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SimplyScripts Screenwriting Discussion Board    Reviews    Movie, Television and DVD Reviews  ›  The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo Moderators: Nixon
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Grandma Bear
Posted: July 8th, 2010, 8:25pm Report to Moderator
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As you might know, I truly suck at writing reviews. Some of you guys here do a great job. James and Guy especially comes to mind.

Anyway, watched this movie today on Netflix. I've read all the books in this trilogy and have followed the film in the Swedish news. Very frustrating having to wait for so long for this movie to show up here.  What was my initial thought? I loved it! I can see how it may not work for some Americans who prefer to watch films that don't feel real… IMHO.

This movie felt real to me. It's harsh bleak and repulsive. Some people have complained about the rape scenes. I don't get that! Do they want it to just be hinted at or do they think that Hollywoods way of dealing with rape in making it semi erotic is the best way? This felt real. Ugly, but true.

As always when a film is adapted from a book it's missing some of the more important interesting parts. This movie still worked though. It's 2,5 hours long, but I was glued to it the whole time.

The story in short. This is copied…because I don't feel like typing all this up.  

"A middle-aged journalist, Mikael Blomkvist, publishes the magazine Millennium in Stockholm. In the opening courtroom drama, Blomkvist loses a libel case, having offered no defense for his publication of damaging allegations about a billionaire Swedish industrialist Hans-Erik Wennerström. He is sentenced to three months in prison.  Facing jail time and professional disgrace, Blomkvist steps down from his position on the Board of Millennium in order to protect what reputation remains to the magazine. Blomkvist considers the bleak prospect of jail-time and time away from the Magazine he helped to create, he is offered an unlikely freelance assignment by Henrik Vanger, the elderly former CEO of Vanger Enterprises. What Blomkvist is unaware of is that, before contacting him, Vanger commissioned a comprehensive investigation into Blomkvist's personal and professional history. The investigation is carried out by Lisbeth Salander, the title figure of the book. Salandar is a curious creature. Tweny-four years of age, she is highly talented and earns a good income as a private investigator. Yet she is antisocial to the extreme, emotionally closed, untrusting, and damaged to the extent that as a child she was removed from the care of her parents, declared emotionally incompetent and is a ward of the state. However, she is nothing if not resourceful. When faced with a guardian who abuses her, she takes revenge swiftly and violently.
Blomkvist visits Vanger on his estate on the tiny island of Hedeby, several hours from Stockholm. The old man draws Blomkvist in by promising not only financial reward for the assignment, but also promises that at the end of the contracted year, he will furnish Blomkvist with solid evidence that Wennerström is truly the scoundrel Blomkvist suspects him to be. On this basis, Blomkvist agrees to spend a year writing the Vanger family history as a cover for the real assignment which is to solve a "cold case"—the disappearance of Vanger's great niece Harriet some 40 years earlier, when she was sixteen. Vanger, a shrewd character, admits he is obsessed with finding out the truth of what happened to Harriet, and expresses his suspicion that Harriet was murdered by a member of the vast Vanger family, many of whom were present in Hedeby on the day of her disappearance. Each year on his birthday Harriet would make Henrik a present of pressed flowers. On his birthday every year since Harriet's murder, Vanger explains, the murderer torments him with a present of pressed flowers.
Blomkvist uproots himself from his life in Stockholm, moving to Hedeby in the middle of one of the coldest winters on record. Cold, depressed, and lonely, he begins the process of analysing the more than 40 years worth of information Henrik Vanger has obsessively compiled around the circumstances of the day Harriet disappeared. Hedeby is home to several generations of Vangers, all part owners in Vanger Enterprises. Under the pretext of researching the family history, and due to the small size of the island, Blomkvist soon becomes acquainted with the members of the extended Vanger family who are variously mad, uninterested, concerned, hostile, or aloof. Blomkvist is resigned to being unlikely to solve the riddle of Harriet's murder given that the police were unable to do so, but he fulfills his contractual obligations by immersing himself in the case. Despite following endless dead leads, eventually a series of serendipitous new lines of evidence arise. "

With Salander's help, Blomkvist solves the mystery. It is a gritty and sometimes ugly way to get there, but IMHO, it works and works well. I love that there's no Hollywood "prettification" of the portrayal of the story and I shudder to think that they're redoing it. I also shudder to think about the "Let the right one in" remake.

