I will warn you right now that while I will attempt to be delicate, this post will more than likely have some spoilers, both from the book and the movie. Skip to the all caps at the bottom if you want to avoid them and get my final verdict instead.
The movie, overall, is beautifully made. I can honestly say that I've never before had the thought "I'd like to vacation in Sweden", but it's definitely in my brain now. I feel like I may get blasted for this next comment, but, while I enjoyed the movie, part of me thinks that the reason it has gotten so many great reviews and award nominations is because people wanted it to be the best book to feature ever with the best cast possible, not because it actually is. Again, don't get me wrong! I did enjoy the film, but am I convinced its as good as it could have been? I am not.
My main issue with the movie is not that the filmography wasn't great [it was], or that the score was terrible [it was fabulous, thankyouverymuch], or that the actors timing was too fast [it was]. My main issue with the movie is that it absolutely butchers the book. Now, I understand that it is nearly impossible to take a 600 page book and put it into a two and a half hour movie without leaving some things out or changing it at all, but the changes that were made here and the things that were left out were SO drastic that it kind of left a bad taste in my mouth. There are, in my opinion, a few certain key parts of the book [here come your spoilers].
The first key part of the book is when Mikael goes to Hedestad to meet with Henrik Vanger. This was covered adequately in the movie.
The second is Mikael's affair with Cecilia Vanger and his subsequent suspicion that she may have been heavily involved in Harriett's murder. This was completely discarded from the film.
The third is Lisbeth's relationship with her nursing home bound mother and her eventual death. This also, is completely discarded from the film and actually twisted so that the role of the decrepit mother is replaced by Lisbeth's former guardian who actually dies in the book.
The fourth is the rape scene which was covered adequately and thankfully wasn't quite as graffic as the book.
The fifth is the unfolding of the relationship between Lisbeth and Mikael. This of course is included in the movie, but it felt rushed to me.
The sixth is the scene in Martin's basement which I thought was done very, very well. My only complaint there is that in the movie its made to look as though Lisbeth drove Martin off the road which resulted in his death when, actually, he commits suicide.
The sixth and one of the most important revelations of the book is that Harriet Vanger was not murdered at all but is alive and well in Australia. The movie completely changes the story here, rushes the revelation, and cheapens what was one of the most exciting portions of the book. At this point in the film I literally whispered "David Fincher is dead to me" [sorry, Nuni].
I do understand that a lot of studios and directors want to stay away from Titanic length feature films, but in the case of this movie, I think an extra thirty minutes would have served them very well. It would've have given them enough time to stay true to the original story if nothing else. The movie felt as though it was flying [but I say that in a good way] and I could hardly believe when it was over that it was two and a half hours long. Because of that, I don't think an extra 30 minutes would've bothered me one bit.
FINAL VERDICT: 4 out of 5 Friends. I probably would've given it more if I wasn't so mad about the changes.
MY FINAL TWO CENTS: If you plan to read the book at all, read it after seeing the movie. If you don't, you'll likely be extremely disappointed.
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