The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Didn't I write this review already? Okay, no, not really. But the sense of déjà vu pierces nonetheless because it was only last year that the Swedish adaptation of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (not called that in Sweden, though) made its way over to North America. Now we already have a newfangled Hollywood version courtesy of grim, often gripping director David Fincher. And the result is, well, almost the same movie. With prettier people, though (Hollywood seems to have a more flattering perspective on Scandinavian beauty than the Swedes themselves). It makes for an odd viewing experience, because it's like watching a Fincher-ized version of Niels Arden Oplev's initial take on the material.

This version is more attractive, more stately, more visually refined, but it's still the same story, told in the same fashion with the same settings, the same flashes of violence, and the same tone. Being based on the same book will definitely inspire some, well, sameness, but outside of pristine imagery and a fantastic score (Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross have composed another solid set of music tracks for their second team-up with Fincher), this movie feels needlessly similar to the point of being a basic cash grab and little more.

Refusing to move the story to an American location and instead insisting on keeping it in Sweden may be an easy way to appease fans, but it instantly narrows the potential gap of difference between this version and the other one. And I want some difference! I just don't see the point in putting a fancy filter on top of the old version and acting like it's a whole new movie. But the decision to keep the story in Sweden makes even less sense considering how few of the major cast members are Swedish and that everyone seems to be inventing their own accent, while speaking English no less. Whatever the hell Robin Wright is attempting here, I don't like it.

At the very least, Daniel Craig makes a more interesting Mikael Blomkvist (the disgraced journalist who holes up in a snowy island village to help solve a forty-year-old murder mystery) than did Michael Nyqvist. The character is still a bore, but Craig's steely demeanour hints at something resembling an actual personality (the last guy looked as though he'd been the victim of some sort of pod person takeover). This new casting isn't a huge consolation, although it marks a minor upgrade from the last time we saw a big-screen Blomkvist sucking the air out of the room (or theatre).

Temporarily ignoring the inconsistencies in accents, the supporting players get by well enough, without anyone else adding much to the experience or taking away from it either. Christopher Plummer is his usual regal self and I'll always enjoy watching him, but his performance here is acceptably workmanlike and nothing more. Since this is the Hollywood version set in Sweden, it should surprise no one that Stellan Skarsgård (aka the most famous Swede in Hollywood) shows up and does his usual gravelly voiced shtick well enough to earn his place and yet still be predictably underwhelming. A fitting fate for the players in this franchise.

In this crowd of familiar faces, only Rooney Mara stands out as the sole unique presence in the movie. Of course, this once again matches up smoothly with the Swedish movie, where Noomi Rapace's portrayal of the titular character was the movie's only memorable performance. Mara's version of fierce heroine Lisbeth Salander differs from Rapace's in subtle terms and it is a testament to the talent of both women that they each manage to tackle the iconic character and make the role their own. Mara's lithe physique captures the seeming fragility of the character and the juxtaposition of her distorted youthfulness and her fearless ferocity is effectively explored. Something about the Lisbeth character seems to demand complete commitment and Mara inhabits her character's skin entirely.

Outside of Lisbeth, the movie has little to offer and the narrative chugs along with scant imagination, being sure to fit quite easily into the worn grooves of the bland crime procedural drama template. It still strikes me as odd that Blomkvist pieces together the mystery through a photographic puzzle that, while requiring a certain amount of detailed attention to be uncovered, still seems like the kind of clue that should have been examined somewhere in the past forty years of the narrative's timeline. Once the pieces start to fall into place, it's all a little too convenient, but then again, convenience is often a main ingredient in pulpy mystery plots.

Aside from its sharper look (Jeff Cronenweth's digital photography is nice and crisp, although his penchant for chilly blues and sickly yellows is somewhat tiresome), this version of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo has little to separate itself from the other version, and so a couple third act alterations are made. It's a lazy attempt to carve out a more discernible identity and the new twist hardly makes any sense. I really can't think of any defendable reason for the change, but I'm sure it sounded like a good idea to someone. A second alteration at the end is equally misguided and even tonally inappropriate. I don't need to be a purist to recognize that these changes are ridiculous.

But I haven't been a fan of this franchise since I read the book. So it wasn't a big surprise that I didn't much care for the Swedish movie and it's certainly no surprise that I don't care for this version, either. Fincher's take on The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is surrounded by the ultimate buffer zone. Love the book? You'll probably love this movie (well, except for the aforementioned alterations). Love the Swedish movie? Aside from that sense of déjà vu, you'll probably love this, too. Love the translated book, but hate subtitles? Ding ding ding! We have a winner! This is a safe and clinically clean adaptation with a built-in audience that needs no recommendation or condemnation. I don't understand the allure of this Dragon Tattoo, but I don't need to. I already wrote this review. I didn't get it then and I still don't now.