Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: atticus ross, daniel craig, david fincher, dragon tattoo, lisbeth salander, movies, reviews, rooney mara, stieg larsson, trent reznor
I’m aware: I’m in the minority when I say I didn’t really care for David Fincher’s vision of “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo.” But that might be my fault for not reading the books or having any preconceived notions on what to expect. I walked into that theater fresh-eyed and open-minded about a new film starring big name actors I enjoy (Daniel Craig, Christopher Plummer) and a director who recently wowed me with “The Social Network.” Yet at the other end of 2 hours and 37 minutes I can confidently say “Dragon” leaves much to be desired. Although that’s not to say I didn’t enjoy myself on that same spectrum.
If you saw “The Social Network” then you know what you’re getting into with Fincher’s cinematic style. It’s sleek, it’s stylish, and every scene oozes with soft edges and dark palettes. For being nearly 3 hours, “Dragon” is exceptionally well-paced and only near the end did I start squirming a little bit. To that end, it’s a lot of fun seeing how much of Fincher’s imprint is on the film, making it feel like you’re truly watching a labour of love instead of another film adaptation of the fantastically popular book (with the same name– in case you didn’t already know). Since the film has so much style, you can bet all the characters look damn good pretty much all the time as well. Everybody is decked out in the highest end apparel that looks like Banana Republic + five hundred dollars. This caught my eye as it made me think of other classy thrillers like Mission: Impossible and James Bond, giving the film a positive, familiar vibe.
Where things dipped off for me was in the suspense. As the movie scrolls along and each plot point gets revealed, I found myself neither shocked nor startled at any point. The mystery is all but absent and the only reaction I had to key moments was, “Well… that happened, I guess.” While the story is very, very good and plenty deep, the empathy never came. What’s more is that the murders taking place are exceptionally grisly and horrific– the lore behind them is extremely tantalizing, yet we never really go past the facts: “This is what’s happening, this is why. Done.” I would like to have seen a deeper investigation into the rationale of the murders (which very well might happen in the book).
Right as the movie should have ended… it keeps going. This is where I found myself getting frustrated with the length. I’m almost a hundred percent positive that readers of the book saw no complaints in this, yet those who went to see a movie on its own merit probably will agree. It drags on an extra 20-30 minutes that certainly round out the film nicely… but that’s me being polite. Tighter editing could have surely taken place.
High points? The acting; the score. Both are fantastic. Craig is spot fucking on and Rooney Mara is stupendous as the troubled Lisbeth Salander. A particular rape scene is amazingly executed and the aftermath where she gets to act like a totally justified yet crazed out bitch is not only electrifying, but utterly cringe worthy. And of course, the entire cast is just exceptionally well-rounded, everyone putting on a performance like their character truly matters. No side person is too small in this movie. I’m sure I don’t have to really dive any further into it, but Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross nail the soundtrack per usual. For my money, I’d say this is a better score than “The Social Network,” their moody stamp making the film truly dark and mystifying.
In the end I just didn’t care about what was happening. Even though there was so much happening all the time, I found myself too caught up in the pace and not necessarily the story. It seems Fincher did a great job doing the book justice, but maybe that’s not all there is to a film adaptation. Sometimes I wish the film would just be a version of the original piece. But then again, that is always a fine line to trod and I salute Fincher for his lengthy and honest variation.
“The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo” is no doubt a unique movie. It’s visual presentation is nothing less than striking and almost a week later the imagery is still coming up in my thoughts. And really, I did enjoy myself. I just don’t have any cause to rave about it like most other viewers.
Daniel Craig & Rooney Mara
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I think (and I have yet to see the movie, for the record) that the initial rave reviews are only because it’s a Fincher film, in the next year or so The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo will have entirely fallen off of the map.
Good review!
Comment by Matt Stewart December 31, 2011 @ 1:51 amhah, thank you! glad to see someone speaking with some objectivity… if you do see it, please drop by again and share your thoughts. it’s been pretty divided on what people think (those whom I’ve discussed it with).
Comment by Stephen December 31, 2011 @ 1:58 am