The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo (2011):

Starring:

Daniel Craig - Mikael Blomkvist

Rooney Mara - Lisbeth Salander

Christopher Plummer - Henrik Vanger

Stellan Skarsgard - Marin Vanger

Steven Berkoff - Dirch Frode

Robin Wright - Erika Berger

Yorick van Wageningen - Nils Bjurman

Joely Richardson - Anita Vanger

Geraldine James - Cecilia Vanger

Goran Visnjic - Dragan Armansky
Donald Sumpter - Detective Inspector Gustaf Morell
Alan Dale - Detective Isaksson

Director:

David Fincher (Se7en; Fight Club; Social Network)

Rotten Tomatoes: 87%

Flixster: 88%

Synopsis:

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is the first film in Columbia Pictures' three-picture adaptation of Stieg Larsson's literary blockbuster The Millennium Trilogy. Directed by David Fincher and starring Daniel Craig and Rooney Mara, the film is based on the first novel in the trilogy, which altogether have sold 50 million copies in 46 countries and become a worldwide phenomenon.

Review:

The synopsis says its all. Based on the first novel in the trilogy. A trilogy that was originally made in Sweden, & became a world wide phenomenon. But then of course American cinema had to get their dirty money grubbing paws all over it & remake it like they do everything foreign that does well. This one, unlike the original is done in English with some characters having Swedish accents, some with British, some with weird random other ones that make no sense. And yet somehow, watching this one not in Swedish with English subtitles like I did the original, made it even more boring. Maybe it was because I had seen the original which was much better so I didn't have to be as involved in the story because I already knew what was going to happen, or maybe it was just it's nomination for Academy Awards hyped it up so much but then to me didn't deliver. The only thing better about this version obviously was that it had a much larger budget so it could afford higher paid actors, better sets & location. The back drop is absolutely amazing, some of the wide shots of the Swedish countryside are incredible. Robin Wright (No longer Penn) has really not aged well now that she's divorced & on the wrong side of 40. Christopher Plummer is as always stellar. Rooney Mara does a fairly good job, not quite as good as Noomi Rapace does in the original. They do however have a lot of the same shots including the scene that "you can't unsee" as I have heard some people refer to it. Everything else in the film does not quite accomplish quite as much as the original. In my opinion unless you absolutely cannot watch a movie & read subtitles, or hate dubbing (although on the DVD for the original, it is almost seamless) then you should see this one, otherwise do yourself a favour & watch the original. Or hey even watch both & then compare them for yourself. Cameo appearances from Lost cast member Alan Dale (Charles Widmore) & Game Of Thrones cast member Donald Sumpter (Maester Luwin).

65%

Lead Acting: 9/15
Supporting Cast: 8/15
Plot: 8/10
Compared To The Genre: 4/10
Cinematography: 16/20
Intrigue: 12/20
Extra: 8/10