“Now. Can I finish this write up before it’s time to go to dance class? That depends on whether or not I go all AD-oh hey something shiny!
Before you ask, no haven’t read the book–yet. It’s been well established that my preference is to go backwards: movie THEN book. And since I knew this was on the horizon, I figured I’d be patient. Also, no, haven’t seen the Swedish version. Wasn’t able to get to the theatre when it was out, and DVD-ing it was a low priority because a) I knew this one was due and b) I typically like to work on sewing projects or play on the computer while watching movies at home, and that doesnt go well with foreign films (unless maybe ones in Spanish). I did however see this with a group of friends, and among them was one who’d read the book and another who’d seen the Swedish version (you know who you are…hi!). That’s gotta count for something, yeah?
Man, this week really is all about my favorite directors (okay maybe second tier favorite directors, but still very highly respected) releasing films. We just talked about Guy Ritchie with Sherlock Holmes. Soon we’ll have Cameron Crowe with We Bought a Zoo. Now we’re talking about David Fincher: Fight Club, Se7en, Social Network. Yeah. That dude. And this had him written all over it. Felt as gritty as Fight Club, but as dark as Se7en, with the patient suspense of Zodiac, and the intriguing characters of Social Network.
On the whole, I _really_ enjoyed this movie. Everything I knew about it told me it was right up my alley. I was hooked from the opening credits (I heard it described as James Bond-esque, and while I dont disagree, I thought more Fight Club). Hell, I was hooked from the first trailer–one of the most badass I’ve ever seen. I’ve obsessed over that Immigrant Song cover. I was actually late for work this morning because my ipod wasn’t behaving and I refused to leave without knowing that song got synched to it (and to think, yesterday I was obsessing over a \m/ Godspell song).
What, more specifically did I love about the movie? How dark it was, the intrigue and mystery, the music (Trent Reznor has found his new calling writing movie scores), the action, the blood, the cast, but most of all Lizbeth Salander. I have been intrigued with the little I knew about that character, and I just could not take my eyes off Rooney Mara whenever she was on screen. Such a transformation from The Social Network, and such a total embodiment of the character. Friend-who-saw-Swedish-version thought she may have been a little less extreme here, but I was still entirely drawn in. It’s gonna take all of my willpower to not ask my hairdresser next week to give me that uneven style. I loved the way she carried herself and how \m/ badass she is and how strong and so goddam smart. I wanted so bad to be her, although I dont know if going thru all that she did is an acceptable price for me.
I’m not saying the movie was flawless. It did feel a bit drawn out, and I thought maybe things could have been a bit more streamlined. However, friend-who-read-the-book said that it was incredibly true to the source, and while he agreed that streamlining could have worked, he very much appreciated the effort to maintain the integrity of the source. A few of us were later discussing (over drinks of course) some of the meticulous attention to detail that Fincher paid when it came to getting this accurate. Makes me that much more excited to read the book and then rewatch the movie.
But yeah, totally drawn into the story, well the main story at least. It seemed like we did have a lil bit of a false ending, or at least it felt that way to me because I hadn’t even realized there was untidied storylines once we reached that conclusion. Not complaining, just stating the fact of my opinion. I can totally get why these books have made such an impact, and it really excites me that something so dark (I need to find a synonym) is getting such mainstream attention. That opens up all kinds of possibilities for future entertainment *evil grin*
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo – \m/ \m/ \m/ \m/