An inferior and unnecessary remake

Rating: 5/10 (20 July 2017)

This US remake is simply inferior in every way compared to its Swedish predecessor. I have viewed both the Swedish abridged movie version of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and in its original form as Millennium the TV series numerous times. I wont say the original Swedish adaptations are perfect by any means, but many of the elements and small, seemingly insignificant moments from the original are either missing or have been diluted for Western audiences.
First of all, Rooney Mara is no Noomi Rapace. Everything about her, from her weird hairstyle and shaved off eyebrows, to her distracting attempt at a Swedish accent, and her cold lifeless portrayal of Lisbeth Salander in general are a detriment to the film. She never garnered the empathy and interest in Lisbeth that Noomi did for me. And the chemistry that Nyquist and Rapace created together, both as colleagues and lovers, is entirely missing. Craig is OK as Blomqwist, he is not an emotional actor and can come off as cold and indifferent. Also why does he speak in his normal accent yet Mara puts on a Swedish accent? I found this very distracting. Fincher is a gifted visual director, but his usual flair is missing here, and really anyone could have directed this adaptation.
Its not a bad movie, just an unnecessary and inferior remake that never reaches the heights of its Swedish predecessor. For the definitive and best version, view the original Millennium TV series.