The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2010)
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2010)
6.5/10
Reading The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo before seeing the film adaptation directed by Niels Arden Oplev makes for a lesser experience. While the film is overall well adapted to the screen, many plot elements are switched around, relationships are completely eliminated and much of the mystery is simplified. It is difficult to complain or to fault the film for these changes as they are all logical choices to make when adapting a book for the screen.
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, based off of the first part of the late Stieg Larsson’s Millenium Trilogy originally titled Men who Hate Women is about bringing together two unlikely companions in the midst of a 40 year old family mystery. Harriet Vanger went missing 40 years ago during an annual family gathering never to be seen again. An accident on the bridge leading to Hedeby, the island members of the Vanger family resides at occurred the very same day which blocked the only exit off of the island. This has led Harriet’s uncle Henrik, who was a father figure towards her, to obsess over every detail since it has happened. In his old age he wishes to try one last time to figure out who has murdered Harriet.
Enter Mikael Blomkvist (Michael Nyqvist), a financial journalist who has recently been sentenced to 3 months in prison for making unsubstantiated claims about industrialist Wennorstrom. He has some time before having to serve his sentence and his efforts involve figuring out how to save his magazine Millennium. At this point Henrik Vanger (Sven-Bertil Taube) calls Blomkvist and invites him over attempting to persuade him to pick up the case based on having followed his career and knowing that Blomkvist spent a summer on Hedeby when he was young and was babysat by Harriet. On the other side of things we have Lisbeth Salander (Noomi Rapace), a computer hacker who does everything she can to separate herself from others. From her goth clothing attire to her piercings and tattoos to her confrontational and off-putting attitude Salander does things her own way. Through a set of circumstances during the course of which we also see scenes with her new guardian Bjurman (Peter Andersson), Salander becomes involved with the case. Salander and Blomkvist become a team who end up forming a unique relationship in the process.
The best thing about the film hands-down is Noomi Rapace as Lisbeth. Her character may sound like a cliché from the description but she is a fully realized and developed character; a breath of fresh air and Rapace brings her to life in ways that are a sight to behold. She is captivating to watch. The rest of the film is nicely done, creating intrigue and suspense where it is needed. Oplev lets the film breathe and creates a nice pace overall, outside of the last section which will be addressed shortly. The look of the film is suitably gloomy giving everything an ominous tone even without taking the atrocities within the story into consideration.
As an adaptation, although much was cut out such as extended details into the rich family history of the Vangers, Blomkvist and Erika’s relationship, Blomkvist and Cecilia’s relationship and the majority of anything involving Millennium, among many other things, these changes are all understandable if instinctively upsetting. Something that transferred in an underwhelming way from page to screen was Blomkvist himself. The casting is great and Michael Nyqvist certainly brings him adequately to life. However, between eliminating his dealings with Millennium, his relationships with 2 other women, losing his reluctance to take on the case completely in addition to having Salander accomplish things that he does in the book and the necessary pitfall of the absence of his thoughts; Blomkvist loses a great portion of his character in the transfer and ultimately feels a bit dull and useless becoming a cliff notes version of himself. While Salander is by all means the more interesting character in both mediums and is meant to be, but Blomkvist is interesting as well but from the film it is difficult to tell.
Then there are problems with the film that also exist within the source material. The scenes with Salander’s new guardian are problematic. They are separate from anything else happening and they never amount to anything by the time the film ends. In the book it is implied that Salander has been sexually abused before so her rape is ultimately pointless because this is a woman who has already been greatly impacted by trauma. While obviously no less traumatic, these scenes with Bjurman as a result are not as substantial to her arc given that her natural hatred and distrust of men is already something present in her. While I have not read the second book yet, Bjurman does return. It is difficult to complain about these scenes without knowing their true relevance and since this is a trilogy, unresolved matters such as these are more acceptable. Still, despite this it is difficult to ignore the inconsistency in structure that it brings to both the film and the book. Another flaw is the end of the film which is a bit confusing and does not make the sense it should. It also felt rushed and thrown together. While the final section of the book has the opposite problem, they both have inadequacies in the way they choose to wrap up their stories.
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is a moderately successful adaptation of the novel. While it does not contain the drive or intrigue I had hoped, it is a nicely shot and paced film with a lead performance by Noomi Rapace which will be sure to stay with you longer than the film surrounding it.
