Verbose, ornate, scattered, and unappealing, but otherwise...

Rating: 4/10 (6 January 2012)

It seems as though the idea was to cram as much into this film as possible, with predictable results. For example, was there a need to appeal to people who like "Mission Impossible" type movies? And mysteries that go back to Sherlock Holmes, if not beyond that? And Lara Croft kinds of things? Are you into S&M? Don't worry, we've got you covered. Did you enjoy "The Boys From Brazil?" What about Abby from "NCIS?" You like her, right? She's in here too !
Because of this muddle (though it's quite stylish), it's hard to feel much for the characters - it's just not realistic to have all these elements come together at one moment in time. I would have liked some backstory on Lisbeth, and I would have given up the murder mystery, the social worker who was a despicable torturing rapist, and a few other things, to get it. Then there are all the sex scenes, because I guess the "soft core" crowd needed to get their "beaks wet" too, right? And then there is all the talking. It's almost like the director wanted the audience to begin to nod off before the next "exciting" thing happened, so that they wouldn't realize what a ludicrous concoction this is !
The sad thing is that it appeared that everything was available to make an excellent film here. Why not focus on the Lisbeth character? Oh, then the "masses" wouldn't be satisfied because it wouldn't be a "Hollywood Blockbuster" film, right? Are you sure? I think times might be changing, and if so, this might be regarded as a kind of cinematic dinosaur in the near future ! I often find myself hoping that reviewers would explain what he/she would have done differently if that person doesn't like the film.
So, here is my idea: I'll take the basic idea, though make the "bigger story" one of simple government corruption, not an elaborate murder mystery. Lisbeth can keep her motorcycle, tattoos, nose rings, etc., but she is not a computer genius. You'll see flashbacks of how she was abused during her childhood. Though she is living as a lesbian, she finds herself drawn to Blomkyist, and there is at least some sexual component to it. There is obvious tension about this, and that is the major thought-provoking aspect to the film. That is, she finds a man (I'd cast someone a bit younger) who is the opposite of what she is used to, and she reconsiders her sexuality. I would have created an ambiguous ending, but in the DVD age, I'd also create a few others and let viewers make what they wish of them.
Note: I did see the original too, and perhaps because it felt more "foreign," the believability issue seemed less noticeable, but I also thought that it needed to be "slimmed" down and given more focus. This screams out for mini-series treatment, but I guess there's a lot less money involve in that kind of project.