Based on the novel by Stieg Larsson, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo tells the story of Mikael Blomkvist (Daniel Craig), a man in pursuit of uncovering the mystery revolving around a girl rumored to have been murdered forty years prior. With the aid of professional computer hacker, Lisbeth Salander (Rooney Mara), Blomkvist discovers much more than the mystery he anticipated.
The movie, complemented by the subplots of the two main characters, is a patchwork of three different storylines. The lack of cohesive transitions make the different plots appear like separate movies sewn together by thread and circumstance. The stories of Lisbeth and Mikael are emphasized to the point that the main plot seems to have ebbed away until it was suddenly brought back up again. Mara’s acting gives an aura of aloofness and trouble that is Lisbeth Salander – nose piercing, tattoos, and a personality that radiates danger. Craig, on the other hand, shows a certain professional demeanor that rings out a James Bond feel rather than a Mikael Blomkvist.
The movie, however, was executed with incredible attention to detail in every scene, even if some scenes bordered on being needlessly dragging. This English version, directed by David Fincher, resembles the 2009 version by Niels Arden Oplev. Despite certain similarities in execution, this version gives off an entirely different feel from the first film. The first was more, as Roger Ebert has said, “sober and grown up” while this version plays more on the thrill and mystery of the story.
The movie is worth seeing on the big screen, provided that you are eighteen years old and above. It is interesting, compelling, and will keep viewers glued to their seats until the last minute.
