David Fincher’s film of The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo wasn’t the intended franchise starter.
This article contains spoilers forThe Girl With The Dragon Tattoo.
What is hidden in the snow, comes forth in the thaw.
The trilogy was well received, domestically and in limited release in English language markets the following year.
It was well received by critics and it picked up a bunch of nominations during the 2012 awards season.
So, what went wrong?
To be clear, Finchers film isnt bad.
The marketing campaign for this one kicked off earlier than anticipated.
Without wishing to labor the point, you likely wouldnt want to see it with your family.
To its credit,The Girl With The Dragon Tattoohad a very respectable opening weekend.
Crucially, it didnt pick up any extra steam going into the New Year either.
Still, the shadow of James Bond looms over his performance.
Craig certainly isnt playing the secret agent action man punch in here.
Hes not tough and Lisbeth does all of the heavy lifting action-wise.
Its certainly not Craigs fault that the film cant help but evoke Bond tropes in the process.
Inevitably, theres a contrast in budgets to consider as well.
Niels Arden Oplevs film cost $13 million.
For the money that the Hollywood version cost, you could have made seven of them.
To use some advertising jargon, this winds up looking like story-selling rather than storytelling.
Many reviewers at the time commented upon the prominence of McDonalds, Coca Cola and Apple in the film.
Its a concession to Hollywood financing that a cheaper film wouldnt have to make.
Its the sour note that caps an overlong final act and leaves a bad taste before the end.
The Swedish adaptation isnt much shorter, but it feels pared down to the bone.
Meanwhile, the American version labours over details and meanders away from the central mystery.
Ultimately, it just wasnt different enough.
As weve said, its not a bad film.
Lisbeth Salander has always been the main attraction, and Mara is extraordinary.
Its a different interpretation from Rapaces, but theyre both energetic, intelligent and compulsively watchable performances.
Its mostly well cast throughout too, from old hands to up-and-comers.
The procedural aspect may not be cinematic, but the reveal is suitably skin-crawling and feels like pure Fincher.
They could more easily have distinguished this version in that way, but not for the better.
Online: Im doing it unless someone tells me that Im notand then I still might do it.
