Review: "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo"

When it was announced that Tomas Alfredson's vampire tale Let the Right One In (2008) would receive an English language remake, cinephiles were left scratching their heads. Alfredson's Swedish film was an outstanding entry in the vampire genre, one filled with memorable sequences and images, and a climax that left many shuddering in their seats. So even though Matt Reeves' remake (titled Let Me In) was generally well-received, the question still remained: how is the remake justified other than as a means to get money out of those audience members with a fear of subtitles? At the end of the day, there really wasn't. Mr. Reeves' film is not a bad; it's actually nicely done. The only problem is that it feels redundant, as though Alfredson's excellent take was being pushed aside after not even being given proper recognition. The question remains, then, is there ever a time when an English-language remake or re-adaptation is actually worth more than a few extra dollars? In the case of David Fincher's The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, the answer is a resounding 'yes'.

The film, a re-adaptation of the first installment of Stieg Larrson's hugely successful crime trilogy, isn't based off of anything remarkable. Though the trilogy does paint an intriguing picture of a highly corrupt Sweden, it also suffered its share of flaws that kept it from rising above rather pedestrian levels. The one aspect the stories have always had going for them, the real draw, comes down to one character: bisexual punk-hacker Lisbeth Salander. Previously embodied by Noomi Rapace, the role is now brought to life by Rooney Mara, who made her mark last year in the opening scene of Fincher's The Social Network. The question, then, was whether she would be able to move from that bit part to a leading role, and she has. Her stoic, steely gazes never grow repetitive or lazy, even though there's not as much meaning behind them as the story (or the series' die hard fans) would like us to believe. Mara is prettier and more delicate in appearance than Rapace, but this only makes her more effective when she unleashes her rage. She is, like just about everything else in this version of the story, superior to the Swedish counterpart, even if the character remains little more than a very cool idea.

For, like Mara's performance, Dragon Tattoo's story and characters are not exactly filled with great depth. Remove Lisbeth from the equation, and you have the potential to end up with little more than CSI: Stockholm. Thankfully, with the script from Steven Zaillian and under David Fincher's direction, the story reaches what is likely its best iteration possible. After a very brief opening scene, the film plunges us into a three minute credits sequence set to Karen O and Trent Reznor's cover of "Immigrant Song," filled with constantly shifting, inky images. It's dark, grungy, and weird, and it gets the film off on the right foot, even if the film itself never quite reaches the same high. It's telling, then, that the film's best moment comes straight from Fincher's mind, and not the source material. That said, in returning to the serial killer/crime genre (previously: Se7en, Zodiac), Fincher's meticulous gifts have elevated Larrson's story and characters as much as he can, all while making the whole affair come across as infinitely more cinematic than any of the Swedish versions.

A good deal of this has to do with Fincher's outstanding team of collaborators. First and foremost is cinematographer Jeff Cronenweth, who lights and colors the scenes in a way that makes the slightly washed-out nature of the digital photography still feel rich, as opposed to drained. Scoring duo Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross (who picked up the Original Score Oscar for The Social Network) return as well. Originally stating that they would try a more traditional, orchestral score, it's clear that the pair changed their minds later. Their music, more than fitting for the style, is filled with strange and ominous electronic sounds that only make the film, even in its more mundane moments, feel absorbing. How well individual pieces will hold up on their own is questionable, but when it comes to working with the images, it's just about flawless work. There's also the editing duo of Kirk Baxter and Angus Wall, who picked up the Best Editing Oscar for The Social Network, who help piece the film together beautifully, accentuating Fincher's more fluid pacing. These three elements come together beautifully in a near-wordless stretch where Lisbeth and Mikael, in different locations, finally realize who the hidden villain of the mystery is. So even though a great deal of the plot is burdened with exposition, scenes like this help restore a sense of story telling order.

