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Hey everyone, Greg here. I can't explain to you how much I love this book and DVD series. I can't
wait to read the next two books by Steig Larsson. This author is just amazing. I also went to see
the new movie in the theater and I have to say, it was very good! But as always, the book is better
:) I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.
http://goo.gl/kIQuj
==== ====
For the most part, David Fincher's new adaptation of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is identical to
the original film. A few minor substitutions work their way into the script, most notably with
dialogue, physical characteristics, jobs, and bits of backstory that are added or excised; but the
essential plot is still present. The use of spoken English is particularly helpful for American
audiences (despite fouling up the logical side of printed materials, character nationality, and
Epson/Mac product placement), and the use of familiar character actors aids sorting out the
extensive assemblage of suspects. The sense of originality, uniqueness and suspense has
diminished, however, largely because of the sheer reach and popularity of the first theatrical
adaptation.
Millennium Magazine journalist Mikael Blomkvist (Daniel Craig) is sued for libel when he prints a
scathing article about billionaire industrialist hotshot Hans-Erik Wennerstrom. Even though
Mikael's credibility is shot, the retired head of the Vanger Corporation approaches the investigator
to research the murder of his 16-year-old great-niece, some 40 years earlier. Vanger is convinced
it was someone in the family, most of who still live unsociably on an unfriendly island in Sweden.
"I'm quickly losing track of who's who," Blomkvist comments, as the family is large and reclusive;
providing information to a stranger is also not high on their priority list. Meanwhile, Lisbeth
Salander (Rooney Mara), a surveillance agent and researcher who provided investigative
materials on Blomkvist to Vanger, is recruited by Mikael to aid him in his search for the culprit -
believed to be a serial killer targeting Jewish women and performing ritualistic mutilations.
While the actors all perform admirably, especially those with more challenging, revealing roles (the
striking character development and raw power of their actions being a particular highlight of the
series of books), the unavoidable element that follows this take is the severity and extremeness of
the sexual violence. It's no less potent, even for viewers familiar with what happens, but more
likely to incite disputation for no other reason than its basis as an American film (foreign films
garner a certain leniency when depicting questionable sexual material). The studio is even trying
to push the envelope with the poster art. While the novel is purposeful in its rendering and
authenticity towards rape, coupled with abuse of power (more evident in the original title "Men
Who Hate Women"), these moments are overwhelming on camera - to the point that the
controversial scenes will likely take attention away from the murder mystery at hand. And the dark,
cryptic, intense unraveling of clues is where the real thrills await. The white-knuckle climax is
shocking, draining and unexpected, wrapping up a thriller worthy of the cinematographic focus.
Perhaps most puzzling of all is the opening credits, which demonstrates a bizarre mixture of H.R.
Giger's art, Spider-man's Venom, computer components, thick black oil and the human body,
resembling a James Bond music video title sequence (James Bondage?). It doesn't fit the rest of
the movie, and instead of setting up a more gothic, disturbing, modern twist on author Stieg
Larsson's epic, it builds a greater rift in the deceptive normalcy of the initial settings. Trent
Reznor's accompanying score, with pulsing, artificial sounds and electronic beats, is much less
sincere than the standard orchestral work more suited to crime pictures. Although the character
development, with two extremely contrasting individuals and unrelated situations, is astounding
(chiefly with the strong female protagonist of Salander), the separate nature of their stories feels
even more distant. But that is insignificant compared to the intrusive expansion of the film's
denouement, which is noticeably longwinded, stuffed with details, and drags out the satisfaction of
the big reveal and resolution for the killer. Whether or not this is more faithful to the novel, 2009's
foreign-language version was smarter to keep the immediacy and energy of the solution fresh by
abridging the falling action.
- The Massie Twins (GoneWithTheTwins.com)
The Massie Twins are identical twin film critics who have been professionally reviewing movies full
time for over 5 years, appearing on TV, radio, online and in print. They are members of the
Phoenix Film Critics Society and the Internet Film Critic Society and their work can be seen at
GoneWithTheTwins.com
Article Source:
http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Joel_Massie
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Hey everyone, Greg here. I can't explain to you how much I love this book and DVD series. I can't
wait to read the next two books by Steig Larsson. This author is just amazing. I also went to see
the new movie in the theater and I have to say, it was very good! But as always, the book is better
:) I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.
http://goo.gl/kIQuj
==== ====