The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011)
Summary
Genre: Action, Crime, Suspense, ThrillerGoodies:
+ Although it was a remake, the film was faithful to the original , + Brought some grit to American cinema + The perfect mix of crime, drama, and suspenseBaddies:
- Some of the adaption was a bit watered downJournalist Mikael Blomkvist is aided in his search for a woman who has been missing for forty years by Lisbeth Salander, a young computer hacker.
I loved the remake, plain and simple. I didn’t think it was possible with how much I love the original, Swedish trilogy, but David Fincher brought the essence of Lisbeth Salander to America is an authentic and stylish way. I will note, however, the films are VERY similar in nature, which is why this film was so great – with that said, my annoyance of foreign remakes that are extremely similar to their originals is still very high. Most notably, films like Quarantine and Let Me In had no right to be remake due to the fact that Americans cannot read subtitles — how about major movie theaters pay for the rights to bring some wonderful foreign films to American cinema? With that rant aside, I am glad that a lot of people who never otherwise would have experiences the saga of Lisbeth can now fully enjoy the story. As I said before, the translation was almost flawless, so from here on out we will just speak about the actual movie! There are several pieces of TGWTDT that come together in perfect union; the story of Mikel Blomkvist, a journalist recently accused of libel, Lisbeth Salander, a social pariah computer hacker and ward of the state who has had a tough life, and Henrik Vanger, wealthy dying businessman looking to solve the mystery of his dead granddaughter. For much of the film pieces of these plots are segmented, and one of the most beautiful things about the film is how seamless these plots splice together to make a whole film that carries to the end with thrill and suspense. In my opinion, Lisbeth is what makes this movie shine; despite her socially unacceptable and brash behavior and appearance, the audience cannot help but like her, pity her, and cheer for her all in the same breath. Her computer hacking and investigative skills join Mikel and Henrik in a class yet edgy movie about a murder investigation. If you are the type of person who likes court dramas / suspense / thriller (also just wait for the Girl who Kicked the Hornets nest — one of the best courtroom films I have ever seen in my life) you should go out and see this film immediately. Hell, if you like movies, you need to go see the film. I won’t give away too much else, but this film not only have an engaging storyline and characters that feel realistic, the cinematography and audio shine well beyond as well. I will not go so far as to too Trent Reznor’s horn like every other person and their mother is doing. The soundtrack was good, but not eons beyond the original or other films I have seen. This will def. be in my year in review that I will post on New Year’s Eve. Stop reading this review, and go see this movie!
