Penny, All Grown Up

So, on the opposite side of the spectrum from the fun and frivolity of The Muppets, we have the grim and tense second adaptation of The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, the second film I saw on Thursday. Yeah, that would look weird as a double billing on a marque.

Before someone asks, I will answer what will probably be the first questions that spring to mind:
Yes, I did read the book before I saw the movie
No, I haven't read The Girl Who Played With Fire or The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet's Nest yet, though they will be the next books I read
No, I haven't seen the first adaptations, I will reserve that for when I finish the books and watch all of them back-to-back.

Now, here's where I give my spoiler warning but it's a little different. If you haven't read the book, then yes, spoilers will probably pop up. If you have, aside from one thing I'll get to (and even then I won't overtly blurt it out), then you'll know roughly what the movie will contain.

So with that, let's get to the plot:

After losing a libel case against a corrupt businessman, Mikael Blomkvist (Daniel Craig) takes leave of absence from his position at the Millenium magazine publication and receives a proposition
from a retired CEO, Henrik Vanger (Christopher Plummer), in which he will be handsomely paid, in more ways than one, if he can solve the murder of his niece, Harriet, a case from years before.
Eventually, he crosses paths with expert hacker, Lisbeth Salander (Rooney Mara) and the two team up to solve the case.

Now, that's just a condensed version of a summary (even more so than normal) but that's because Lisbeth has her own subplot before her meeting with Mikael, but I'll cover some of that in the paragraphs below.

On the merits of an adaptation, it's a solid translation from book to screen. Of course, not everything from the book was going to make it but what doesn't would have been cut for purposes of tightening the film and keeping the running time to a decent length (it's a little over 2 hours already). The characters have jumped to the big screen and lost little, if any, of their impact. And when you have characters as strong as these, tinkering around is something that will come to bite you in the arse.

On its own merits, it's a very engaging mystery, with intense moments in both the main story and Lisbeth's own subplot. Well, I only say subplot because while it is important for her character development, the mystery is what brings Lisbeth and Mikael together.

For the girl with the dragon tattoo herself, Lisbeth is portrayed wonderfully by Rooney Mara. Her character has hidden reserves of strength and her reactions to all the crap in her life are refreshing to see, since they mostly resolve with her becoming more determined to kick arse.
Take (here's a spoiler for those not familiar with the book) the very, VERY uncomfortable scene in which she is raped by her social worker/guardian. Now, it was shocking in the book, but like most things, what makes the movie worse (not in terms of sucking but in terms of horrific nature) is the inclusion of a soundtrack and the performance of the actress (unless anyone out there has a soundtrack playing in their head when they read book).
After a scene in the shower, in which she is visibly tormented, rather than have her break down and cry (but in all fairness, I would not blame her if she did, what she went through is not something I wish upon my worst enemies. Hydrochloric acid in their face, maybe, but not that), she gets her revenge and doesn't break down in front of him. She remains as fierce and stoic as she normally is and makes it clear how much of a living Hell his life will be if he doesn't obey her wishes (and she caps it off by using a tattoo needle to etch “I AM A RAPIST PIG” on his stomach, to warn future potential victims). If her character wasn't defined before, then this serves as her establishing character moment. They say Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned? No, Hell hath no fury like Lisbeth Salander pissed off.
Y'know, Lisbeth actually kind of reminds me of a grown-up Penny from Inspector Gadget, though obviously much darker (thus the title of the blog). She's an expert hacker, her parents are out of the picture, she cares for her guardian, she's on the side of good and she likes animals.

My absolute favourite scene is when Mikael comes to Lisbeth's apartment and discusses why he's there. At first, she's aloof and not interested in what he has to say. Once he mentions that women have been murdered or abused, her expression changes. She looks right at him, eyes wide, mouth slightly open as if in shock. It's almost like without words, she's saying “I'm in”. It is through this she displays her dedication to justice and fighting the corrupt and evil people of the world.

Daniel Craig is also more than exceptional in his role as the determined (there's that word again. If there's one word that defines these characters, its determination) and inquisitive Mikael. He remains undeterred and much like when Daniel plays Bond, if he's ever terrified, he doesn't let it show (and in a slight spoiler for two movies, anyone remember the scene in Casino Royale when Bond's being tortured and he mocks the guy, saying the world's going to know he died scratching Bond's balls? Minus the witty banter and ball scratching and Daniel's in familiar territory). The way his relationship with Lisbeth develops is great to see, especially with Lisbeth not being very trusting of men (or people in general, really. The fact that by the end of the movie, she considers him a friend, is touching in and of itself).

Also, props to Christopher Plummer and Stellan Skarsgard. Christopher Plummer adds another layer of warmth to a character I very much liked in the book, he's altruistic and family orientated (well, the family he can stand anyway. Which is... well, he could buy a new family if he wanted to). And Stellan Skarsgard is proving to be an actor I need to watch out for, after this and Thor, I'm hoping to see more of his work.

And on a smaller note, I was concerned that the story was going to be transplanted to America so as not to scare off American audiences, but if anything, all that's been done is just have the characters speak English, albeit with accents. Big thumbs up for that.

Now, if I have one complaint, it's in the form of a slight spoiler. In the book, Australia actually plays a big part in the resolution of the mystery and several locations are actually mentioned. In the movie... well, once again, we get the shaft. Seriously, are we repellent or something? Why couldn't have that part of the novel stayed intact?

But on a more positive note, the opening title. Not just for the awesome, almost music clip style opening, the song playing is frickin' sweet. It's a cover of Led Zeppelin's Immigrant Song as sung by Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. And when I left the cinema, you bet I was humming along with it. It is the best Zeppelin cover EVER. I want that song on my laptop and I will get it somehow, dammit! In fact, I need a copy of the soundtrack, the entire score is sweet.

So, all in all, does the film stack up well compared to the book and on its own? A resounding yes on both counts. The Australian film season of 2012 has already gotten off to a great start, let's hope it can remain this consistent. The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo gets a 4/5 from me. And here's hoping the first adaptations (and the rest of the books) will be equally as great. And also, that Fincher, Craig and Mara see this trilogy through to the end.