The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo may have been trash, but at least it had a lucid narrative. The film’s first sequel, The Girl Who Played with Fire, is not so fortunate, offering up an incoherent mishmash of incidents and flashbacks barely connected to any sort of foundational purpose, save for the further exaltation of piercing-overloaded computer hacker antihero Lisbeth Salander (Noomi Rapace). Set a year after the last film’s events, this adaptation of Stieg Larsson’s second “Millennium Trilogy” novel finds noble journalist Mikael Blomkvist (Michael Nyqvist) investigating a sex trafficking ring – naturally, given the series’ exploitative obsession with violence against women – after a fellow reporter is murdered. His investigation is complicated once Lisbeth is fingered for the slayings (as well as for offing her rapist guardian), though shortly after this development, Daniel Alfredson’s film devolves into a momentum-free mess concerned, primarily, with Lisbeth’s quest to reckon with her abusive past. Giant thugs who feel no pain and burn victim villains all eventually factor into the narratively challenged, glossily photographed action, which like its predecessor feigns interest in societal gender dynamics while sensationalizing everything in sight. Devoid of a gripping plot or characters who seem the least bit like human beings – not only is Lisbeth a computer genius with expert fighting skills, but she now also has a photographic memory and the ability to literally rise from the grave! – The Girl Who Played with Fire proves merely strained pulp awash in insincere you-go-riot-grrrl attitude.
Oh dear. I haven't seen Dragon Tattoo yet but I'm half way through the book. I'd heard really positive things about the film version though.
Posted by: Dan | July 06, 2010 at 09:15 AM
Sounds like this critic didn't read the book(s). His loss.
Posted by: duane stroh | July 06, 2010 at 02:13 PM
the books actually make it clear that lisbeth survived getting shot only due to dumb luck (had the bullet been stronger she would have died.) Lisbeth is also wildly antisocial and has difficulty trusting others, while mikhail (despite being well meaning) is a bit of a prat.
Posted by: ryan | February 11, 2011 at 02:36 PM