Actually, I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if the majority of forum members here like the book and film far more than JAL does; and for that reason, could be even more sensitive to "misinterpretations" of them both than he is. I think the general consensus here is that Oskar's and Eli's love for each other is unselfish, and not compromised with secret personal agendas, such as grooming a poor defenseless boy child into spending the rest of his life committing murders for his true love. A film moving forward with this premise could indeed be well-crafted, beautifully filmed, and well-acted, but the core reason most of the folks here love the film and book so much will have been compromised. I fully intend on seeing the film, but unfortunately, it looks like I will know beforehand that their love for each other, or at least Abby’s love for Owen, is tarnished somehow by her intentions. How could the love be pure if she knows that every child she picks will become a murderer, and eventually be caught or killed – or perhaps even discarded by Abby when he is no longer useful?Tom wrote:And if John likes the film, let's hope everybody here will stick to their own opinion, and not say something like "I never said Let Me In can't be good."
The bottom line to me is: this film could be a masterpiece of suspense and invoke great sympathy for both of the children, and still fall short of creating the kind of ‘obsession’ that most of us have for the original. And, no, JAL’s opinion of the film will have no affect whatever on mine. How could it in view of the above?
EDIT: In fact, I hope JAL does like the film. If this new film makes one of my favorite authors happy, rather than upset, I’m willing to unconditionally accept that fact with an unconditional smile on my face.
