The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011 Version)

[Impact]

Review, Discuss and Have Fun!

[Gopher]

This is an impeccably made movie; spooky, atmospheric, and at times captivating. Mara is wonderful, the cinematography and set pieces are stunning, the score is even better than The Social Network's. As a fan of the book, I knew what was coming, but I was pleased at how fresh each take felt- the use of "Sail Away" during the torture scene at the end was terrifying. And for 160 minutes, its pace is terrific.

David Fincher's efforts make Tattoo subtly different from its Swedish counterpart. I'd even say more effective. But there's enough similarity between this and the Swedish one to make me wonder why this movie had to be made beyond the novel's domestic popularity which calls the need for an English adaptation. It almost made me feel like Fincher was above the project, as successful as I'm sure it will be.

As its own film, I'm going with a B+.

Edited December 21, 2011 by Gopher

[rockNrollaDIM]

I agree Gopher.. I'm having trouble judging it as a stand-alone film. And should it be judged on its own? I don't know... But it was so similar, at times I was thinking "What is the point?" To show that Hollywood can do it better?

I liked this film alot because it's exactly the type of film that I like. It's dark, it's cold, it's violent, it's thrilling. But for all the hype about Fincher, and Daniel Craig, and Rooney Mara, and Trent Reznor- I felt as though it wasn't that huge of an improvement over the original Swedish version. It took me a while to get used to the accents- it seemed silly that they would be Swedish people speaking in English with Swedish accent. Well everyone except for Craig, who for some reason just decided not to attempt an accent at all. The screenplay, IMO- especially being familiar with the source material- had its flaws. It would cut almost pointlessly back and forth between Salander and Blomkvist at times- even just to show Lisbeth for 10 seconds riding her motorcycle or taking the subway. I'm not sure I liked the way they chose to end this version either, even though it was more faithful to the source material. If I was someone unfamiliar with the books, I would probably see it as saying that even after all that Lisbeth proved of herself throughout the film, her emotional well being is still totally dependent on a man. Even though it represents an important moment for her character (feeling something for somebody), I think it was a totally cold and anti-climatic way to end a film.

But I'm nitpicking. There was plenty I enjoyed. The Trent Reznor score did live up to the hype. It was perfect, he set the right tone for every scene. And those opening title credits were really cool! Fincher gets all the credit in the world for crafting this deliciously dark and brooding atmosphere. I loved the coloring of the movie- or lack thereof. It was as gloomy as it gets and it needed to be. And for such a long movie, it didn't drag at all, not for one second. Daniel Craig as Blomkvist was acceptable. He was a big improvement over Michael Nyqvist if only for the shallow fact that he's younger and more appealing- I actually believed that all these women would want to sleep with him. Like I mentioned before, he passed on the Swedish accent, but that's ok. He did fine.

But really, as fun as they are, Blomkvist, Millenium, the Vangers etc, they are all mainly a generic backdrop for the titular character. Rooney Mara was really, really good as Lisbeth. You can tell she put all of herself into the role and she was up there at Noomi Rapace's level- though I would hesitate before saying she improved upon Rapace's performance. It's so hard to compare, mainly due to language difference. But I enjoyed it thoroughly. The scenes where they focus on her are the ones you pay attention to most. When she's off screen you find yourself wondering when she'll be back. That's a credit both to the character and to Mara. Lisbeth is just kickass. Probably the best scene in the movie, the best scene in the books as well, is when she gets her revenge on her rapist. You just want to whoop and clap for her. And speaking of the rape- talk about an intense scene, both of them. Fincher didn't pull any punches- it was hard to watch, uncomfortable, graphic, but at the same time done in a way that was still respectful. Amidst all the seriousness there were also moments of great deadpan humor that the audience really responded to - "You have $60,0000 in your bank accounts.. sorry I know that", "Lisbeth, I owned a motorbike once- I know", etc.

Overall I was happy with it. I think my expectations were a little too high, like I was expecting Fincher to do something vastly different that he could use to elevate the material- and maybe that's not fair of me. I was a fan of the novels but really the crime story involved at least in the first book is not all that interesting or original- especially with the reveal of the big surprise villain who I'm sure everyone figured out already. There's only so much more he could do with what that. And even with the flaws and underwhelming feelings this is by default, still one of my favorite films of 2011.

8.5/10

Edited December 21, 2011 by rockNrollaDIM

[AniNate]

Loved the atmosphere, thought Craig and especially Mara were terrific in their roles, and I even liked Reznor/Ross' score. But in the end it felt like the movie had to give in to whatever flaws the source material had with thinly-written supporting characters and a wrapup that had almost nothing to do with the mystery that took up the previous two hours.

I agree that Lisbeth's story was far more interesting than Mikael's, and the scene where she gets her revenge on her guardian will undoubtedly go down as the most iconic scene in this film.

A-

And I suppose "Orinoco Flow" is the new "Stuck in the Middle"?

