Review of The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest (2009) by Drarthurwells — 29 Nov 2010

These Swedish films are based on author Stieg Larsson's very popular "Millennium" trilogy of books.

The "Girl With The Dragon Tattoo" is the first, and "The Girl Who Played With Fire" is the second, while "The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet's Nest" is the last in the series.

All three should be viewed in sequence. Be sure to get the Swedish originals instead of the Hollywood remakes.

Each of the three is stylistically different, but each is qualitatively in the top 10 percent of movies ever made - a 10 rating.

Tattoo is essentially a murder mystery and is nicely developed at a relaxed pace. The main point in this is the introduction of the girl, who is a fascinating personality that constitutes a underlying mystery within the mystery explored in the film itself. This mystery of the Girl is revealed in the next two films in the series.

Fire is a mystery-action movie, and unlike the relaxed pace of Tattoo (to emphasis the mystery), Fire has a fast pace that emphasizes the action.

The mystery of the Girl is completely revealed in Nest, the final movie. Simultaneous plots are shown in shifts back and forth, which is potentially confusing for some viewers. However, this is skillfully accomplished as the plots of the investigation, the trial, and the experiences of the girl through all of this are depicted.

This is an outstanding set of three movies. People that don't speak Swedish and who do not like sub-titles may not like this aspect of the movies, but there is also a fine version of Tattoo (the first movie) that is English dubbed. English dubbed versions of the second and third of the set may be forthcoming.