Hollywood version like Batman, but not all bad

Rating: 8/10 (27 January 2012)

I have not read the books but loved the first Swedish version. It came across to me as so genuine, so different, so shocking, and non-slick that it was utterly engrossing and believable. Of course much of this was due to the Noomi Rapace's portrayal of Lisbeth Salander, which was stunning and so uniquely wonderful that you couldn't believe any other actress wouldn't ruin it.
This was the great surprise of the Hollywood version. Rooney Mara's portrayal of Lisbeth was equally compelling, albeit different. She deserves much credit. Well done.
The strengths of this version were predictable: better visually, more moody, more slick, more artistic. So were the weaknesses: less gritty/realistic made it less compelling...more like a Batman movie. Because a Hollywood version has to have romance all of a sudden Lisbeth was after Mikhael, which lacks credibility considering her character....Lisbeth would never chase any man.
As the rape and torture scenes had to be toned down they were less shocking and upsetting. And the requirement for a stronger, handsomer leading man made Craig's version seem less vulnerable and intellectual.
While I greatly preferred the original film, this version probably can be more easily digested by a US and perhaps mainstream audience, which I'm sure was the producer's intention. If that opens up the amazing Lisbeth character to a wider audience I can't argue.
Now I'm off to finally read the first book!