Nerdy MJ Reviews The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo (Swedish Version)

***WARNING MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS***

Title: The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo

Director: Niels Arden Oplev

Writer(s): Nikolaj Arcel, Rasmus Heisterberg, Stieg Larsson

Starring: Noomi Rapace, Micheal Nyqvist, Lena Endre

This is a movie I've been looking forward to watching for quite some time ever since I read the first book in the Millennium trilogy. However, I'd like to give a word of warning to anyone who, like myself, is new to the world of the trilogy and is reading it for the first time: Do NOT watch this movie before you finish the series. Just don't. It is filled with spoilers and foreshadowing that could potentially ruin the series for you.
Anyway, with that aside, I would just like to say that this movie was amazing and it's kind of making me question whether or not I should even bother with the American version of the film. But don't worry, I will be watching it if only to compare the two. I do, however, have some complaints about this version, which is the original Swedish film.
As far as casting goes, it's my opinion that the only character they nailed 110% was that of Lisbeth Salander. Noomi Rapace did an amazing job and did nothing to dampen the fangirl crush I've been harboring on the character because, seriously, Salander is just so f*cking cool. As for the characters of Mikeal Blomkvist and Erika Berger, well, let's just say the choices could have been a lot better. Like a lot a lot.
Okay, okay, Micheal Nyqvist didn't do a bad job as Blomkvist. The acting certainly fit the character,and if I'm being honest here my only real complaint is that he did not at all fit the Blomkvist I was picturing inside my head.
The cast choice for Berger kind of makes me cringe, though. I mean, in the book she's described as this cultured, sexy, much talked about magazine editor that has an on-going polyamorous relationship with Blomkvist for more than twenty years. That's a long time, and I get that she's supposed to be middle-aged, but in the movie, I can't help but think that she looks....Like.....Well, the exact opposite of that!

See this -- this is her! This is Erika Berger! Obviously!

I mean, for real, I just can't look at this picture without wondering when the last time she picked up a comb was. I guess that's probably more the costumes department fault than hers, but Lena Endre would be the last choice I'd make for Berger if I had a chance to make this movie over again. Maybe I'll come to like her in later films or something, but I just...I just...I can't.
She is so not right for this role to me.
Another complaint I have about the movie is that the foreshadowing -- AKA spoilers -- seemed really unnecessary. I mean, I guess they help to give us a bit of insight into Salander's character, but anyone who has the read the books would not need that insight and the incident brought to light by this foreshadowing wasn't even mentioned in the first book. They just threw it in the first movie just because!
Or more than likely for lazy people who decided they didn't want to read the books first, but I don't feel like being nice to them -- I was in the middle of the second book when I watched this. They spoiled parts of it for me very badly. If I had known about these spoilers beforehand, I would have NEVER watched this while I was in the middle of the trilogy. I would have waited and watched the whole thing in one sitting.
Spoilers and one less than ideal casting choice aside, this was still an amazing movie. Oplev and the writers did a hell of a job with making sure it stayed close to the book's dark, controversial, and somewhat disturbing plot and stay close it did indeed.The production value of the film wasn't great, though. I remember thinking more than once that it looked like a bad made for TV film, but that doesn't take much away from the film and certainly is not something to hold against it. I was on the edge of my seat throughout the entire movie and can't wait to watch the second and third films. Which I will be doing as soon as I finish the trilogy.
In the end, I'm going to award the movie eight of ten stars because everything aside -- which isn't much -- Oplev did a damn good job with this movie and despite its flaws, I'm jumping up and down in my seat with excitement at the idea of watching the next movies. Would I recommend this movie to everyone?
To everyone, no. If you can't stand subtitles, well then quite frankly this movie is not for you and I feel bad for you because I learned the hard way that some of the greatest movies of all time never even make it to the States much less get translated or remade in English. And if you dislike extreme violence, then yeah, stay far, far away from this movie. Like as far away as you can possibly get because this movie just like the book is not for the faint of heart.
Everyone else, though, do not miss this movie. I don't care that it's a couple years old or you didn't like the books or whatever. Just watch the damn movie.