Sucky review, I know, but the movie gets a thumbs up from me. If you don't like "real" feeling films this one will probably not be for you, but maybe you could give the book a chance instead.  



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bert
Posted: July 8th, 2010, 8:36pm Report to Moderator
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I read the first book, and liked it pretty well, but not sure if I liked it well enough to read the others.  The author is a veeeery talky guy, and prone to giving every minute detail.

I was thinking of you as I read the book, actually, and laughed that everything they ate sounded like something I would toss in a dumpster.  [Yes, the author details virtually every meal these guys have.]

I thought Blomkvist was very bland, but loved the character of Salander.  She may be my favorite new character in fiction for the past few years, at least.

I have the DVD from Netflix right here and will be watching it this weekend.

I will check back in later, but wanted you to know there was at least one other person out there interested in this little slice of Swedish cinema.


Hey, it's my tiny, little IMDb!
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Grandma Bear
Posted: July 8th, 2010, 8:52pm Report to Moderator
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Bert, one day when we do have that great SS meet-up, I'll bring all the food. I mean seriously, what's wrong with a liver pate or sardine sandwich?


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James McClung
Posted: July 8th, 2010, 9:05pm Report to Moderator
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Saw this two days ago. Was gonna mull it over for a little before deciding whether or not to write a review. Glad someone beat me to the punch actually. Not a bad review at all, Pia.

I thought the film's greatest asset is Salander's character. I thought it was really impressive how the author was able to create a character with so little background given to the audience and who was yet so fascinating nonetheless. There's a handful of glimpses into her personal life but you never really get a sense of who she is... you only think you do. She's an enigma and very fun to watch. I was also impressed that her character is brutally raped in the beginning of the film and yet goes onto become a genuine character. I feel like rape victims in films are either *just* rape victims, psycho exploitation revenge queens (still victims, really) or something else that springs out of some misplaced attempt at female empowerment. Here, the character and the story genuinely seem to move on and evolve. They don't linger on the rape the way so many films, even really good films, do so nowadays.

Blomkvist was a typical everyman, seemingly inserted for the audience's sake. This would've been a completely different film if everything was shown through Salander's eyes. Still, they made a good pair, I thought. If anything, Blomkvist served as a stand-in for the audience as he too struggles to make something out of Salander's actions.

Anyway, I thought the film was pretty solid. I loved the bleakness, the brutality, the realism... the overall anti-feelgoodness. I'm all for that. Totally. I was slightly disappointed by the plot though. Characters doing research, hanging up photographs, meeting with seemingly neutral informants, etc. seem to be staples of the classic mystery formula but it still doesn't do anything for me. Characters at the library working on computers almost always puts me to sleep. The overall starkness of the film really shook up some of the more classic elements as did the Swedish influence and cultural commentary but when you're committed to telling a story in such a way, it's hard to overlook the more conventional (and in the case of mysteries, boring) elements.

Still, I can't argue with the style. I love films that neglect the "feel good" mentality that poisons so many American films and opts instead to put a fist down the throat of audience sensibilities. What can I say? I'm hooked enough to wanna see the sequels.


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Heretic
Posted: July 8th, 2010, 10:02pm Report to Moderator
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Quoted from Grandma Bear
I love that there's no Hollywood "prettification" of the portrayal of the story and I shudder to think that they're redoing it. I also shudder to think about the "Let the right one in" remake.


The director of Let The Right One In, of course, being the brother of the director of Millenium!  Talented guys.

I had the same reaction as James to the story, but I'll take it a step further -- I thought the story was serviceable at best.  Certainly lacking in creativity, and it incorporated a number of sequences (most of which James mentioned) that were, basically, boring.

But everything else is so good!

To me, this is a dangerous film for writers because it is one of the few times in recent memory where a mediocre screenplay has gotten away with becoming a strong movie.  The directing, performances, and overall feel of the film are so excellent that, combined with genuinely tense and enjoyably stylistic moments, one can almost be swept past the plodding plot.  The two leads are excellent, in my opinion, and it is once they are together that the film is really working; at the same time, it's once they are together that the plot slows right down.  Still, to suddenly be laughing at the natural dialogue between two characters only ten minutes after watching a rape and the vicious retribution it causes -- this, to me, is very impressive.

