The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011) Film 21/50

If Daniel Craig showed up on my doorstep uninvited, I'd let him in, too.

Back in January, I promised that I'd eventually get around to seeing this film (having read the book and seen the Swedish version). Now to compare and contrast them all.

First, comparing the 2011 film to the book: I am pleased. They cut what needed to be cut and managed to do so without destroying the story or its characters. Rooney Mara was excellent as Lisbeth Salander, fully deserving of her Oscar nom. Overall the movie was well cast, although I do feel that they may have cut a bit too much from Henrik Vanger's character. In the book, Vanger checks in with Blomkvist regularly. This film version of the story has him provide the setup for the investigation and then promptly hides him away until the very end. And with an actor like Christopher Plummer playing the part, you'd think they would have given him a bit more screen time.

As for how this movie fares in comparison to the 2009 film, I am even more pleased. The Swedish film destroyed any strength Mikael Blomkvist had in the book. While Craig may not appear as "badass" in this film as he did in Casino Royale, his take on Blomkvist far superior to Mikael Nyqvist's. With regards to comparing Noomi Rapace and Mara in their interpretations of the titular character, the two performances are equally impressive. If I had to pick one over the other, I'd go with Mara. Her Lisbeth had a hint of humor driving her that Rapace's lacked. As for the rest, I just have to say the 2011 film wins purely based on the addition of Enya's Orinoco Flow at a pivotal moment towards the end. Hands down the best use of that song ever.

That's the basic rundown. Of the two films, the 2011 version was clearly my favorite. I'll have to check out the next book in the series in preparation for screening The Girl Who Played with Fire (2009).