternate) subtitled version will be coming, with proper titling, and that they have made a conscious decision NOT to place an exchange program into play, I must update this release to unacceptable, and thusly...
Not Recommended
The decision by the distributor not to replace product is extremely short-sighted, as when precisely the same program has been instituted by Warner, Sony, Disney and others, the return rate has been miniscule. The message from Magnolia seems to be loud and clear: We have no concerns about our customer base, and will allow you to repurchase.
Stupid, stupid, stupid! Apparently, while hiring those who make these decisions, they Let the Wrong One In...
RAH