There is a lot of lightheartedness amongst the darkness -- I will give the script as much credit for that as anyone -- and this is what really sold the movie for me.  This, and that Noomi Rapace is just so darn awesome to watch.

Far from perfect, but certainly a breath of fresh air to see this in major American cinemas.  I'll definitely be seeing Played With Fire this weekend and I would recommend Dragon Tattoo to anyone who hasn't seen it -- just be in the mood for some grim stuff.
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Old Time Wesley
Posted: July 8th, 2010, 10:34pm Report to Moderator
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Quoted from bert


I thought Blomkvist was very bland, but loved the character of Salander.  She may be my favorite new character in fiction for the past few years, at least.



I thought the girl was kind of slutty for no reason and Blomkvist should not have had relations with her because it set up the dumbest line of dialogue probably ever when she gets on top and he says "DO you really wanna do this" that what the english version said anyway.

Do you have to ask that?

Also the girl is hot until she gets naked and ruins everything for me... I liked the picture in my mind better.

I bought the blu ray version which has some features exclusive but haven't gotten to them.

The length clocks in at over two hours and thirty minutes and never drags which is good.


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Grandma Bear
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Quoted from Old Time Wesley


I thought the girl was kind of slutty for no reason and Blomkvist should not have had relations with her because it set up the dumbest line of dialogue probably ever when she gets on top and he says "DO you really wanna do this" that what the english version said anyway.

You have to look deeper into her psyche and where she comes from. Also, Sweden is not like the US...


Quoted from Old Time Wesley
Also the girl is hot until she gets naked and ruins everything for me... I liked the picture in my mind better.

I totally understand, but that's part of what makes this film feel more real. It's real people. Not Megan Fox strutting around...


Quoted from Old Time Wesley
The length clocks in at over two hours and thirty minutes and never drags which is good.


...so, you liked it?  


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Old Time Wesley
Posted: July 8th, 2010, 11:10pm Report to Moderator
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Real people look better with there clothes on? I don't find Megan Fox attractive to begin with but even I'd choose that soulless twat over this girl.

I also really disliked the title for this film but like the title for something else that fits. You only actually see her dragon tattoo once and she's not that secretive as the films goes on which loses title credibility points.

I did like the movie as entertainment but I think people give it way too much credit.
Even Hollywood gives it too much credit by doing a remake... why? Who the fuck knows. Hire an actress with something to look at or cut out the nudity. It served no purpose and actually could make people ill.

Did it even have rape scenes without cutting away? My memory says it did eventually cut away and wasn't anything gratuitous.

The cover for the Canadian blu ray is horrid and needs to be erased. The one on IMDB is worlds better.


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Grandma Bear
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Quoted from Old Time Wesley
Real people look better with there clothes on? I don't find Megan Fox attractive to begin with but even I'd choose that soulless twat over this girl.
She's not supposed to be a sex pot.


Quoted from Old Time Wesley
I also really disliked the title for this film but like the title for something else that fits. You only actually see her dragon tattoo once and she's not that secretive as the films goes on which loses title credibility points.
I agree. I don't like "Men who hates Women" and the Dragon title I don't like either.


Quoted from Old Time Wesley
I did like the movie as entertainment but I think people give it way too much credit.
Even Hollywood gives it too much credit by doing a remake... why? Who the fuck knows. Hire an actress with something to look at or cut out the nudity. It served no purpose and actually could make people ill.
IMHO, it was very real. Not Hollywood real, but real world real and I never questioned wether this would be real in Sweden...


Quoted from Old Time Wesley
Did it even have rape scenes without cutting away? My memory says it did eventually cut away and wasn't anything gratuitous.
it was ugly, which it should be. Just watched something on TV where a woman was raped and it was not beautiful, but it erotiziced it. That's my main problem with H-wood. Losing the real feel...




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bert
Posted: July 9th, 2010, 7:43am Report to Moderator
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Quoted from Old Time Wesley
I thought the girl was kind of slutty for no reason...


When I stated how much I liked her character, I was talking about the book.

The book plods in parts -- sounds like the movie does, too -- at least, for those unfamiliar with the story -- but every time the book returns to Salander, things get interesting again.

I will watch the movie tonight.

But, yeah -- even in the book, I felt their sexual relationship came out of nowhere for the most part, and the plot could have worked just as well without it.

Not sure why the author made that decision, really.


