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Wayhomer Review #98: The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (2011)

Rooney Mara as Lisbeth Salander in The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (2011)

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Episode #98 for The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (2011), in which our protagonist talks the evolution of Lisbeth, thinks he might have the fifth Best Actress nom (maybe) and speaks out on behalf of characters who get overtly manipulated by their creators.

*–I bring this up in the video but my questions regarding how much you can appreciate the film if you have not read the book have only deepened since the recording. I welcome any comments/insights you might have in the comments.
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Special thanks to PhantomV48 for the closing animation.

Previous episode here.

7 comments

  • Same for me as Wolven. I haven’t read the books (or seen the Swedish movies), I knew nothing going in beyond what the trailers told me, and I loved this movie. I’ve seen it twice and feel like watching it many more times. It’s awesome, Craig is great to watch as always, and Rooney Mara is world rockingly fantastic.

  • Okay, you guys are making me feel better. But I think you can see where I’m coming from with my concern–there was a LOT happening on the screen, information-wise. But thanks for the comments.

  • It’s certainly worth seeing if you missed the original. If you saw it, however, there’s no way of unseeing it, and nothing in the new one to top it. Craig and Mara are great here though and Fincher brings so much more to this film like I was expecting too. Good review.

  • I agree that the trailer was probably the best of 2011. I also see what you’re saying about the character “going somewhere they normally wouldn’t because they’re not stupid” (assuming I’m thinking of the same event to which you’re referring). However, I was not nearly as bothered as you. Looking back through the book, there is a brief bit of narrative that delves into the character’s thought process, weighing the pros and the cons.

    I haven’t seen the Swedish adaptation either, so I didn’t really have any biases going in, other than the fact that David Fincher directed (he’s one of my favorite directors). It is bleak, like you say, but still quite enjoyable because there is always something interesting going on, and the characters (especially Salander) are utterly intriguing.

    Nice analysis. I would talk about more of my thoughts, but you can just check out my full review and discussion via the link below.

    http://tommydtalksmovies.com/2011/12/30/the-girl-with-the-dragon-tattoo-review-and-discussion/