The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo (US) Pre-Release Discussion - Page 4

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Originally Posted by roboTimKelly 

They needed to save those last 30 minutes for the beginning of the next one, or at least chopped it down considerably. Once the mystery is solved all of the tension just melts away. I really liked the film but that epilogue feels flat.

It did feel like once they wrapped up everything with Harriet that the movie was sort of dragging. Still, I was invested in the budding romance between Mikael and Lisabeth, which is partially what they're trying to convey with this section I suppose.

There is nothing in any of the reactions here that convinces me that this is anything but mediocre. Looks like Fincher is continuing his 50/100 batting average. The guy may be a great director, but he's only half of one.

It's not mediocre. It's just a very good movie (spun from unremarkable source material) from a director coming off of near-masterpiece material. Fincher's still on fire, but you just don't get scripts like Sorkin's all that often.

Pretty much what Renn said. It's a really, really good (sparingly great) picture that still deserves your attention.

I think it's time to start a post-release thread for this.

I'm definitely seeing it in the theater for my column. I just wish I was hearing that he had improved on the source material. You know, like how a great director should.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bradito 

This version and the book both suffer from the problem of resolving the central mystery late in act two and then devoting way, way too much time on Blomqvist's crusade against Wennerstrom in an overlong third act.

 

Still, Fincher's film makes great use of Enya's "Sail Away."

I hated this. HATED this.

One of my pet peeves is when someone uses music in a movie without knowing anything about the artist whatsoever. I feel like the idea of the serial killer listening to Enya is a dumb joke. But Orinoco Flow? The ONE Enya song that everyone and their grandma listens to? The theme music for Carribbean cruises or something? I mean, if someone's going to put on Enya (she has a number of albums), WHY would you start blaring "Orinco Flow"? NO ONE would do that. It's like if someone in a movie put on a radio and started playing "Lust For Life" or something.
 

Quote:

Originally Posted by SeanCE 

Enough of this movie, when is THE GOON out?

Last I heard from Fincher, never.

Problem is, knocking out a good adaptation of a book doesn't really cut it when by most accounts a pretty good adaptation was already made a couple of years ago. Again, I don't think the book is the piece of shit a lot of people are trying to paint it as - it's a decent enough genre thriller. But at its core it's a straightforward whodunnit mystery and it never had the innate cinematic potential of something like The Godfather. Bringing Lisbeth to life is about the only compelling reason to make it, and seeing as someone apparently did a pretty good job of that already you have to wonder why it needs to exist, other than to make some cash.

I skimmed through the original film on Netflix Instant.  The only thing I really noticed is that Fincher really just pushed Lisbeth into 'more alien' territory.  Seeing the original after seeing the remake first, I didn't think Rapace's Lisbeth was all that remarkable.  This is not to discount her performance at all.  Just noting that it wasn't as mannered as Fincher pushed Mara to be.

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Originally Posted by Gabe T 

Last I heard from Fincher, never.

 Oh...

Oh, I thought she was great.  I was only talking about the difference in how much Lisbeth's surface ticks and characteristics were pushed in Fincher's movie.  That was in regards to someone's comment about Fincher's motives for taking this project were mostly about her character.

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Originally Posted by Judas Booth 

From what I've seen in the trailers, Mara appears to externalize the character's feelings much more overtly.

Yep.  That's what I was trying to get across. 

So would you take Mara's version of Salander over Rapace?

Haven't seen the new film yet. But i've read the books and saw the 3 Swedish films. My only issue with Rapace is that she was way too old to be playing Salander (Lisbeth's only a teen in the books).

I don't think she's a teen in the books, I think she just looks like one. Which makes that boob job bullshit in the second book so much more creepy.

Caught this last night. I didn't know what the books were about, held off on watching the Swedish version once I learned Fincher was doing it and only knew it was about serial murder and had a rough rape scene. That said, it wasn't what I was hoping it'd be but it was still very, very solid. Lisbeth... what a hell of a character, and a great job done by Rooney.

I buy Rooney more as the character. Rapace for some reason to me seemed out of place.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gabe T 

Also, the serial killer listens to Enya. I couldn't think of a reason for this other than a dumb Scandanavian har-de-har.

Per Fincher, that was Craig's idea.

Good film, enjoyed it a lot, and more then the Swedish Version.  Fincher continues his streak of good films.

Okay, is it me, or the opening credits, was that Fincher, doing his Anti-Bond credits?  Full song, crazy visuals... just struck me as a darker Jamers Bond opening. 

Man, he'd make a great Bond film... maybe him and Craig working together will make it happen?

