David Fincher's Version - The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

28-12-2011 02:23PM

johnny_ultimate wrote: »

But it's also hard to view it in complete isolation having seen the previous films and read the book.

Still think the inherent familiarity of the material, and its proximity to the Swedish version, is a problem. While I certainly appreciate Fincher's more intense take on the story (and would have loved if this was adaptation number one), could have personally used a longer gap between adaptations to avoid oversaturation.

It's far too soon after the Swedish version but when you have a property as successful as it is and a cinema audience who seem to despise subtitles it makes sense to jump on it now.

I was really looking forward to Fincher's latest but after watching the Swedish versions a few weeks back and receiving the extended versions for Christmas I think that this is one film I may wait for the Blu before watching.

Tristram · 28-12-2011 02:26PM

livlondon wrote: »

Ok,

I'm afraid to read most of the prior posts but I need to know.

I'm having an arguement with my partner because from the trailer she thinks that its basically nearly a shot for shot remake of the original including the story etc..

My point is that Fincher wouldn't be bothered doing that and it is all a rouse that the trailer looks exactly the same as the original. Whereas he has made a very different film content and style wise.

So is it a very different film or are we going the see the same thing but a 'bit' better?

Saw it last night. Very similar to the original.

johnny_ultimate · 28-12-2011 02:28PM

I think the danger is that a majority of the people who have actually read the Millennium trilogy are more than capable of sitting through a subtitled movie. So I'm curious to see if the potential 'new' audience for this is indeed as large as the studios clearly hope it is. There's the potential for a backlash of sorts, because if anything is in danger of overexposure, it's this franchise.

28-12-2011 02:32PM

johnny_ultimate wrote: »

I think the danger is that a majority of the people who have actually read the Millennium trilogy are more than capable of sitting through a subtitled movie. So I'm curious to see if the potential 'new' audience for this is indeed as large as the studios clearly hope it is. There's the potential for a backlash of sorts, because if anything is in danger of overexposure, it's this franchise.

Clearly from it's box office so far the audience the Studios seems to think that exists out there really isn't that big. I know that Christmas is a bad time to release and R rated thriller but I don't see this being anything but a moderate success. Fans of the books will have seen the Swedish films/TV versions and with reviewers stating how similar they both are most will be happy to wait for the home release.

JennyBurke101 · 28-12-2011 03:43PM

Renn wrote: »

The Bond-esque credits? That was totally out of place imo!

Oh and apologies for being annoying but this isn't a remake

I think that was the problem ...I went to see this with my sister and she said when she seen the Bond-esque credits it set her up for something so different (I still maintain they were amazing though)...she didnt like the film at all! I myself was like wow maybe it is going to be really different from the Swedish one ...but it was kinda the same...

Oh sorry ...an "alternative version then" :P

28-12-2011 05:42PM

JennyBurke101 wrote: »

Renn wrote: »

The Bond-esque credits? That was totally out of place imo!

Oh and apologies for being annoying but this isn't a remake

I think that was the problem ...I went to see this with my sister and she said when she seen the Bond-esque credits it set her up for something so different (I still maintain they were amazing though)...she didnt like the film at all! I myself was like wow maybe it is going to be really different from the Swedish one ...but it was kinda the same...

Oh sorry ...an "alternative version then" :P

Just call it an adaptation. To me an alternative version would be something like Donner's cut of Superman 2 or Helgeland's recutting of Payback.

Fishooks12 · 28-12-2011 06:13PM

Saw this last night and was very impressed, worth noting that I had not read the book or seen the original Swedish adaptation

Rooney was absolutely mesmerising as Sallandar, lifted the film every time she was on screen.

Craig was pretty good too, good chemistry with Rooney .

Opening sequence blew me away and should really be seen in a cinema to be fully appreciated, very bond-esque, with a dark twist.

For the most part Fincher got the pacing spot on, although things started to get a little sloppy towards the end.

It looked great too, wonderfully macabre.

Overall well worth the price of admission, looking forward to reading the books now too

Mr. K · 28-12-2011 07:26PM

I thought Fincher's version was better than the Swedish one. I like his work and Craig thought, so that might be it. It was better shot and the characters seemed deeper. I haven't read the book, but I might do now!

Mindkiller · 28-12-2011 08:23PM

I didn't think the Swedish movie was particularly good. This one more or less improved on every aspect. It's more cinematic, for a start. The chemistry between the two leads was better while it felt a little unconvincing in the Swedish movie. I like that it made a little room for moments of levity (like with the cat). It's a simple enough thriller but a very good one. Don't plan on bothering with the books though.

Sad Professor · 28-12-2011 11:11PM

I thought it was excellent, if perhaps not as quite as good as I was hoping for. After the book and the Swedish original, this is the third version of the story that I've seen and I do feel a bit of fatigue with it. The best thing about the source material is the character of Lisbeth; everything else in the book is very ho-hum. I wish Zaillian had fleshed out the more interesting aspects, but it seems he and Fincher were content with a straight-forward adaptation. This is definitely lesser Fincher and not up to the standards of Zodiac and Se7en. However, I'd still consider it far superior to the Swedish version. The Rapace vs Mara question will be debated for sometime to come. I thought they were both excellent in the role, but Mara is much closer to how I imagined Lisbeth in the book.

Overall I really enjoyed it. Although I'm not sure I want to see Fincher do another two of these. I haven't read the other two books in the series, but from I'd have heard they weren't great.

niallon · 29-12-2011 01:07AM

Never read the book or saw the original, went to see this as a fan of Fincher and in that regard I felt fairly satisified with it, even though it's not as mentioned above anywhere near Zodiac or Se7en. Don't really know if I'd be all that bothered with the sequels though, I'll probably get slated for this but if this features the main aspects of the novel's story then I don't see what the big deal was when the Millenium Trilogy hit bookshelves, fairly average murder mystery stuff to me I though.