One of the story's biggest hurdles is that it keeps Mara's Lisbeth and Daniel Craig's Mikael Blomqvist apart for such a long time. Here, however, the pair's time apart, though still a little too long, feels more purposeful and elegantly composed. Zaillian's script also makes the smart decision to show Lisbeth doing some research on an enemy of Blomqvist's before they even meet. It ties in nicely to how the script has changed the ending, and prevents the resolution of that subplot from feeling like a really cheap form of deus ex machina. Additionally, Zaillian's script makes changes to the two leading characters, both of which work for the better. Lisbeth, while still cold and reserved, has the occasional flash of vulnerability, which adds a shade or two of characterization missing from the Swedish film, even though it's nothing remarkable. More impressive is how Zaillian has handled Blomqvist. In both the books and the Swedish films, the character has stood out as a painfully obvious author-insert (Larrson himself was something of a crusading journalist/womanizer). This version of Blomqvist, despite sleeping with two women over the course of the story, still feels more fitting for the story. In making Mikael less of a ladies man while casting the much more charismatic Daniel Craig (although just about anyone would have been better than Mikael Nyqvist) in the role, the character finally achieves the right balance. Other roles, filled out by Christopher Plummer, Stellan Skarsgaard, Geraldine James, and Joely Richardson, are all nicely handled, even when considering their relatively limited screen time.

The biggest problem, as stated before, is simply the source material. Zaillian's alteration to the ending allows for resolution and adds a different angle to Lisbeth and Mikael's relationship that can be explored for the sequels (Fincher will likely direct the second and third films back-to-back, at a still-undecided time). A pity, then, that he didn't have the courage to depart further from the source material still. Had Zaillian, under Fincher's guidance, taken the characters and overarching plot, but completely reworked the scene-by-scene story, we could have had a truly brilliant entry in the cinematic crime genre. What we're left with however, is still worthy of admiration. The cast is game, the direction beautiful, and the artistic and technical aspects flawless. And most importantly, the film, through its differences in narrative and in style, feels justified. I'm not going to deny that making an English-language version of the film was a cash grab. It absolutely was. Thankfully, this is one cash grab that, despite its limitations, rises above its origins to the point where it deserves to become the definitive version of this story through level after level of icy Scandinavian hell. In Fincher (and Mara, and Craig, etc...) We Trust.

Grade: B/B+

David Fincher's Dragon Tattoo (fixed)

I initially wanted to hold off on commenting on the leaked red-band trailer for David Fincher's re-adaptation of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, but since I can't seem to stop watching it, I might as well go ahead. First, for those who haven't seen, here's the camcorder-video, taken from somewhere in Europe (where the trailer is already showing in theaters). **The red-band trailer has since been removed from Youtube by Sony. Here is the (non HD) green-band trailer:

Now, with any US re-do of a major foreign film, there's sort of an unwritten rule among movie lovers. We're supposed to decry, or at least be highly skeptical of, Hollywood's shameless need to rip-off foreign work, all so that American audiences don't have to *gasp* read subtitles (!!!). However, this is one remake where I'm inclined to throw skepticism to the wind, and fully embrace the new version. Why? Because it's not entirely a remake. It's more of a re-adaptation, meaning that the film makers, including screenwriter Steven Zaillian, went back to Stieg Larsson's book, rather than the Swedish film. And according to an interview several months ago, Zaillian made the bold choice to alter the source material, which is refreshing in an age when so many literary adaptations try to be slavishly faithful to the text.

And with Larsson's books, that's a good thing. The Millennium Trilogy has certainly become a major literary phenomenon, but I've never been entirely sold on the hype (and so begins the umpteenth iteration of my rant on these books). Lisbeth Salander, originally played by Noomi Rapace, is the main draw in the trilogy. A bi-sexual punk/hacker with a dark (daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaark) past, she's a wonderful idea as far as characters go. That said, in Larsson's books, she comes across as a great idea of a character who isn't fully utilized. This is, in part, due to the fact that she competes for narrative importance with Stieg Larsson, er, I mean, Mikael Blomqvist, a crusading investigative journalist. I was never that drawn to Larsson's painfully obvious author insert (or, Gary-Stu), and his portrayal in the films by the unbearably bland Mikael Nyqvist certainly didn't help matters. As far as stories go, the trilogy has plenty of interesting moments, but was somewhat undone by Larsson's drawn out plots. The second novel, "The Girl Who Played with Fire," despite being my favorite, begins with an overlong introduction set in the Caribbean that has nothing to do with the rest of the intricate plot. This section was wisely cut for time on screen, one of the few things that was good about The Girl Who Played with Fire, which was something of a train wreck over all. To sum it up, Lisbeth Salander is a great idea who deserves to be the star of a better series of books...

