"The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" Review
My review of the new version of "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo."
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The Cinema Snob: "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" Review
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Glad to hear you had a happy birthday, enjoyed your review as always. Got to say as I was watching the film I was thinking you would dig it. Hope you have a merry christmas.
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I did enjoy this new one, but I had a lot of problems with it. I loved the subtlety of the Swedish film, and let's face it, Fincher doesn't understand subtlety. I loved the cinematography and the atmosphere, but I hated the long drawn-out third act - which really should have just been an epilogue. I also have to disagree on the opening credit sequence. I thought that was just silly and out of place, and felt like I was watching a commercial for Spider-Man 3 shampoo. Overall I prefer the Swedish film for focusing more on the story and taking a more subtle approach, though I do enjoy both, and I'm looking forward to the continuation of the series, since I'm in agreement that the Swedish sequels were disappointing in comparison to the first.
Also, I know lots of people rave about Reznor's score, but oh my god I freakin' HATED the score in this movie. The score consists of loud droning noises that drown out the dialog in scenes that don't even need a score to begin with, and at one point I wasn't even sure if what I was hearing was the score, or the vacuum cleaner that Lisbeth walked past earlier. That's not a score, that's noise, and it's distracting as hell.
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Is "sadder" a real word?
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Not sure, but "you know what I meant" is a real phrase. =)
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lol nice, that's the best comeback to a grammer nazi I've seen recently!
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Although that was an awesome comeback, here's another good one: 'Yes, sadder is a real word. http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sad '
/Andersen, also a grammar nazi.
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Damian is considered slang as opposed to Damien which is the genuine name.
tl;dr: Your name is spelt wrong.
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Hey glad you had a great birthday. I'm actually on the 20th as well, 25 for me. But I'm sure you had WAY more fun that what I had haha. Great review and I do want to see this remake (I did see the original in a local theater).
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Than*
Damn late night typing woes haha.
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Slight OT, but every day that passes I thank all the saints in Heaven that Sake Mangusto doesn't post here.
The last thing Brad needs is some immature, unfunny jackass trying to act like he's an internet reviewer IN A COMMENT BOARD, and then saying stupid crap like "Oh my God, Brad should totally do 'Nudist Colony of the Brad'! It would be just like 'Nudist Colony of the Dead', only with Brad and Jerrid and Jillian and Jake and Boyd in the main roles! And he could have a dance off with K the Butcher Shitter, the Geek, Dracula and Terrak the Troll! 'Nudist Colony of the Brad', coming soon to the Cinema Snob Show!"
Thankfully, the people here are far less stupid and far more serious.
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You know, that actually sounded pretty damn awesome
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Thanks for your input Brad. l was worried about the remake but l will give it a chance.
The only thing that has put me off is Reznor doing the score.
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Hey Brad happy belated birthday , you're a recent discovery and I want to say I enjoy your work.Now on to the movie I am one who sa seen the original swedish movie and read the books and I have to say I was somewhat nervous when I heard they were going to "remake" this one , my first thought was omg they are going to water this down so much ,these are very complex and developped characters which you don't see alot anymore , you know i thought well they are going to tone down the lesbian aspect (well bisexual really) , tone down the rape , not that I want to "see" rape but it's such an important aspect of the story and the following movies plus Lizbeth's character , so yeah I was wary.Because I wanted to like this as I love most of the actors in this and do like Fincher quite a bit,Glad to hear my fears weren't realised.Not too sure about the slight change to Lizbeth's character as she is such a unique and amazing character but I will reserve judgement for when I see the film.Great job again Brad.
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well at least you did not get hit by a car like i did on Wednesday!although your hang over sounds a lot more painful than my leg at the moment
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Actually, Rooney Mara wore a so-called vagina wig for her nude scenes in this one.
*keeps watching review*
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Yet me start off with I haven't seen the 09 movie!
I haven't had any interest at all in seeing this movie as the trailers and the movie's wiki page didn't tell me crap all about the film and the book and 09 movie's wiki page gave a very short plot outline and I still couldn't figure ou what's going on! I understand the one dude's investigating an old murder and all that jazz but I still don't get what with the girl! I know she's suppose to be helping with this investigation and all but from the trailer and that brief plot outline it sounds like the movies more about Craig's character than the Dragon tattoo girl!
