Quickie Review: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Rating: 7/10 (21 January 2016)

I liked Dragon Tattoo. It was well shot and exciting at times, but I can't get over the fact that the film feels so pointless. I mean, an adaption of the book was done only 2 years previously, and the two films aren't that different. If anything, the original is better acted and has far more closure. So what's the point in making a new version where you hardly change anything? Some scenes felt literally copied and pasted into the new films. Perhaps if I hadn't seen the original I would have enjoyed this more, but it's just that what I liked in this movie (and I liked a lot!) was already present in the original.
The acting was so-so. Craig seemed his usual disinterested self, and Rooney Mara gives a good enough performance but one that doesn't match up to her Swedish counterpart. I found myself struggling to keep up with all the members of the Vanger family unlike in the other version where you are given enough time to get to know everyone.
Best Scene: I wondered if, being an American film, this version would sanitize the rape scene. But know, it's almost as disturbing and difficult to watch as in the Swedish version.