The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest
Dir: Daniel Alfredson
2009
**
I can't say I'm sorry that this is the last I'll see of The 'Millennium Trilogy'. I found The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest to be both way too long and also quite dull. The first half involves people talking about doing something and the second half involves them doing it. No twists, no intrigue, no mystery and no character development. I just don't get the hype, like I've said in my other reviews, it must be all about the book and not about the films. The acting I think is pretty poor (although Noomi Rapace is good at not smiling) and the direction isn't as good as the first two films. Worst scene; the disappearing/reappearing waitress in the 'Gun fight' scene in the restaurant. The waitress in question seems completely oblivious that a man is machine gunning the restaurant to pieces and calmly walks around with a tray of drinks until she is 'saved' by a main character and only then realises that something is slightly different about her workplace. This is a half decent TV drama at best, even then I'm not sure it would get another series!
The Girl Who Played With Fire
Dir: Daniel Alfredson
2009
***
The acting and direction in this film is good and I liked the characters and the cinematography. If I'm being completely honest though, I just have no enthusiasm for the Millennium trilogy. I have found the story so far to be quite forgettable. Maybe it's because it's been over hyped, maybe neither film so far have been very good adaptations, either way, I enjoyed the film to a point but I found myself fidgeting throughout. Good, but not as good as the first which is bad for any sequel.
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Dir: Niels Arden Oplev
2009
****
I knew nothing about The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo or the Millennium trilogy before watching this film, only that three books/film exist and they have become very popular. I can't say I had or have the intention of reading them either as my 'To read' pile of books at home it tall enough as it is and generally when people I know, who I know don't read much, tell me 'You have to read this' I generally don't. However, I watched the film anyway and I thought it was entertaining and intriguing, enough so to want to see the next installment. As a film, I've seen better but then I've seen much worse too - It is a great film but when a story is hyped up so much, it's always going to be a little bit of a let down the longer you leave it. I suppose I was expecting something dramatically different, something new, the take maybe fresh but the idea is as old as the hills. Agatha Christie with a mohawk is still Agatha Christie.
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Dir: David Fincher
2011
****
I liked this version just as much as the original, not surprising as they're pretty much the same film. For all the things I preferred in David Fincher's version, there are just as many things I preferred in Niels Arden Oplev's. Still, I liked it, it is a visually strong piece with a great cast with strong performances. The big question, and the one I'm struggling with, is who's the better Lisbeth; Noomi Rapace or Rooney Mara? That's a tough one!
