The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is an adaptation of the first novel of the late Stieg Larsson’s wildly popular trilogy and is produced by Columbia Pictures. This is actually the second adaptation of the book. The original version was produced in Sweden, where the books are set, and became a phenomenal hit in 2009, just like the books. Both films revolve around the same story, but the endings differ.
Investigative journalist Mikael Blomkvist (Daniel Craig) is commissioned by the uncle of Harriet Vanger to write a chronicle of their influential family. The condition is that it must include the events surrounding Harriet’s death because her uncle believes she was murdered 40 years ago by a member of their own family.
Mikael brings on computer genius Lisbeth Salander (Rooney Mara) as his research assistant. Lisbeth is an unusual girl and to many, her tough, dark persona is off-putting, but her investigative and technological savvy cannot be denied. They are an unlikely pair, but together they unravel the truth behind Harriet’s death, even though some of the family members take extreme measures, including attempted murder, to set them off track.
Directed by David Fincher, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is receiving a lot of opposing opinions from fans of the book and of the Swedish version of the movie. Some think that Fincher’s adaptation is an unnecessary remake of a perfectly done film. Others are thankful that a version for the English speaking world has come out. There’s a lot of anticipation, but no one will be able to determine which version is better until the film debuts.
Rebecca Wang Entertainment 