..or maybe just better movies. This trailer may not have any dialogue, but it speaks volumes about why I'm so excited for Fincher's take on the story, and why I think it will blow the Swedish version out of the water. The images, many filled with Fincher's signature of blue and green tints, are intense and gritty, and Rooney Mara looks appropriately eerie/otherworldly as Lisbeth. We'll have to wait until December to debate whether she's better than Rapace, but she certainly seems capable of filling the role. More immediately impressive is Daniel Craig as Blomqvist. Not only does he seem less bland in the role, but he could potentially make Blomqvist a more interesting character. Zaillian's script reportedly makes Blomqvist less of a womanizer, which should help the character feel like less of a blatant stand-in for Larsson. Also along for the ride, behind-the-scenes, are Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, who wrote the excellent (and Oscar winning) score for Fincher's The Social Network. You can get a small taste of Reznor in the trailer; the cover of Led Zeppelin's "Immigrant Song" is performed by Karen O and Nine Inch Nails, and adds a great, grungy vibe to the gritty visuals and icy locales. Sony is clearly having fun with the film's tough-as-nails image, labeling it the "feel bad movie of Christmas," and that only makes me more excited. All hail King Fincher.

Year of the (girl with the) Dragon (tattoo)

Stieg Larrson's "Millennium Trilogy" became a mini-phenomenon in the US and a mega phenomenon everywhere else, on both page and screen. And even after the the last of the generally limp Swedish film adaptations was rolled out Stateside in November and you thought it was all over...NOPE. Likely-future-Oscar-winner David Fincher's American film version is currently filming and will hit theaters this December (it was originally set for late 2012). But of course, with a new adaptation comes a new Lisbeth, and that brings us to the good stuff.

The folks over at Joblo.com have two medium-size images from W Magazine featuring our new Lisbeth, Rooney Mara, and they're pretty impressive. As far as looks go, I think Noomi Rapace still has her beat, but as far as performance goes, well, we'll just have to wait and see, but this film is already sounding much better than the original. First was the news that Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross would be composing the score, following their phenomenal work on Fincher's The Social Network. And even better, according to this article (or something pulled from W...?) scribe Steven Zaillian has actually made...wait for it...changes:

The script, which captures the novel’s bleak tone (its original Swedish title was Men Who Hate Women), was written by Academy Award winner Steven Zaillian, who wrote Schindler’s List, and it departs rather dramatically from the book. Blomkvist is less promiscuous, Salander is more aggressive, and, most notably, the ending—the resolution of the drama—has been completely changed. This may be sacrilege to some, but Zaillian has improved on Larsson—the script’s ending is more interesting.

"You're damn right it's more interesting."

I know I'm beating a dead horse here, but I've never been completely sold on Larrson's stories. Lisbeth Salander always seemed like a concept or emblem rather than a fully realized idea, who really deserved to be the star of better novels handled by a better author. And by making such drastic changes, Lisbeth may finally have found a better creator in two forms: a screenwriter and a director.

One last note: I also loooove the change in character for Mikael Blomqvist. The role always felt like a transparent author-insert (or "Gary Stu") for Larrson, and as brought to life by He Who Shall No Longer Be Named, not terribly convincing or interesting. The decisions to make the character less of a womanizer AND to cast the much more talented Daniel Craig in the role should balance each other nicely. Hopefully the same will be true for Robin Wright as Blomqvist's co-worker Erika Berger, a role whose poor writing in the Swedish films often left acclaimed actress Lena Endre looking confused most of the time.