WatchWolf · 29-12-2011 01:08AM

Just saw it.

THE RAPE SCENES. MY GOD THE RAPE SCENES O_O

e_e · 29-12-2011 01:19AM

Better to have a rape scene that is repugnant and disgusting rather than one that glamorizes or trivializes it.

Mindkiller · 29-12-2011 01:36AM

I winced when she kicked the big metal doohickey up your man's arse

Bullseye1 · 29-12-2011 11:29AM

I've watched the original trilogy and while the first movie is a stand alone story I was very interested in how Fincher would make this film. Have to say I loved it even the opening titles which were a kind of Bond S&M.

johnny_ultimate · 29-12-2011 03:16PM

Best bit:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xfVJ11GXzXQ

WatchWolf · 29-12-2011 09:10PM

I loved the film, but this scene annoyed me. It reminded me so much of Reservoir Dogs.

Guy 1 plays an ironic pop song while he goes to torture Guy 2. Guy 1 does an obscene act of torture to Guy 2 (Reservoir Dogs = cutting off the ear, TGWTDT = suffocating with a plastic bag). Guy 3 then comes along (Mr. Orange/Lisbeth) and saves Guy 2, shortly killing Guy 1 afterwards.

Kinski · 29-12-2011 10:48PM

WatchWolf wrote: »

I loved the film, but this scene annoyed me. It reminded me so much of Reservoir Dogs.

Me too. But the difference was that Tarantino handled that scene very well, striking a tone that was consistent with the rest of the film. In Dragon Tattoo, the scene just lurched from the horrific to the comic, and the overall effect was to make the whole thing appear pretty silly...which was apt, because it's a very silly movie!

Aside from Lisbeth's entertaining revenge scene, this was pretty bad. I haven't seen the Swedish original, or read the source novel, but I can't imagine either is any better, assuming that the same dumb plot is common to all three.

Melion · 30-12-2011 07:47PM

Watched it the other night, really enjoyed it apart from Daniel Craigs accent, it was all over the place.

Sad Professor · 30-12-2011 07:58PM

I thought he just used his normal accent, no?

Fishooks12 · 30-12-2011 09:28PM

Melion wrote: »

Watched it the other night, really enjoyed it apart from Daniel Craigs accent, it was all over the place.

It was just his own accent

johnny_ultimate · 30-12-2011 11:49PM

Yeah Craig's was far from the worst accentuation on display here.

I still can never quite get past actors speaking English but in a foreign accent. Just a little pet peeve of mine.

Zero-Cool · 31-12-2011 12:36AM

Just saw it, brilliant. Preferred it to the original. Anyone have a link to the intro, was class. Can't see it on Youtube, prob only cam versions out if asny

gravity12 · 31-12-2011 12:42AM

Here's the intro on pitchfork that was put up a few weeks ago, it doesn't look like the complete finished version.

http://pitchfork.com/news/44843-video-trent-reznor-and-karen-o-cover-led-zeppelins-immigrant-song/

Ellian · 01-01-2012 06:06PM

Saw it yesterday and thought it was better than the original. I thought Mara was amazing in it. One bit that did annoy me

The scene where Martin gets up from dinner to close the door after they heard the screaming - which Bloomkvist assumes to be the wind. This super careful serial killer who later makes a point of stating how his father was careless leaving bodies all over the country and who built a sound proof murder dungeon in his house - which is hidden behind a security door and a fake wall, just accidentally leave the door open on the same night that he has a guest over. Not buying that for a second and it really annoyed me

My favourite bit was

when Lisbeth asked "May I kill him?"

Sad Professor · 01-01-2012 06:21PM

Ellian wrote: »

Saw it yesterday and thought it was better than the original. I thought Mara was amazing in it. One bit that did annoy me
The scene where Martin gets up from dinner to close the door after they heard the screaming - which Bloomkvist assumes to be the wind. This super careful serial killer who later makes a point of stating how his father was careless leaving bodies all over the country and who built a sound proof murder dungeon in his house - which is hidden behind a security door and a fake wall, just accidentally leave the door open on the same night that he has a guest over. Not buying that for a second and it really annoyed me

I'm pretty sure that actually was the wind. Although from the look on Martin's face, he was probably wondering if he really did a leave a door open.

That was just a little nudge to the book readers in the audience from Fincher.

Ellian · 01-01-2012 06:34PM

Sad Professor wrote: »

I'm pretty sure that actually was the wind. Although from the look on Martin's face, he was probably wondering if he really did a leave a door open.
That was just a little nudge to the book readers in the audience from Fincher.

You might be right. I'll check it again on DVD

Irish Aris · 01-01-2012 07:37PM

I found it generally enjoyable.
In the first hour with the (kind of) parallel stories I found the Lisbeth story far more interesting. And Rooney Mara is absolutely amazing!!!

candy-gal1 · 02-01-2012 12:50PM

went to see this last week, really really loved it.
id only read the first book, and not long ago either so wasnt entirely sure what to expect from the movie, but i couldnt fault it tbh, by far the best movie ive seen in a long time.

SK1979 · 02-01-2012 10:20PM

Went to see this last week and really really enjoyed it. I hadn't read the books or seen the Swedish versions and for some reason sort of had an impression that the books were chick books, but my god the film was impressive. Some incredibly rough scenes in it too.

As others have said, Rooney Mara is amazing.

Is Fincher signed up to direct the next two as well?

David Fincher's Version - The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

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