Rating: R
IMDB Rating: 8.3/10
Today I went out to see a movie I’ve been itching to see ever since I heard it was in production. I have seen almost every David Fincher movie, so I knew I just had to see this one.
Note that I approached this as a stand-alone film, not as a remake, nor as an adaptation. I think the comparisons can be too extensive and I won’t go into them. It’s easier to enjoy a movie if you analyze it according to its own worth rather than the worth of a predecessor.
Firstly, I have not yet read the books. I know, I should. I meant to pick up the trilogy as a boxed set and even asked for them for Christmas, but not having received it I intend on buying it soon. So I went into this film not knowing very much about it (beyond the hype and some major plot elements).
The plot according to IMDB:
"Journalist Mikael Blomkvist is aided in his search for a woman who has been missing for forty years by Lisbeth Salander, a young computer hacker."
Rooney Mara is incredible, convincing, and bad-ass. There’s no other way to express it… she is so kick-ass and like a terminator in this film. She’s supposed to portray a 23-year-old and I’ll admit right now that 23 year olds do not act the way she acts. She portrays independence and a sulky angst very well.
The theatre was filled with many middle-aged spectators. And honestly I did question whether every person there knew what they were getting themselves into. I knew before going into this theatre that there were 2 rape scenes and quite a bit of nudity.
The rape scenes are done with about as much class and about as tasteful as a rape scene can be. It was pretty explicit, and certainly effective at evoking disgust and anger. The nudity was overt as well, but very reflective of the personality of Lisbeth (she’s very assertive and confrontational), so it wasn’t uncharacteristic in any way.
The soundtrack was filled with tension, had high whirring noises that could irritate some. It definitely helped the anxiety and nervous anticipation in the film.
Highlights:
- Acting
- Intense
Lowlights:
- Lengthy
- Slow build-up
My Verdict:
I liked this a great deal. I probably won’t watch this 10 times, but this is worth a re-watch or two. Like many Fincher films, this movie is well over 2hours, so some people may get restless if you’re used to quick action and dramatic resolutions. This isn’t a family movie, but it is moody, atmospheric, and dramatic. Great for any action/drama/suspense/mystery fans. 8.7/10
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