"The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest" - REVIEW

The single eye-catching, fabulous image in The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest, is that of punk hacker Lisbeth Salander (Noomi Rapace) walking down a dingy corridor in full uber-goth regalia: lots of spikes, clinking metal accessories, dark eye make-up, and a mohawk that looks like it belongs on top of a Roman helmet. This is the ultimate Lisbeth, the borderline fantasy look of Stieg Larsson's creation, and like the character in the novels, it's sorely out of place in material that is far beneath it.

So many cinematic adaptations of novels are beaten up by those who read the source material first. It's usually a case of fans feeling as though the story or characters have been gutted for some less-than-artistic-reason. Sadly that's not the case with the "Girl" films, because their source material was never that strong to begin with. Lisbeth Salander really deserves to be the star of a much better series, and yet unfortunately she's trapped in a so-so trilogy and equally so-so film trilogy. In fact, the only thing overly positive I can say about Hornet's Nest is that it's a step up from the god-awful previous installment, The Girl Who Played With Fire.

Picking up immediately from where Fire left off, Hornet's Nest begins with Lisbeth being flown to a hospital, bloody, dirt-covered, and with a bullet lodged in her brain. As she begins to make her painful recovery, Mikael Blomqvist (the blaaaaaaaand Mikael Nyqvist) begins work on a publishing a sprawling account of the injustices Lisbeth has endured, seeing as her trial will begin as soon as her medical recovery is complete. Meanwhile, the Evil folks at The Section, a select group of corrupt members of the Swedish government, try to figure out how best to deal with the hospitalized Salander.

The big problem with all of this boils down to two major points, both of which are taken directly from the novel. The first is that the central duo of Salander and Blomqvist spend even less time together than they did before. If my memory serves me correctly, the pair share barely two scenes together. For Salander's part this is bearable, but not so for Blomqvist. As embodied by Nyqvist, the character has become even less interesting than he was in the previous films. Having him bounce off of Salander is the only thing that made Larsson's lame author-insert remotely intriguing. But the bigger problem here, though, is that Lisbeth's role feels diminished in what should be her story. We spend much more time looking at the team of the Millennium Magazine in this installment, and even though it's necessary, it doesn't really help that much. Lisbeth is the character worth rooting for; she's the victim of horrific injustice, not Blomqvist or Erika (Lena Endre, looking slightly confused in most scenes).

Worse, the film seems to be consciously trying to fix some of the mistakes that director Daniel Alfredson and screenwriter Jonas Frykberg made in Fire, namely, the involvement of the police force characters. Officers Bublanski and Modig, who are given so much time in the books and at least have a decent number of lines (well...sort of) in the film, are close to non-entities in Hornet's Nest, which only illustrates what a mistake it was to try and give them even table scraps in the last installment. And speaking of table scraps, that's more or less what Rapace has to work with. The story requires her to simply be silent for a good portion, and then when opportunities for her to shine arise, they rarely come through. Granted, the silence is part of the character, but here it just feels frustrating. The only thing really satisfying about the performance are the 3 (maybe four) times that Salander smiles, and I'm using that term lightly; they're a perfect fit for the character, and are among the few, if not only, little details in the film that work.

And then, when the film finally goes through its lumpy, misshapen plot, complete with a tacked-on fight after the legal drama is over, it ends on a frustrating note. I won't spoil it, but let's just say that while it's not supposed to be a big moment, the timing and editing don't really allow the scene to sink in, making the strange cut to a wide shot of Stockholm (over which the credits roll) feel like an awkward question mark. It's a shame really that such a remarkable character is being given such a thoroughly unremarkable send-off. As I've said before, these films only make me welcome the American remake even more. The saying goes, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it," but as far as the source novels and their Swedish adaptations are concerned, there's plenty that's "broke."

