What a waste of my time!!!

It's no definitive masterpiece but it's damn close.

Am I Missing Something?

The first must-see film of the year.

This is another movie that spoke to me from an unknown source. In 2009, I really didn't pay much attention to where certain movies came from and dove in head first. When I first watched this set of movies (before it was even thought of to be remade in a horrible fashion), I had zero idea what I was getting myself into and had no idea what to think. So I eventually checked this out from my local library and sat down to watch it.Lisbeth Salander (Noomi Rapace, who would later be in "Prometheus") is a devil-may-care computer hacker with her own mysterious past. Then she comes across a story by one Mikael Blomqvist, an editor for "Millennium" magazine, that has to deal with the mysterious disappearance of Harriet Vanger, the daughter of rich man Henrik Vanger. In the process, she runs across a number of interesting characters who try and block her progress.It is eventually revealed that she is a vigilante who takes great pride in what she does and establishes a makeshift friendship with Mikael by the time the movie is over, for he saves her life from the hands of a hulking brute and a lackey or two. The two eventually part company for the time being, of course, since Lisbeth is not the type of person who likes to stick around for too long.Forget about the subtitles and just enjoy the movie. Granted it has some seriously dark overtones, sit back and watch it. It has suspense, mystery, action, you name it. If you're into anti-hero female protagonists who have no problem throwing a few punches and defending themselves in rather ingenious ways, this movie is for you.

Having read the books quite a few years ago, I don't remember much of the details from there, but think this film greatly captures the essence of the book. It is of course, not an exact adaptation, however I did not feel that they missed much out that was crucial to the story. There are some discrepancies compared to the book though that I think are unnecessary changes. Just to note, this is the Swedish version that I watched, maybe I will watch the Hollywood one to see if it's better though I don't think it will be.The cast for this did a good job and was a really good fit for the characters they were portraying; with the exception of one actress that I felt did not fit into the image of her character. Nyqvist does well as Blomkvist, a confident kind of gentle person with attention to detail who had a pretty good upbringing. In contrast Rapace as Salander has had a much darker life and she portrays this perfectly. Her stoic expressions and speech delivery depicts how she has that emotional barrier and makes sure not to get attached to anyone.The story too is shrouded in darkness and reflects Salander's life. There is quite a bit of gruesome and grotesque images in the film, but fortunately it is easy to tell when it will appear so I can be prepared and avert my eyes. There is also some thriller action and the music score does well to match the mood of the scenes.This film also had great cinematography – especially with landscapes. Lots of beautiful shots and some great aerial perspectives.Read more movie reviews at: championangels.wordpress.com

Mikael Blomkvist is the publisher of Millennium magazine. He loses a libel case brought by billionaire financier Hans-Erik Wennerström. He is setup and found guilty. He is sentenced to three months and a large fine. Lisbeth Salander is a skilled hacker hired to follow him by Henrik Vanger. Henrik is the patriarch of an old wealthy family. He wants to hire Blomkvist to investigate the disappearance of his niece Harriet who vanished in 1966. He believes that she was killed by a family member but her body was never found. Blomkvist's father used to work for the family and he visited them as a child. Lisbeth is given a new creepy guardian.It is dark. It is as complicated as any murder mystery. It is disturbingly graphic and Noomi Rapace's performance is gripping. She's the great discovery in this movie. The nordic feel adds to the cold atmosphere. The whole movie is filled with this feeling of dread. It is truly chilling.

Contrary to most, I have to say that I expected much more from this movie. Having read the book(s), which I believe all to be masterpieces of their genre (especially this one, the first one of the series) I was really looking forward to seeing this film. Alas, I was somewhat disappointed... Not that this was a bad, poorly made film, because it isn't. It is however, nowhere near in bringing to the viewer the plot, the atmosphere and the emotions of the book (which is often the case with the filming of great books). Having said that, I must also say that the filmmakers eventually 'found their way' when making the second and third installments of the series, which where much, much better than this first movie in the trilogy.Now I am looking forward to seeing the Hollywood version of this book, hoping for the best...