Review of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2009) by Karrie V — 17 May 2012

This is a great movie that doesn't have that annoying tone that a lot of foreign films sometimes have. It's a great thriller, and the suspense is so overwhelming (in a good way) at times. Rapace is great, but I honestly thought that Michael Nyqvist was better as Mikael. The only real objection I had to the film was that the first half the movie had an assumptive tone that the audience fully cared about Mikael's investigation as much as the director did. Although the mystery does grow on the audience, weird and erie music plays anytime Mikael finds a clue (very annoyingly), even at the very beginning of the film. The mystery is very complex, and sometimes hard to keep up with, but it works well, but only as a backdrop for the characters. Lisbeth's soul is dark and tormented, we aren't really sure why, but I'm assuming we will find out. Solving the mystery guides this movie, but it's just in the way of the greatness of the film: the characters.

I haven't read the books, but I assume that they aren't as good as the films. I know that you aren't supposed to say that, but this film adaptation is held back by the main story of the Vangers. No one cares about the Vangers, we just like to watch Mikael and Lisbeth figure things out. I don't know if the author could have given Lisbeth the depth that Rapace gives her, but maybe so.

Also, I wish that Mikael and Lisbeth's relationship would have been a little more developed, but that's probably how it should have worked.