Grade: C

First English trailer for "The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest"

My anticipation for the final installment is somewhat hindered by the previous cinematic installment of the Millennium Trilogy. If you remember, I wasn't really kind to the film version of The Girl Who Played with Fire, for any number of reasons. With Daniel Alfredson back in the director's chair, I'm worried. Neither the books nor the films thus far have been anything really special; the Lisbeth Salander character deserves a much better constructed series to be the star of. Unfortunately, I haven't finished the the third book and I don't have it with me (I was about half way through), so I'm leaving the revealing of 'Hornet's Nest''s conclusion to Alfredson and crew, which worries me. He already botched the end of 'Fire,' with that ridiculous ducking scene, and I'm nervous about how all of the plot lines will be tied up on screen. Still, I love seeing Noomi Rapace all tricked out in uber-goth/punk gear and make-up; that is one hell of a mohawk.

Lisbeth Salander, meet...Lisbeth Salander

It's too big to ignore now. Stieg Larrson's "Millennium Trilogy" has exploded across America after becoming a sensation in Sweden (and the rest of Europe). As such, the much-followed American remake/re-adaptation (courtesy of Se7en and Fight Club director David Fincher) has been reported on to death with one question in mind: who will play Lisbeth Salander? Well, after rumors ranging from Carey Mulligan (huh?) to Ellen Page,

Fincher has at last picked his leading lady from a group of unknowns. The winner? Rooney Mara, sister of Kate (Heath Ledger's daughter in Brokeback Mountain).

While I wish Noomi Rapace (of the thus-far uneven Swedish films) had reprised the role, that's not going to happen. Still, of the group chosen to audition for Fincher (in full costume/make-up, no less), Rooney was one who caught my eye; she seems to have to right facial structure to pull of the somewhat androgynous punk-hacker. Of course, having a role in Fincher's upcoming The Social Network probably didn't hurt either. The film also stars Daniel Craig as journalist Mikael Blomqvist (who should be leagues better than the terrible Mikael Nyqvist) and Robin Wright as Blomqvist's co-worker and lover Erika Berger. It's due to be released next year (originally it was set for 2012), which means that even though the Swedish version of The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest is due in October, it won't be long before Salander-mania makes it back to the States. Here's hoping for the best; the films haven't done too much justice to the books (which aren't that great to begin with), so I'm hoping that Fincher will bring a much needed sense of energy to the story.

"The Girl Who Played With Fire" - REVIEW

The second installment in a trilogy is usually hampered by its own position, as it's forced with introducing new characters and plot elements, without being able to fully resolve them. Granted, there are notable exceptions (The Empire Strikes Back), but as a rule of thumb, the second chapter is usually guaranteed to leave one less than satisfied at its conclusion. Surprisingly, this isn't entirely the case with Stieg Larrson's "Millennium" trilogy. The second book, "The Girl Who Played With Fire," despite ending on a cliffhanger, resolves enough of its own storyline before its cliffhanger to be a relatively satisfying middle installment that doesn't feel like it's all just...middle. Unfortunately, in the attempt to get Larrson's trilogy out into theaters, the trilogy's image takes a hit with the film version of the second novel, despite a few small improvements over the first.

When we last left Michael Blomqvist (Michael Nyqvist) and Lisbeth Salander (Noomi Rapace), they had just wrapped up a 40 year old mystery and gone their separate ways. In the year or more between Dragon Tattoo and Fire, they haven't spoken, and Lisbeth is only recently making her reappearance in Sweden. This coincides with Blomqvist's magazine "Millennium" decision to publish a massive expose on sex trafficking and violators in police and government positions. It's in these early stages of the plot that I was given false hope by director Daniel Alfredson and screenwriter Jonas Frykberg. To back track, one of my issues with the novels is that Larrson seems to spend unnecessary amounts of time in ordinary events before slowly lurching into the main plot, and then hurrying lots of action up until the end (this problem transfered over to the first film). With that said, I was glad to see that Frykberg dispensed with the lengthy set-up of Salander vacationing in the Caribbean (the film starts with her leaving), and that early on Rapace is given scenes that allow her to express a wider variety of emotions, albeit under the character's steely front. Cinematographer Peter Mokrosinki kept the camera moving more often, leaving the scenes feeling less static than the first go-round, at least initially.