I'll watch it someday I'm sure but I'm not going to the theater for it! I do like myself a good murder mystery movie in the vain of the Hannibal Lector(s?) movies, but this one just seems generic and some other reviewers I've seen review this movie said it is very generic. Like you could figure out the killer just one how the characters act because they act just as subtle as a 50s mystery where the butler was always the one that done it!
Oh, and I probably can answer why that change about the 6 month jail sentience! I don't think they give you a few months before you start a sentience here in the states most the time once a sentience is set you start that day or the next. In the original country in-which the books and the 09 movie were set there might be a gap of time between sentencing and serving it! I'm not sure but that could be a possibility!
So you are going to see Tintin with Jake!?
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The English translation of the novel, and the movie adaptations shift the focus to Lisbeth a lot. Not sure why, maybe sex appeal, maybe because she's badass, maybe because the writer is dead and can't intervene, maybe because the protagonist is a stand-in for the writer. Not sure. It works in some areas nad odesn't in others, but it's just an odd marketing quirk of the whole franchise. For the record, the original was called "Men Who Hate Women", which could kinda seem unwelcoming to some viewers.
Anyway, I loved the movie. I didn't see the Swedish one, or read the novels (I felt it was hyped too much), but got dragged to see it with some friends, and I had already heard praise of the movie so why not. My only problem was the pacing. It takes really long until Mikael and Lisbeth even meet, and once the truth about the case is found out, the movie still goes on for a while, which does wrap up loose ends, but does feel a bit jarring if you're used to more conventional pacing in movies.
Unlike some here, I loved Reznor's score. And it kinda fits in with Lisbeth. Hell, one of his friends is shown wearing a NIN shirt (which might be an intentional shout out).
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Oh, PS: Happy Birth-Day! 30!? Old-Fart!
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Brad,you're right about the scene with Lisbeth threatening her guardian if he tries to get the tattoo removed. It's in the second one.
Nice catch, man.
I really dig both films a fair bit. I knew this remake would be in good hands with Fincher.
And that was the greatest Bond opening never seen, hands down.
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Glad you had a good birthday. Merry Christmas to you, Jillian, Lloyd, and the rest of the Snob crew.
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Merry chrisstmas and happy birthday Brad!
There's a movie called Connected, a Chinese remake of a film, Cellullar, which I guess you've seen, since it has Jason Statham in it. As far as I know (I've only seen this HK remake, not the original) it's better than the original. What I can bank on though is that the villain in Connected tries (and probably succeeds) out-overacting Statham! It's awesome!
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Hey Brad, really glad that you enjoyed the movie, as I'm really looking forward to seeing it (here in Poland we're gonna get it around next month). I just wanted to add a few words about the prison sentence Mikael gets in the Swedish version - I've read the books and there the jail sentence is treated pretty much like a joke - he can choose when he wants to serve his sentence and when he actually does, it looks feels like a vacation in a pretty good hotel. He even has unlimited access to a computer with Internet connection. So there, just wanted to point that out - this aspect was never originally considered as any major concern.
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I saw the original Swedish version the day before the U.S. version.
Character wise: I prefer the Lisbeth from the original. I like when she comes in and fucks Mikael Blomkvist until she gets off and then simply gets up and walks out without he getting his. I think she is far cooler as a more detached and colder character. I think she shows too much sensitivity in the U.S. version.
Lisbeth has been through hell and has been betrayed and abused her whole life. She is not going to just open up and fall for someone so easily. She keeps her distance in the Swedish version... up to a point of being selfish.
I think the American version goes a little to far to make her more thoughtful. One difference between the two: When she blackmails the guardian in the original she only ask that he do his part to help her. She has no regard for any of his other clients. In the U.S. version, she is looking out for other women. (She tells him not to have any other women there).
I, however, like the U.S. version and highly recommend it. I was just far more taken by the demeanor of Lisbeth in the Swedish version.
I kinda felt that the last bit of the U.S. version dragged a little.
(and yes, Brad, the part where she tells her guardian not to remove the tattoo was from "The Girl that Played With Fire."
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I originally was thinking of seeing this last night (either that or Tintin), but not only Christmas was around the corner, I had to go to my grandfather's funeral.
I'm also thinking about seeing War Horse Monday with my parents. But it's not playing in my local theater so I might go see Mission: Impossible IV with my Dad instead. It's got the best reviews of any film in the franchise since the 1996 Brian De Palma-directed original.
