MTV talked to Matt Reeves, the director of Cloverfield and the upcoming dumb remake of Let the Right One In, and they got him on the record saying something very poorly:
I think it could be a really touching haunting and terrifying film.
Yeah, Matt, it already is.
In fairness to Reeves, he did say that the book and original movie are ‘terrific,’ but since everything he wants to get out of his version was already accomplished, what’s the point?
Reeves is looking to set the remake in the 80s, like the original, but unlike the original I bet he drowns us in 80s culture. He also wants to keep the snowy environment, and is thinking of setting it in Littleton, Colorado – Columbine! Edgy! Already in the subtext of the movie! The fact that the guy is thinking of going that glaringly obvious removes any hope I had in the first place.
Reeves also thinks that this could be a really American movie. “The movie and the book are incredibly Swedish yet there’s something so universal about the tale of this kid and something that in the context of an American story could be completely different while being very consistent with the original story. There’s something about it that can be an American mythic tale.”
Here’s what’s funny – the movie ISN’T incredibly Swedish, unless you’re talking about it being atmospheric and quiet. If you made that exact same movie, shot for shot, but in English, nobody would say ‘What a strangely Swedish film!’
I’m sure that Matt Reeves means the best, but his insistence on making this movie – and, according to him, possibly making it very, very soon – marks him as something of an infidel. In defense of the infidel, though, it sounds like he wants to keep the kids 12 years old, something I found to be vital to the story of the original.