I have anxiously awaited the arrival of this film in my On Demand listing. I read the entire trilogy and based on the great reviews of this film version, my mouth salivated at the opportunity to watch the movie. Is it a good movie? Yes. Is it better than the book or even on the same level? No. As with any film adaptation of a novel, and to avoid having a five hour movie, there are things that are left out. There are also slight variations of the characters, in particular the main characters that left me with the question.... why? I am assuming that it is the garner the adoration of the audience to each of the characters. To make both Mikael Blomkvist and Lisbeth Salander more likable and agreeable.
For those of you, who have yet to read the books or even seen either this version or the Swedish version in film, here you go. Mikael Blomkvist (Daniel Craig) is a respected journalist, whom at the beginning of the film has just been nationally embarrassed and convicted of libel against Hans-Erik Wennerstrom (a multi-millionaire businessman), looking to escape his unpleasant reality he is offered an opportunity to pen the biographical book of Henrik Vanger (Christopher Plummer) and his family. Blomkvist is initially not interested until hearing that Henrik is solely looking for answers to the disappearance and believed murder of his beloved niece Harriet Vanger. Henrik also dangles the fact that he alone has the information to truly take down Wennerstrom. Mikael is hooked alone by the bait of Wennerstrom. You meet the troubled Lisbeth Salander (Rooney Mara), an investigator of sorts, but more so a hacker who was recently hired via her company to do a background check on Blomkvist. You get bits and chunks of her troubled existence and every day struggles, in particular those of her current guardian Nils Bjurman (Yorick van Wageningen). When Blomkvist needs an assistant, he is pointed in the direction of Lisbeth and their team work begins. What the eventually discover is more horrific than originally anticipated.
It is an excellent movie, especially if you have not read the books. However, if you have read the books, you truly do wish that the film shows the true characters as they were initially written. I will also say that Rooney Mara's performance, far exceeded my expectations. She was phenomenal as Lisbeth.
I give it a 9 out of 10.
Next up is "The Help."
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