The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet's Nest

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

By some accounts the film trilogy hasn't lived up to the book and slightly reduced some of the characters, particularly the main character. However, having not read them, I have enjoyed the previous two films as they are- the first (Dragon Tattoo) being a riproaring thriller about foiling some bad evil paedophile ex-nazis, the second (...Who Played With Fire) an unremittingly grim and difficult twisty film and now this one, the end of the trilogy.

At the start, something happens to completely ignite the plot, as you wondered where the film would be heading. In the middle, the film has some nice gripping low level espionage and investigation, with two opposing camps attempting to influence things, and that later on turns into the court trial of Lisbeth Salander, which maybe became schlocky towards the end in its structure, but

Spoiler alert

ultimately, the second half of this film is an exercise in slow and complete catharsis and redemption, with a lovely understated finish.

[close]

Opinions?

[Whug Baspin]

I gave up about 100 pages into the book, there's something kind of compelling about the book trilogy, but they are incredibly annoying. I much preferred the film version of the first in the trilogy as it lost a fair bit of the terrible writing. I can't stress how annoying the books are, although I did like how they made sure the main character wasn't a rapist by making him so irresistable to all the women non-consent was never on the cards. Not watched the other films, but would be interested to hear from people who hated the books and have seen them.

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

I thought the main character was a woman. Are you talking about Mikael Blomqvist?

[Whug Baspin]

Sorry yeah I meant Blomqkvist, he is in it a lot.

[Rolf Harris]

I saw the films a while ago and am currently about just over half way through the first book. There's tonnes of stuff in there that's missing from the Dragon Tattoo film, and while the extra background it gives certainly enhances the story, I wouldn't say the film particularly suffers for being without it, and at the 2 (or 2 and a half?) hour running time I can see why they had to chop some stuff.

Can't comment on how the second and third films compare to the books. Although I would say that in Hornet's Nest, while the end was certainly enjoyable in a

Spoiler alert

bastards-finally-getting-what-they-deserve

[close]

kind of way, I found it slightly unbelievable that

Spoiler alert

the whole case against Salander would be thrown out on the basis of that one video

[close]

. Would that actually happen?

[Glebe]

I've only seen The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, really enjoyed it... looking forward to seeing the sequels; may pick up the books, too.

[Santa's Boyfriend]

Yeah the film is pretty good, a fair adaptation of the book.  Conversely the movie sequel is worse but the book sequel is better.  How they managed that I'm not sure, but I think part of the problem was that movies 2 and 3 were never intended for the cinema.  They are in fact cut down versions of a tv miniseries adaptation.  (Which is also why they change aspect ratios for movies 2 and 3.)