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Hey Brad you are only 1-2 years older then me, I was born in 83 and have big nostalgia for the late 80's to mid 90's guy whereas you seem to be an 80's guy. Is it the whole decade for you or what?
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Congretz with your birthday. really looking forward to your Tintin review.
I loved your post cinema reviews and this one is a gem.
My questions are:
1. Is the scene where she puts a guy on fire in the remake? Cuz if it is, they might really make the sequels since it is a part of the second book and a part of the plot in 2 and 3.
2. Is jake and boyd gonna review the two first Alvin movies?
3. Please please please make a show with Jake and Boyd watching kids movies and you could call it "What kids watch now-a-days", "The Sh!t they watch" or my fav. "Why-the-fuck-did-you-make-me-watch-this-Brad?-You-fucking-asshole"
Ps. låve your work
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Not seen this yet, saw the original and thought it was a good movie.
I'm pretty sure Fincher has done a good job, but the fact is that it's yet another remake of a film that's only about 5 minutes old and didn't need remaking anyway. Surely, there are successful American novels that could be adapted and turned into good films rather than just jumping on existing bandwagons.
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I dont think there would be much rage over the changes at the end, that is actually probably closer to the book.
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I would just like to point out real quick that the scene at the end you were describing that "humanized" Lisbeth, WAS in the book...or at least in one of them, I think it may have actually been in a flashback in the second book...not sure.
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That's good to hear, because I thought it was really well done in this movie. I just know that some people tend to heavily nitpick when the slightest thing is changed in a remake.
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I haven't seen the Swedish version yet, so I went into the movie comparing it to the book...and it actually did really well. The author of the book died before it was published, so there were a lot of useless scenes and side plots that probably would have been taken out in the revision he never got to do, and the movie did away with all of those useless scenes. It also cut out one scene in the book which is really kinda important to Lisbeth's character development, but I guess that's forgivable. I loved the actress who played Lisbeth in this though, and yeah she deserves an oscar for that, Lisbeth seems like a hard character to pull off under any circumstances, let alone pull off extremely well. They also changed the end (the reveal of Harriet, not sure if that's what you were referring to in the review), which bugged me, but not enough for me to dislike the movie.
I'll probably watch the Swedish version some time soon here, I hear it's a lot darker than the English version.
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"If someone put acid in my stomach and hit me in the back of the head with a baseball bat."
I don't know if anyone has ever more accurately described the feeling of hangovers.
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Not to sound like a broken record from a recent post, but yes, the scene where Lisbeth gets Blomkvist a gift is in the book -- it's a different gift, but no matter. She feels good about having finally found a friend (in someone other than Plague, Trinity, Miriam, or Holger Palmgren), but is devastated (as much as she can be) when she sees Erika with Mikael. Seeing this ending in the theater actually made me happy because it IS so true to the book.
Also, while it was a bit surprising that Mikael received no jail time for the libel suit against Wennerström, but the fine he had to pay was increased from the Swedish version and wiped out his savings. This, along with the implied promise of the man's reputation being shattered, gave Blomkvist him more impetus to solve this mystery for Henrik Vanger.
While the "Wennerström insider at Millennium" subplot was removed, Fincher got so much else right:
* the cat subplot
* Lisbeth posing as a student to get access to the police files on the murdered women
* the Bible references being pointed out by Mikael's daughter
* Lisbeth borrowing 50,000 kronor from Blomkvist and the method by which she robbed Wennerström of his billions
* and, honestly, the characterization of Martin Vanger was just...damn.
You are right, though; Lisbeth's threat about redoing her work on Bjurman's forehead was not featured until the second book and movie, but was a flashback of the time before she disappeared to the Caribbean.
If you haven't read the books, I suggest you do, though the last two are a bit more of a slog to get through, what with the police procedure and such. Still, worth the time and effort.
Now, on a more personal note, my roommate and I are thinking of doing a movie criticism vlog of our own, and we were wondering if you had any tips on how to get our work noticed, and guidelines by which you abide, etc. We have some ideas of our own, but we'd like to hear from someone who's been 'in the business' for a while.
And, happy belated birthday!
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I haven't seen the American version yet, but I will this coming weekend. I've seen all the Swedish films, and my gf has read all of the books. She said your synopsis sounds a little more like the books. I hope so, because the reason the Girl Who Played with Fire was so bad was because there was a whole subplot left out that was integral to the stories of both movies 2 and 3, plus added a huge amount of suspense and intrigue. I would have been confused by a lot of scenes if she hadn't been there to explain it. The American remakes may just blow the Swedish films out of water in the long run.
