The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo [movie]- A Review!

I recently went to see The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo [American version!] on a whim - boy am I so glad I did. Let me preface this by saying that I never bought into the hype surrounding this film franchise [there are original Swedish films] and the books just did not appeal to me - they are shelved in the thriller section of the bookstore I work in and are constantly flying off the shelves into the hands of people much older than me. I am largely a fantasy/sci-fi reader [trying to branch out this year!] so my only exposure to this franchise was completely media/consumer based. Usually, I shy away from popular books and films, but I am slowly learning that it's not always a bad thing to give into it and reach out beyond my comfort zone!

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo definitely would take anyone out of their comfort zone - let me make it quite obvious that this will not be the film for everyone, so this little review/impression of the film won't be to every ones taste. Read if you like, after the jump! ^_^

Lisbeth Salander [played by the ethereal Rooney Mara] the unique, angry young woman with a famous talent for hacking and research. Her talent soon sees her entangled in the covert hunt for a serial killer hidden within the damaged, wealthy Vanger family who live together on a secluded island community. The elderly, good humoured head of the Vanger family business hires disgraced investigative journalist Mikael Blomkvist [played by the surprisingly likeable Daniel Craig] to solve the mystery of his niece who had went missing over forty years ago. Blomkvist, having been thoroughly researched and violated by Salander, recognises her ability and hires her to help him solve the case. But the Vanger family history is full of twists and turns - Blomkvist and Salander are plunged into a world where a killer would do anything to keep a secret.

As usual, my synopsis is awful, so please forgive me! I always struggle between explaining the plot and fighting to not give anything away that might influence any ones experience of the thing I'm reviewing, so I feel like the flow of things is a little disjointed...anyway!

Literally from the get-go, I loved this film. The opening credits were so engaging - it's so rare to not want to look away from the screen while peoples names are just scrolling by. It's a dark, detailed and disturbing introduction to the film - computer generated images of people composed of black oil suddenly burst into maggots and flies, or a girl is consumed by dozens of grasping black hands set to loud music I recognised immediately from the teaser trailer, which brought the surge of excitement I felt when I first saw the trailer rushing back again. The Immigrant Song is a particular favourite of mine, but this version [by Karen O with Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross] is now my most played on my iPod! It's really the only proper 'song' in the whole film, but the general score is really fitting and understated, with just a few creepy music notes playing at tense parts.

The plot of the film is, at its most base, pretty simple and easy to follow. There are clues to follow and shocking twists are abundant [though a little predictable for me]. Had this been just some generic murder-mystery-thriller I would not have even considered buying a ticket, but the character of Lisbeth Salander really attracted me to this film. 

Rooney Mara is hauntingly beautiful and looks so fragile and hurt in this film that it would be a hard task to not sympathise with and love her, even when she's sodomising her abuser [oh, yes, there's that and more!] or asking for permission to kill [at least she asked?]. Her image and style is a shock to the system - when is the last time you saw a scarily thin, bisexual, punk, cyber-bitch with a love of shirts like this on the big screen? Her anger is obvious from the get-go and she is genuinely frightening to behold when you learn that looks aren't everything. I found myself cheering when she takes her revenge because she is just around my age and the abuse we are forced to witness is just so awful, but it was an uncomfortable, "did that really just happen?" cheer. Lisbeth obviously has severe problems coping with the world and most of the people in it - at twenty three years old, she's still a ward of the state and is deemed mentally unable to survive in society. This film gives away little of what makes her who she is, but her personality is blatant and forceful - she's very hard to ignore. Also, though I don't want to make comparisons between the American version and the original Swedish version [I haven't seen the original adaptation], the actress who played Lisbeth in the Swedish one [Noomi Repace] honestly seems a little old to me. Images of her look a little bit over-dramatic, like she's a woman trying to play a goth-type teenager. It's a little odd to me, but I'm sure I'll give the original movie a watch soon.

Daniel Craigs character, Blomkvist, is portrayed in a much more transparent way. As his professional life crumbles under the weight of a successful lawsuit against him, we see his personal life and his passion for his work quite clearly. His relationship with his devoutly Christian daughter is awkward but obviously loving and protective; he sleeps with his boss, but it is clear that they depend on one another for the comfort they cannot get in other aspects of their lives. When he retreats to the frozen north to the Vanger estate, he quickly grows attached to a cat and ensures that it's safe and warm with him. He is extremely likable from the beginning - though flawed, he genuinely seems like a good, honest person who simply makes mistakes. When he meets Lisbeth for the first time, he is immediately personal [he bursts into her apartment like they are life long friends, one of the few funny scenes in the film!] and upfront about things, buying her food and insisting she eats in a fatherly sort of way. The contrast between the two characters is really pleasant and I loved the chemistry between them. It's a really refreshing change here, when the hardcore or unsavoury half of an on-screen duo is the female and the softer or more conventional of the two is the male. Lisbeth does find her comfort in Blomkvist [a scene which I feel came across as a lot more natural for the characters than most scenes like it in other films!] but I really loved that she fought so hard to protect him from the harm that as literally all around them - it's not that she was showing her soft side, it was more like she viewed Blomkvist as something worth protecting, like her laptop or her money. It's only when things are on her terms does she ever open up and show a loving side.

I really felt like the characters made this film for me. Like I said, if it weren't for amazing portrayals, I wouldn't have liked it very much. This is probably where I could begin to find faults with an otherwise flawless movie. I feel like the plot was too simple - I honestly figured the mystery out within twenty minutes and although that was a little annoying,  I do understand that the simplistic plot allowed for more character development. Another thing which more confused than annoyed me was that some seemingly important and potentially interesting scenes were rushed through at the end in favour of the Vanger storyline and conclusion. Lisbeths skill gets a whole montage after she is released from her assistant duties with Blomkvist, but it honestly flew by me and I really felt a little cheated by how it seemed so glossed over in terms of how she pulled things off. Having said that, the final scenes are genuinely touching and after all the excitement on the island, we're granted a glimpse into Lisbeths life post-Blomkvist and it's gratifying to see how much she has been impacted by him - "I've made a friend" is possibly the sweetest line of the film. But, of course, when she reaches out to make a permanent connection, she is left literally in the cold - the ending is so unsatisfying that I'm itching for the sequel and I've bought all three books ;)

I really recommend this film and I have been doing so to all my friends and family [though I did tell my mum that if she did go see it, we're never to speak of it xD]. Definitely don't see it on a first date or with a family member though....*coughs uncomfortably*

As you can see, this is less of a review and more of my impression of the film. I know it's sort of all over the place and I'm sorry! I also want to say that this is just my thoughts on the American film - I haven't read the Millenium Trilogy yet [the author is Steig Larsson] and though I plan to, I want to keep this experience separate and unaffected by reading the original material ^___^ I really like doing this...it's important to me to view characters as other people interpret them and appreciate them as separate things. To me, getting angry about perceived 'misinterpretations' between books and film versions is silly and a waste of effort! I really like taking things as they are and enjoying the differences - they add to the experience!

Thanks for reading! <3