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Old Time Wesley
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Quoted from bert




But, yeah -- even in the book, I felt their sexual relationship came out of nowhere for the most part, and the plot could have worked just as well without it.



Exactly. They just start working together and she hops on top of him and a relationship begins for no reason.

Especially since she is a computer hacker who was hired to hack this guys computer and it doesn't seem like she's ever contacted any other "mark" before.

They made like three of these films in the same year and a series.


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bert
Posted: July 11th, 2010, 7:37pm Report to Moderator
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My wife hates to read a book before seeing a movie based upon the book, but I like to do that when I have the time.  

I will go a step further and say that to truly appreciate TGWTDT to its fullest, one must have read the book first.  The little island of Hedeby, its all-important bridge, and the characters that inhabit this island were clearly chosen with great care, and the film looks great.

That is not to say that you could not enjoy this film cold -- you certainly can -- but a plot that is this convoluted -- with subtitles yet -- is pretty tough to keep up with on the screen.

Lots of things were cut, and even entire characters were tossed aside.  But I agree with most of the things they lost, and as the film already clocks in at 2.5 hours, it is pretty hard to argue that they should put some of the stuff back.

For example, the background of the financial scandal that initially shames Blomkvist.  In the book, Larson goes into mind-numbing detail, and one talky scene in particular, on a sailboat, would probably have taken 20 minutes screen time right there.  To call it a "financial scandal" and leave it at that was definitely the right choice.  As was losing 2 more women with whom Blomkvist had sexual exploits.  (He is quite the hound in the book.)

Rapace did a phenomenal job with Salander.  In fact, you could tell Rapace was familiar with the books, and brought quite a bit into Salander's character that was not in the script when taken at face value.  Even her quiet looks spoke volumes.  Excellent work from her.

What is unforgivable, however, is the downright stupid manner in which they brought Blomkvist and Salander together.  It was much more organic to the plot in the book, and the cutesy, idiotic email games Salander plays in the movie are totally out of character for her.  Were Larson still alive, I suspect he might not have stood for it.

This relationship is so central to the story that such a misfire almost pulls down the whole affair.  But it doesn't.  This film is a class act, and the previous reviewers who have called it "gritty" and "real" are spot-on.  This film does not have a Hollywood sheen on it, and it is the better for it.  

So the film is a solid recommend.  I hesitate to recommend reading the book first, as parts of it are ploddingly tedious, at least to me -- but on the whole, it is a pretty good book.  If you have lots of time on your hands this summer, consider the book before the film.  Unless you hate doing that.  Then just check out the film.


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Toby_E
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Have read all three of the books, and absolutly loved them (my fave book is actually the third in the trilogy: 'The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet's Nest'). I'm usually a bit cautious of watching film adaptions of books I love, as they can be kind of disappointing and can either miss out  or change crucial parts of the story. This is especially true with longer books, which this book is.

Anyway, as I loved the book I thought I owed it to myself to watch the film... And I found it a very good watch:

- It flowed very well, and the tedious aspects of the book (such as the detailed explanation of how Blomkvist came about originally attempting to expose Wennestrom) were either entirely missed out, or shortened and made tighter.

- I thought that Salander was also made to be a more likeable character in the film. I read the book a little while ago, so I can't remember what exactly was changed about her in the film, but when I finished the first book I felt sorry for her character, but didn't really like her. I liked her a lot more once the film finished. I also liked the fact that in the film Salander went on about how she hates men who hate women. This works as a good lead onto the next films. The flashbacks with her as a child also worked in providing more info about her background.

- I also liked the way that Blomk. served his prison time towards the end of the film and in there wrote his expose. It was a nice end to the film, and also didn't break up the action halfway the story.

- The whole relationship with Berger being left out was a good call as it was slightly unnecessary to the story, however, it is pretty crucial to the relationship of Blomk. and Berger later in the trilogy.

But yeah, overall I really enjoyed this film. It was a good adaption to the book, and I was left really anticipating the rest of the trilogy.

Toby.


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Grandma Bear
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I'm happy to see a Swedish film getting some success for a change. Just read yesterday that Daniel Craig got the role of Blomkvist for the Hollywood version of the trilogy.


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MacDuff
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Fantastic movie. Can't wait to watch the next one.

Why is Hollywood doing a remake already?

Oh yeah, $$$$.......


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