6.5/10
Reading The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo before seeing the film adaptation directed by Niels Arden Oplev makes for a lesser experience. While the film is overall well adapted to the screen, many plot elements are switched around, relationships are completely eliminated and much of the mystery is simplified. It is difficult to complain or to fault the film for these changes as they are all logical choices to make when adapting a book for the screen.
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, based off of the first part of the late Stieg Larsson’s Millenium Trilogy originally titled Men who Hate Women is about bringing together two unlikely companions in the midst of a 40 year old family mystery. Harriet Vanger went missing 40 years ago during an annual family gathering never to be seen again. An accident on the bridge leading to Hedeby, the island members of the Vanger family resides at occurred the very same day which blocked the only exit off of the island. This has led Harriet’s uncle Henrik, who was a father figure towards her, to obsess over every detail since it has happened. In his old age he wishes to try one last time to figure out who has murdered Harriet.
Enter Mikael Blomkvist (Michael Nyqvist), a financial journalist who has recently been sentenced to 3 months in prison for making unsubstantiated claims about industrialist Wennorstrom. He has some time before having to serve his sentence and his efforts involve figuring out how to save his magazine Millennium. At this point Henrik Vanger (Sven-Bertil Taube) calls Blomkvist and invites him over attempting to persuade him to pick up the case based on having followed his career and knowing that Blomkvist spent a summer on Hedeby when he was young and was babysat by Harriet. On the other side of things we have Lisbeth Salander (Noomi Rapace), a computer hacker who does everything she can to separate herself from others. From her goth clothing attire to her piercings and tattoos to her confrontational and off-putting attitude Salander does things her own way. Through a set of circumstances during the course of which we also see scenes with her new guardian Bjurman (Peter Andersson), Salander becomes involved with the case. Salander and Blomkvist become a team who end up forming a unique relationship in the process.
The best thing about the film hands-down is Noomi Rapace as Lisbeth. Her character may sound like a cliché from the description but she is a fully realized and developed character; a breath of fresh air and Rapace brings her to life in ways that are a sight to behold. She is captivating to watch. The rest of the film is nicely done, creating intrigue and suspense where it is needed. Oplev lets the film breathe and creates a nice pace overall, outside of the last section which will be addressed shortly. The look of the film is suitably gloomy giving everything an ominous tone even without taking the atrocities within the story into consideration.
As an adaptation, although much was cut out such as extended details into the rich family history of the Vangers, Blomkvist and Erika’s relationship, Blomkvist and Cecilia’s relationship and the majority of anything involving Millennium, among many other things, these changes are all understandable if instinctively upsetting. Something that transferred in an underwhelming way from page to screen was Blomkvist himself. The casting is great and Michael Nyqvist certainly brings him adequately to life. However, between eliminating his dealings with Millennium, his relationships with 2 other women, losing his reluctance to take on the case completely in addition to having Salander accomplish things that he does in the book and the necessary pitfall of the absence of his thoughts; Blomkvist loses a great portion of his character in the transfer and ultimately feels a bit dull and useless becoming a cliff notes version of himself. While Salander is by all means the more interesting character in both mediums and is meant to be, but Blomkvist is interesting as well but from the film it is difficult to tell.
Then there are problems with the film that also exist within the source material. The scenes with Salander’s new guardian are problematic. They are separate from anything else happening and they never amount to anything by the time the film ends. In the book it is implied that Salander has been sexually abused before so her rape is ultimately pointless because this is a woman who has already been greatly impacted by trauma. While obviously no less traumatic, these scenes with Bjurman as a result are not as substantial to her arc given that her natural hatred and distrust of men is already something present in her. While I have not read the second book yet, Bjurman does return. It is difficult to complain about these scenes without knowing their true relevance and since this is a trilogy, unresolved matters such as these are more acceptable. Still, despite this it is difficult to ignore the inconsistency in structure that it brings to both the film and the book. Another flaw is the end of the film which is a bit confusing and does not make the sense it should. It also felt rushed and thrown together. While the final section of the book has the opposite problem, they both have inadequacies in the way they choose to wrap up their stories.
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is a moderately successful adaptation of the novel. While it does not contain the drive or intrigue I had hoped, it is a nicely shot and paced film with a lead performance by Noomi Rapace which will be sure to stay with you longer than the film surrounding it.
Horrorphile
It is difficult to remove your perspective to a more objective one when you've read a novel first, and then come to the movie adaptation. Perfume was a classic example for me.
Thoughts from a Cinephile
Thoughts from a TV Watcher