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There were a few things I didn't like:
* The James Bond opening (wth?)
* Blomkvist being okay with vigilantism, which he was very opposed to in the book
* Lisbeth never faced a decision to let Martin die or not
* The rapist apologizes and offers her a ride home (could've been in the book, but I just felt it was unrealistic)
* The obtuse and distracting score
* American product placement EVERYWHERE
Lisbeth with her supermodel body only eats McDonalds and drinks nothing but Coca Cola! Also she smokes Marlboro Reds! Who wouldn't in Sweden?
On a plus, Rooney Mara was fricken hot on this. Never thought I'd be attracted to the punk look but daaaaamn
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mVLJkIZvFlo&list=FLZqRq64REcAAWeM2T0-_YsQ&index=2&feature=plpp_video
Well, I wrote this earlier but my internet fucked up on me and lost all that I had wrote so I'm going to give it another shot.
I finally went and saw this today. Was bored and there was nothing better to do went to the movies and this was the only thing showing remotely in my interest!
I do gotta admit I liked it and loved the open(video link above), but got only a few nitpicks I didn't like like a lot of imagery of stuff not in the movie like the bugs (wasp/hornets I do believe) I know that they're in the title of one of the sequels to the original, but they weren't in this movie. Also the tone was different. If the movie had a bit more of a goth darker look to it it'd fit more. But, that's all minor.
I did really enjoy the movie, but my only other complaints are I didn't actually like the main title character. The characters I liked were the old man that hired Craig's character, the cat, and the old Nazi as they were the only one shown without a lot of baggage making them depressing.
I liked the mystery in the movie but I wished there was more to it! I like movies with a serial killers with a religious theme like in Se7en, Resurrection, ect... I'd loved to just seen a whole movie based on that.
The cat death scene I really was disturbing... not as much as the rape scene which surprises me this movie was only an R-rated movie. I recall the rating processes for other movies that were much tamer and them only being like .10s of second more of a thrust or hump away from getting a MC-17!
I do got to admit I liked the killer's choice of music to listen to while torturing! XD
I don't know what the currency exchange rates are for Sweden to American Dollars , but $3,000 is waaaaay overpriced for a tattoo kit. I can but a fully stocked tattooing kit with 2-4 machines and 30 different colored inks for under a $100! Hell I could build one for cheaper out of guitar string, an electric tooth brush, a clean straw, electrical tape, and hot glue! Also, this might've been a mistake or was done intentionally but when the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo was tattooing the Rapist she did it wrong. I know she said she didn't know what she was doing, but when she dipped the needle into the ink she didn't have the machine on! You need to have the machine going to draw ink up into the barrel. Basically she just stuck him a few hundred times and probably only put about a tiny drop of ink into his skin. But, concidering the situation it makes it even more... SWEEET!
I will buy this on DVD and I'll look into the Swedish movies. Are they in English?
Also, that's another thing I find funny this whole movie is set in Sweden still yet every one speaks perfect English without even an accent!
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I really, really enjoyed this - I haven't seen the Swedish one, but I enjoyed the books, and I liked that Fincher remained more-or-less true to them. The acting was very well-done, the score was great (as expected), and the cinematography worked wel - my one qualm, if I had to make one, is that they spoke unaccented American English all the time (which I was fine with) - except when they pronounce people's names, at which point they temporarily revert to super-thick accents. I, for one, liked the fact that the movie slogs on for a bit after the killer's caught (as did the books) - because it highlights the fact that the search for the killer was not Lisbeth or Mikael's fight, it was Henrik's. The protagonists, even after they catch the guy, still have shit to do, because they've just temporarily taken a huge chunk of time out of their lives to help someone else with his problem. Mikael still has his own issues to deal with, which makes him less of a romantic hero who goes around solving problems and more of a disgraced figure taking a break from his life to figure things out.
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I really liked your review and I really loved the movie. I have seen the original but I never read the books. I really do like how Lisbeth is humanized because it makes the second movie make more sense to me. In the second movie, she has nothing to do with Mikael and doesn't speak to him. With the American ending, it makes more sense of why Lisbeth doesn't talk to Mikael in the second film. The only thing with this movie that bugged was how we knew who the killer was and there was no surprise. I really liked the original because it was a total shock and left me daze, this one not so much.
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