The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo Review

I am a big reader and much like the rest of the world, I became enthralled with the "Millennium" trilogy by Stieg Larsson a few years back.  I had my nose stuck in the books and did not come up for air until I finished all three of them.  Some may have compared this craze to the hype the Twilight books received but Dragon Tattoo fans are less crazy (obviously!) and at a reading level higher than third grade.  If nothing else, readers are educated on the lifestyles and backgrounds of the Swedes.  Rule number one: Mace is illegal in Sweden so if you travel there, leave it at home!  Now back to my topic…I greatly enjoyed the book, so I was excited for the movie to be released.

All in all, I think it was a solid movie.  The plot consisted of a lot of action, thrills, and mystery.  Rooney Mara did very well playing the unusually strange character of Lisbeth Salander.  She plays the unbalanced heroine with an ease that makes her bad attitude seem as real as the tattoos on her body look.  Despite her sometimes undesirable actions, you can't help but root for her.  I have to give her hair stylist props as well.  In every scene something different and weird was happening to her hair.  That stylist is definitely not lacking in creativity.

The movie had a lot of serious scenes with funny moments that surprisingly show up out of nowhere.  There are times when the audience is in shock at something and then starts to laugh at an unexpected one-liner thrown into the dialogue.  This unusual comedic relief helps when there are shockingly vulgar scenes.  I expected the U.S. version of the movie to be more censored.  If you've read the book then you know exactly what to expect and understand what graphic moments I am alluding to.  If you haven't read the book, just be prepared for a few uncomfortable moments in that theatre chair.

When it comes to following the novel, Dragon seems to do a fairly god job staying true.  Please keep in mind that I have not read the book in a few years.  There are story lines (such as Lisbeth's background with her original guardian) that are not very developed, but that can be expected when you try to fit a 480 page book into a feature film.  My biggest complaint is a HUGE concluding factor that they change in the end, but you will have to watch the film to know what I am referring to.  I don't want to spoil the movie!

I do want to add that you need to make sure you get to the movie on time.  The title sequence is intense and has a lot of really amazing affects that tie in the titles of all three of the "Millennium" trilogy books.  You get to see an interpretation of Lisbeth Salander in a very artistic way… I was hooked to it.  After all, how can a movie not be good when it starts off with the sounds of Led Zeppelin's "Immigrant Song"??  Even if it is a cover...

xoxo,

georgia girl