'savage vampire' vs. 'blood, violence and tenderness'

[DarkGuyver]

Where've you been? I am another who doesn't find Abby the experienced and calculating old seductress.

Sorry, I got confused going back and forth from this forum and the discussions on IMDB.

Truth be told, I think she'd have approached Owen quite a bit differently if she'd been recruiting him. She was... reluctant, actually.

I agree if Abby had wanted to recruit Owen from the beginning she would have approached him differently the first couple of times they met in the courtyard instead of trying to drive him away.

[stevenpotts3@aol.com]

Bustedstuff15, you know, they never really did SAY what Thomas backstory was. Though they really did imply he was a old lover. But for all we know she just met him briefly when he was a kid, then later in his life killed for her when she needed help. It's even a possibility he's still a pedophile, though unlikely.

[CyberGhostface]

Given the letter to her in the beginning and how he couldn't even spell right, it's clear he was with Abby since he was a kid.

[DavidZahir]

There've been lots of theories, including the notion of Thomas as Abby's brother! But I think it clear in context that Thomas was once in Owen's general position. Which doesn't make the two identical, nor that either has precisely the same relationship to Abby as the other. I personally suspect Abby has had many such companions (a term I prefer over 'caretaker') over the very many years (enough for her to forget her birthday), and has for that matter spent long periods totally alone. Doesn't seem particularly likely they all killed for her, or that all stayed with her their entire lives (some of which probably didn't last that long).

IMHO

[stevenpotts3@aol.com]

CyberGhostFace. A 12 year old knows how to spell sorry. I think he was just trying to make it shorter.

[Luftwaffles]

You know, there was so much potential for her to be scary beyond the surface. Like JAL said about the CGI of the vampire scene in the basement (well I don't guess it was CGI, but make-up), it didn't detract from that scene -in LMI in particular; however, I think that the tragic and horrific dimensions of Eli far, far superceded the depth of Abby. Don't get me wrong, I like LMI, too, and Chloe Moretz did well with the role, but I think Eli was so much more profoundly terrifying because it made you look inside yourself....and identify with her -feel sympathy. One of my friends could not get past the fact that Eli killed people. I kept telling her: "that's not the point." "Eli isn't evil; she doesn't have a choice. She has to kill in order to live." That's why it is so horrific. You just accept the belief that Eli is Eli because she has to be, just like your crazy, drunken, Russian grandmother acts at Thanksgiving, and JAL plucks Eli and Oskar away from the "world" so well that you don't even feel bad for anyone else but the so-called "perpetrators," -Eli and Oskar (LTODD) for killing. The rubik's cube was such an amazing symbol, here. To me it symbolized the riddling nature and complexity of Eli's character in LTROI; but, I didn't get that same feeling in the pit of my stomach with the rubik's cube in LMI. It just didn't seem to have the gravitational pull of the symbol in LTROI.

[SPiN]

One of the key scenes that convinces me of Abbys true intentions is the one where both Owen and Abby are lying in bed, each in their own room. Owen has his hand pressed up against the wall and so does Abby. As Abby realizes Owen is on the other side doing the same thing (perhaps with some sort of vampire sense) she gets a big loving smile on her face. Not the kind of cruel evil smile that one would if she was recruiting but a very warm smile.

I was thinkIng of the movie today (just got home from work. Will watch shortly on blu ray for the first time). I tried to think of one scene that makes me know that Abby wasn't what I read on some posts about her being the M-word which made it a totally different movie for me. I thought the hospital scene was the one. After reading quote above, that's the scene. Abby, that'll do. Unless that was a smile of "ha, gotcha slave". Great.

I'm a novice movie watcher and only know about movies that are promoted during commercial breaks on espn. Obviously limited. Please don't judge, I hope LtROI exposes me to more awesOme movies. But I did not see ONE commercial for LMI. Ne'er a billboard. Don't recall the actors on the late night talk shows or snl.
But in a odd way, I think the way I stumbled across LMI makes it mean more. I don't know how to express but I will after I finish the book.