Wow, I loved it!  Rooney was a perfect Salander.  I thought Noomi brought a feral strength to it and was the best thing about the Swedish film, but Rooney Mara brought real vulnerability to the character especially in her final scene but all the way throughout.  What a fascinating scene the climax is, with roles completely reversed from standard fare.  That's pure Stieg Larsson but I think Fincher really punctuated it in a way only he can.  And Christopher Plummer was awesome.  Brilliant flick, my favorite so far of the year I think. 

NickP, I love your comparison to the traditional Bond opening, so true, but through a pitch black mirror.

I wish I thought Lisbeth wasn't an obnoxious character.

That sucks, Lauren.  Did you see the Fincher movie yet?

The Swedish version left me very cold and I was kind of expecting the same for this one. Nope. This makes the original version seem like a fan film. Everything is just better. From the pacing, to the plot, to the characters, Fincher brings his A game. I cared about everyone. Rapace was great, but as yt said, it's Mara who makes Lisbeth human, more than just her character line of 'mentally unstable hacker awesome chick'. She wasn't just some male fantasy this time around, but with feelings and vulnerabilities and it broke my heart to see her at the end. I might be misremembering, but did the Swedish film end like that, too? I remember so little of it now. Craig is excellent, totally non-Bond. Here, it didn't feel like "opening, MYSTERY!, related to opening finishing" but everything flowed into one another (again, could be misremembering). Big credit to Steve Zaillian for dulling the edges just a tad, letting us into the characters headspace more than the original. And Fincher, Jesus...confident film-making. It was a damn long movie, it never once felt like it. I was in from the opening credits (which are seriously, seriously great).

I cannot get over how surprised I am that I enjoyed this so damn much.

Yeah I have, and I didn't like it. Fincher shoots the shit out of the film, and everybody's giving it their A-Game, but it feels so empty to me. Admittedly I don't like the source material, but I liked the cast, Fincher, and Zaillian enough to give the movie a chance and nothing worked for me.

Also Mikhail is basically Tin-Tin, only grim and gritty. He even basically goes up against Nazis for fuck's sake.

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Originally Posted by LaurenOrtega 

Also Mikhail is basically Tin-Tin, only grim and gritty. He even basically goes up against Nazis for fuck's sake.

His hair isn't as nice.

For some reason, I'm cracking up imagining the somewhat condescending attitude Fincher has when he talks, given Christopher Plummer's characterization. In the original he's this sullen old man, terrified that a killer is taunting him. Here, he's just like, Oh, I'm hiring a detective, how fun! Do you want to meet my family? TOTAL douchebags, all of them! Ha ha!

Our Tag-Team review: http://www.chud.com/77894/tag-team-review-the-girl-with-the-dragon-tattoo/

Yeah this thing is a 2 hour 40 minute dud.  I liked at the end when it became about off-shore accounts in the Cayman islands, you know, after they stopped the murderer 30 minutes earlier.  Fincher brings all the bells and whistles but I feel this is a case where you just can't polish a turd (cinematically speaking).

For me Fincher continues his "one good, one shitty" film average.  Which means that 20,000 Leagues or whatever's next will be great.

I'm seeing the "offshore accounts adventure" snark in several places, and I just love that the film becoming about money transfers has become a dig against the guy who made the reading of affidavits exciting less than a year ago.

Is the second film definitely a go?  The box office has been disappointing for this.

It was never a go. More for Fincher than anything else.

Came really close to love for this. Totally invested, even in the unimportant stuff. Fincher is just a master of making potentially boring stuff fascinating. If you're not expecting another masterpiece, this is a very engaging thriller with a really nice performance at the center. Only qualm is that I think the length isn't entirely necessary, and will likely hurt it in a second viewing. Or more accurately, make multiple viewings a notch less likely.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gabe T 

 

Last I heard from Fincher, never.

 

Fincher still seems confident that financing for The Goon will fall into place and the ball will actually get rolling in 2012.  Granted it could easily fall apart (and it has before), but I'd say we might possibly see it hit theaters in 2014 if he can pull it off.

In other news, his versions of 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea and Cleopatra are still very much in the works as well.  So is Black Hole.  Rama is virtually dead to him at this point though.

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Originally Posted by rainbowtrout 

Is the second film definitely a go?  The box office has been disappointing for this.

Fincher is still talking about shooting the second and third films back-to-back, with Zaillian presumably almost done with the script for Fire and promising he can complete Hornet's Nest in time too.  So..............................who knows?

I guess it really boils down to whether the studio wants to push forward with the franchise regardless of a disappointing opening.  Fincher seems game though.  This could easily go either way.