The problems really start as the film moves into its main plot, which involves Salander being framed for triple homicide. Frykberg and Alfredson make a huge error not by nature of speeding up the story, but in how the story is condensed. The subplot involving boxer Paolo Roberto, already a bit odd in the novel, is so rushed on screen that what little impact it had on page evaporates on screen in a limply shot fight scene in a hidden shack(as does the tension for most of the action). Scenes with Blomqvist at the "Millennium" offices feel unnecessary, and the decision to limit Blomqvist and Salander's on-screen exchanges (via computer messages and hacking) to um, one, makes Blomqvist seem almost like a non-entity. That he's played so flatly by Nyqvist (who has an embarrassingly amateurish "ducking" scene at the end) makes you question why women are so attracted to him at all. Rapace fares better, if only because it seems like she's actually trying to improve upon what she's given, but that doesn't stop the film from mishandling the character, filming her quiet moments from a distance and without juxtaposition so as to make her seem vacant rather than pensive.

And as the film progresses, poorly juggling the balance among Salander's quest, Blomqvist's personal investigation, and the police investigation (which is really given the shaft), it becomes somewhat tedious, instead of more interesting. The stakes are being upped constantly, but there's no impact, especially in the revelations of information about the mysterious character "Zala." And by the time it limps through its conclusion, instead of leaving you enthralled and eagerly awaiting the final film (due in October), Alfredson and crew will most likely just leave you bored and disappointed, for they've sucked out most of the fire out of Larrson's work in what feels like a cheap cash-in, instead of a proper adaptation.

Grade: C

MacGruber's Dragon Tattoo

My two latest theatrical viewings are two wildly different features: one is an adaptation of an SNL sketch that lasts less than 2 minutes, and the other is an adaptation of a 500+ page Swedish novel that has become the new "it" book, deservedly or not. How were they? Which was better?

Surprisingly, MacGruber is not an awful movie, which is probably should have been. What saves it, and just barely, is that it embraces its juvenile sense of humor without veering into full-blown gross-out territory. Though it starts off without many laughs, as it builds, the number of laughs does slightly increase, thanks to good chemistry among Will Forte, Kristen Wiig, and stiff-as-wood straight man Ryan Phillippe. Wiig is easily MVP, though there are a few instances of straight up absurdity from Forte that are worth a chuckle. It's good for a few laughs, but it's nothing remotely memorable, and if you can find a way to see it without paying, so much the better. It also never drags, or becomes offensively unfunny either, which helps.

Grade: C

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, which is the better of the two, unfortunately suffers from one problem which MacGruber didn't: pacing. The first hour in this 2 hr 20 min murder mystery is, well, inert. It takes far too long for Michael Blomqvist (Michael Nyqvist) and punk hacker Lisbeth Salander (Noomi Rapace) to finally join forces, hindered by a wholly unnecessary detour involving the destruction of Lisbeth's laptop. The incident becomes a device simply to build to a scene where we learn how tough Lisbeth can be when you wrong her, although this is vaguely shown in a flashback as well, so it doesn't feel entirely necessary. The mystery itself also isn't as ground breaking as reviews/fans of the novel make it out to be, and pulls out an easy trump card to make the hidden villain(s) instantly despicable. Thankfully, the second hour or so, when the mystery actually begins to become clear, is much more intriguing, though it does lessen the impact of one twist. It does effectively build some strong tension though, but once it reaches its true climax, it meanders into a lengthy 20 minute epilogue to finally resolve the story and set up for the second installment: The Girl Who Played With Fire (opening in the US on July 2nd). Overall, it's a good thriller, but it takes far too long, and keeps too close to the source material. This is one foreign film that actually makes me long for its already-planned English remake (directed by David Fincher, who should do wonders with the material).

Grade: B/B-