Bless you, reader, for sticking with me throughout that insufferable rambling, but you must understand that for me not writing for weeks, things needed to be said. We finally come to the topic of the post, which is, if you haven't guessed by the title reference, my pseudo-review of David Fincher's The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, the American adaption of the (fantastic) novel of the same name by Swedish author Steig Larsson.
With ease, I read the book within a two week time period, but given that I read it during the height of my first semester, I'd say my feat was impressive. It isn't so surprising, then, to hear my report that the book is bloody fantastic. While I was initially leery because of the prolonged and somewhat slow start - which I realize is a definite necessity to establish the complexity of the upcoming plot - the book quickly switched into a high gear nearly doubling its intensity with every page turn. Perhaps what made my reading experience more enjoyable was the mystery of the plot itself: I don't mean to sound egotistical, but usually conclusions to books or films are predictable if not logical and predictable to me, but I can honestly that the conclusion to the murder-mystery left me awestruck and I could hardly see it coming. (I wish I could say the same about its sequel, The Girl who Played with Fire, but I actually correctly guessed a large part of the ending a couple hundred pages in; it was still a fantastic and gripping read, and in addition to my inevitable creative writing derived from procrastination, I'm sure I'll launch into The Girl who Kicked the Hornet's Nest - I've only read the first chapter to make satisfy my aching heart left wounded from the second book's cliffhanger - as an escape from my studies) Within minutes of finishing Dragon Tattoo I sped towards the nearest computer screen and took in the 2009 Swedish film adaption, eager to see the words onscreen. I also think it's worth noting that I enjoy foreign films, even though the ones I have the opportunity to watch are probably the more "mainstream" ones, but I've never let the idea of subtitles deter me from watching a movie or discrediting its value because I have to actually engage myself at a higher level - goodness, the thought! That being said, it was not because the film was in Swedish that I disliked it - unfortunately I was accused of that by someone when revealing I disliked the adaption. I'm not usually a book purist (that is, I don't watch movies and complain about slight deviations from source material; the Harry Potter movies are nearly flawless and they changed the books heavily), but the unnecessary changes to the plot were somewhat jarring and, honestly, uncomfortable. The logical mystery deduction was removed from the Swedish film - an aspect that largely fascinated me about the book, specifically the work with the photographs - and the film, therefore, somewhat felt more heavy handed in its leading the audience through its overly complex plot. That being said, the performance of Noomi Rapace as the antihero Lisbeth Salander was still very incredible.
But, damnit, I prefer Rooney Mara.
Usually - and I've blogged on this subject once before - I'm against remakes. They're truly unnecessary. Truthfully, I like the logic behind it: yes, remakes work toward the broadening of a film's accessibility to a newer audience, whether it to a new generation (with, say, A Nightmare on Elm Street starring, oh, look, Rooney Mara!) or to a present society seemingly against the idea of reading subtitles while watching movies. However, what is in theory is not always translated: I would be on board with the idea of remaking Hollywood classics or whatever else if the remakes were actually good, but remakes usually exist merely as slaps in the face to its predecessors. Naturally, then, I was leery of the American Dragon Tattoo on principle, even though I wasn't necessarily a fan of the original to begin with. The moment I knew it was David Fincher at the helm - the director of Se7en and Fight Club and Zodiac and The Social Network and need I say more? - my faith was restored. (I'd consider Fincher to be one of my favourite directors, actually, up there with Tarantino and Nolan - his visual style is delicious) The trailer to the remake was, I would honestly say, the best trailer for a movie I've ever seen, trumping even Watchmen's trailer which was miles better than the movie itself. My anticipation grew like a wild fire, and upon hearing that the release of the film was pushed forward by a day, I became satisfied in knowing I'd get to see the movie one day sooner.