Edited December 21, 2011 by tribefan695

[Gopher]

I'll say this, too: Fincher, don't waste your time with the sequels. You're at the top of your game. You made a good movie out of a source almost worth your time. Fire and Hornet's Nest are lousy books and lousy Swedish movies. Give them to lesser directors.

[mattmav45]

Suffers as a result of the book being bland and boring as hell, but manages to at least redeem itself the last hour. Lisbeth gradually got sexier as the film went on......by the last 30 minutes, she was damn sexy.

I really didn't care for the score at all.....I rarely even noticed it, and that's pretty rare for me.

B+/B

[Plain Old Tele]

B-I was disappointed. It felt generic, the story wasn't that interesting or involving, the villain was obvious... Fincher did a decent job, but honestly nothing special. I have not seen the originals or read the books, so I came in fresh. Many of the problems I blame on the book.

[acsc1312]

Well I went in with high expectations, and I wasn't disappointed. I thought the pace of this version was much better than the Swedish version. I actually liked the first half of the two stories going on before the convergence. I thought Craig and Mara were perfect, and both should receive Oscar noms IMO. Plummer was also an added bonus. The screenplay was sharp, and provided some witty moments throughout the bleak atmosphere. I enjoyed this better than the Swedish version. I wasn't comparing the two Salanders, as I thought Mara was great on her own. Definitely at the top of my list this year for films.A

[baumer]

The reason why Hollywood remakes successful foreign films is A) to make money, obviously and so that those who don't really want to want subtitles can watch the film with actors they are familiar with and maybe understand it a bit better. I fall into the latter. I enjoyed the Swedish version but I was confused by it. It's a convoluted plot with a lot happening and to now have to read subtitles and figure out the plot, it was difficult. with this version it cleared a lot up for me. I enjoyed this one much more and I think Mara should be a shoe in for a best actress nomination. She was mesmerizing. She completely embodied Lisbeth. She nailed every nuance about the character. Craig was fantastic as well. I loved the score and the pace of the film, until; the last 20 minutes, was incredibly brisk. One of the best films of the year imo. 9/10

[Captain Craig]

ANever read the book. Didn't see the Swedish adaptions.Thought it took a bit long to get Michael and Lisbeth together. After that it really picked up.Very intense. The best "Adult Thriller" I've seen in some time. A couple two rows in front of me left during the 2-3 min violation scene. I admit it was graphic and I kept waiting for a cut away but they didn't.I also figured out part of the Harriet mystery.I'm sure the 15min epilogue of Lisbeth going all blonde bombshell embezzler plays into the next movie but it felt unneeded to a large degree.

[4815162342]

The epilogue to this film made the one(s) in ROTK seem lightning-paced and over quick.

[Krissykins]

I loved this. I went last night.

My review can be written in 3 words : ROONEY FUCKING MARA.

That is all.

8/10

[JonnyCraig]

Great acting, faithful to the souce material, terrific score and cinematography...it has a slightly episodic feeling in the first half (not a bad thing but somewhat noticeable) and the final 20 minutes are rather disjointed, but solid mid-level Fincher otherwise.B+

[CoolioD1]

Meh. the same dull, generic plot of the books. Though I suppose Fincher's style made me appreciate this one more than the Swedish adaptation. Still, not up there as one of his best or most memorable films, I must say.

[Crusader]

I'd say its a weak 7/10 I was very detached from the film and the story just wasn't good enough ... Fincher did a great job but he's so above this stuff Funny, I thought Social Network would be below him but it wasn't and he actually made a pretty great film there This one is among his worst

[egoplant]

I love watching David Fincher movies. They are very "clean". Everything just seems to fit together perfectly, without an apparent style. This movie is just that. It's a bit darker then some of his newer films. The acting is fine, no one really stands out as great though. Trent does a good job on the soundtrack, although I liked The Social Network's better. The only problem with this movie is the plot, which is kind of unrealistic, but not more so then something like Se7en I guess.

[lab276]

The epilogue to this film made the one(s) in ROTK seem lightning-paced and over quick.

What?Anyway, this was fantastic, A. Edited January 25, 2012 by lab276

[lab276]

I'll say this, too: Fincher, don't waste your time with the sequels. You're at the top of your game. You made a good movie out of a source almost worth your time. Fire and Hornet's Nest are lousy books and lousy Swedish movies. Give them to lesser directors.

The books are great, and if the Swedish movies suck, than all the more reason for Fincher to make better ones.

[Gopher]

Really the only problem DT had was that Fincher was so attached to the material he included the novel's shortcomings, which is what the Swedish movie did. He would probably do the same for Played with Fire and Kicked the Hornet's Nest.

[AniNate]

I have to admit I'm not really looking forward to the sequels as much as I was before I saw this movie. I don't know how exactly Fincher can improve them in a way the Swedish films didn't.