A strong start to the Millennium trilogy!

Rating: 7/10 (25 February 2020)

The first cinematic instalment of the bestselling thriller 'Millennium' book series by Steig Larson is one that is certainly worth a watch if you haven't already. It focuses on computer hacker Lisbeth Salander (a star making performance by Noomi Rapace) and journalist Mikael Blomkvist (Michael Nyqvist) whose paths cross when Salander is discovered spying on his work on his current case involving the 40-year old disappearance of a young girl. I think what elevates the whole film and indeed the story are the performances; every single person portrays their character no matter how small brilliantly and it engages you instantly from the start. The investigation is riveting and you genuinely care about whether they are going to solve the case or not. The backstories of the two central characters are also captivating and Lisbeth's past is shown quite cleverly in the film through nicely done flashbacks and slight nods to what could have happened, leaving much to the audiences imagination. The times it doesn't leave much to the audiences imagination are potentially what will leave viewers divided. There are two unsettling scenes in the first hour of the film depicting sexual violence very realistically; they are disgusting but also integral to the plot and build up to an extremely satisfying revenge scene that would not have been as effective had the previous sequences not been as graphic. Ultimately, it did effect my enjoyment of the film in terms of rewatchability as they are intentionally harsh scenes that are hard to shake off. Nevertheless, it is a strong start to a very promising trilogy and Lisbeth is a fantastic character!