What is The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo about, you might say? (I've been asked the question a few times, and when faced with offering a synopsis, I struggle) As simply put as possible, it's a graphic mystery. On more elaborate terms, the movie (now I'm fully speaking of the film at hand) follows two protagonists: the first, a disgraced journalist named Mikael Blomkvist (Daniel Craig) is hired by Henrik Vanger, an elderly Swedish businessman, to investigate the disappearance and murder of his niece, Harriet, forty years prior to the action of the narrative; the second, a hard-edged and simply badass researcher Lisbeth Salander (Rooney Mara, who will be nominated for the Best Actress Oscar - mark me - and she will hopefully win), who the film initially follows through her struggles with an abusive guardian before she is pulled into the Harriet Vanger investigation alongside Blomkvist. (Lisbeth had previously written a report on him, and its in-depth content - suggesting her hacking of his personal files - alerted Blomkvist to her researching [and hacking] abilities) As I quickly mentioned, the film deals with the investigation into the strange disappearance, and as a familiar viewer I was still as pleased with the intricate mode of investigation as ever. Note, a few sentence ago, that I described the film as a "graphic mystery;" there's a ton of violence and nudity and profanity and, most unfortunately, rape. The scenes of rape were far less horrific than the ones in the original, but that doesn't mean that they weren't any less horrible to watch - they were. I wish I could be able to say the rape was necessary, but I wouldn't even convince myself if that were the case. Instead, I'll state fact: the books were written as a response to violence against women, and by labeling the female protagonist as a rape victim grounds her in a very real-world problem, though it also functions as a device to inspire sympathy for Lisbeth as well as an excuse for her borderline psychotic tendencies. Still, she's a damn badass.
I thought the film was incredible. As mentioned, I love David Fincher's visual style, and the film was no exception: it was gorgeously shot, streamlike and glacial, layered with a fantastic score. Worth mentioning are the opening credits: holy shit. I can't begin to explain them - set to a cover of "The Immigrant Song" by Yeah Yeah Yeahs frontwoman Karen O - but damn, I would see the movie for a third time on the basis of seeing the credits once again. (okay, I wouldn't, because I loved the movie so much that I would see it again anyways, and I can't wait to add it to my personal collection) I guess I can attempt a vague description: strange.. strange imagery, people made of a black substance, splashing together and snaking and setting itself ablaze and sprouting wings and okay, see, that sounds absolutely ludicrous, but I'm not kidding when I say they are stunning. And hell, that's five minutes into the movie: there's still the movie to get to. Like I've said, the visuals are stunning, and it seems somewhat crude to notice set or composition or lighting while a character is getting beaten up or shot. Again, as I've shed a glimpse of light onto, I believe that Rooney Mara's Lisbeth is deserving of an Oscar, and I truly wish her all the best not only with this upcoming award season but also with her future career which I'm sure will explode. The commitment is astounding: gone is a beautiful girl with wide eyes and long brown hair; instead on screen is a hardened young girl with varying stages of mohawk with bleached eyebrows and piercings everywhere (Mara actually pierced her eyebrow and nose and lip and nipple for the role) and tattoos, among them the large spanning dragon on her left shoulder blade giving rise to the title itself. She, like the rest of the cast, speak in Swedish accents, and Lisbeth's drawl and hint of sarcasm is, for the lack of a better term, pleasurable to hear. (I do like her voice a lot) Rooney Mara makes the film her own, yet the entire spectrum of the cast offers a solid performance. Something funny to note is the carelessness of every characters' smoking and drinking: in fact, every scene involves some sort of substance abuse, appearing as careless as the sex between certain characters whose names I will omit (but are probably guessable) for the sake of not spoiling those who have yet to see the film. And, yes, see the film. The conclusion of the remake diverges from the close of the book - a commercial just came on TV and I still get chills at the images as well as a sudden shudder of pain as I noticed said advertisement contained a flash of a certain kick from one of the rape scenes - but dare I say it improves upon the novel slightly in its offering of a more logical outcome.
I say to you: go see The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. I would list it among the top five films of the year, and I would honestly see it for the third time; I would wager that that speaks volumes - I'm so familiar with the outcome of the mystery and yet I'm still so eager to rewitness the film. Go see it. And take me with you.
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