Stieg Larsson's Dragon Tattoo Trilogy Review.

MEN WHO HATE WOMEN (THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO)
With the way most Americans are in terms of films, it is beyond hard to find a forgien film that mainstream audiences will just go and gobble up. Even harder is adapting a literary work that has a mega fan base of loyal followers and, at the same time, trying to keep the story film worthy. Men Who Hate Women (The Original Swedish Title) does this and so much more. Based off of the late, great Swedish writer Stieg Larsson's allegory for violence against women, this is a film that does something that has not really been done sense Quentin Tarantino made Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction: Revamp the crime genre. The script of this film does a rather good job at adapting the novel, but like all adaptations, some things have to be altered to fit the screen. While I would have liked some of the subplots that were in the novel to be included, what has been changed is satisfying enough. The direction of this film, in terms of pace, is rather slow and tedious, but that is the point: it is meant to be. Like Al Pacino's Dog Day Afternoon, this film's pace is meant to make the viewer feel like they are the characters and know what they are going threw. In that sense, the pacing is spot on. Now, we come to one of the best parts of this film: The Score. Claimed to have be written under three days for all three films, the score is wonderful and does a good job at keeping the tone of the film in check. For the acting, I doubt I can describe just how phenomenal it is. For acting, only one name needs to be said: Noomi Rapace. Ms. Rapace portrays the character Lisbeth Salander and, well, she makes the performance believable. What can I say about her acting? Her acting in this film is spot on perfect as she becomes this fascinating heart and soul of the story (in both the film and novel) while making Lisbeth seem more human. Her performance alone is worth seeing this film and making it unforgettable. Overall: This is a film that some mainstream viewers may not like due to it's length. But if you sit back and become one with the story, then you are in for one hell of a ride.

THE GIRL WHO PLAYED WITH FIRE
One thing one must understand and learn about sequels is that they are always going to be worse then the original, sometimes equal to the original, or better than the first. On the second film in Stieg Larsson's Dragon Tattoo Trilogy, it is not better then the fist, defiantly not worse then the original, but at the same time not equal. The main thing that makes it not equal is the already lower shock value that the original had. The original was unexpected and that made Men Who Hate Women (The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo) beyond wonderful. Regardless, this film is still great. One of the things that has changed is the director. Being Daniel Alfredson (brother of Let The Right One In director Thomas Alfredson) in the chair of conducting this film, he does have the story stray away from the novel, but does it in an wonderful fashion. For me personally, this is both a good and a bad thing. While I admit that the film works, there are a few subplots from the novel that I would have liked to see in the film. But, for what it is in terms of direction and story, it is satisfying. The score for this film is basically the same as the first: Wonderful. If you loved the score for MWHW, then you will love this one (mostly because it is basically the same). Now for the acting. Noomi Rapace (Lisbeth Salander) is still a bad ass babe in this film as she tries to free her name that has been slandered upon and uncover the dark secrets from her past that has made her the person she is. Michael Nyqvist (Mikael Blomkvist) is still wonderful as his character, but plays the role pretty much the same. I would have liked some more emotion, but that is just me. Overall, this is a good sequel that stands on it's own, but it is BEYOND strongly recommended that you have the third film.

THE AIR CRAFT THAT WAS BLOWN UP (THE GIRL WHO KICKED THE HORNET'S NEST)
One of the most popular forms of film series is the Trilogy. Some of the most famous include The Matrix, Gamera, Mad Max, Rebirth Of Mothera, Saw (before part 4 - 7 were made), etc. Now, one thing most sequels have in common is that the third and last film ends up being the best. While The Air Castle That Blew (The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet's Nest) is not the best of the Trilogy, it is still a beyond satisfying conclusion to the best crime trilogy ever made. Now, the director is the same as last time (Daniel Alfredson), and this is good seeing as how this film operates at the beginning in connection with the ending to the conclusion of The Girl Who Played With Fire. The only real problem that people have with the direction of this film is the pacing which, I do not see the problem. For me, if one was to pay attention to the story, the pacing is exactly how it needs to be: Not fast, not slow. Just right. Now, with the script, it is about the same as the previous film, just a lot of the violence is toned down and so has been the language used. For the fact that this is a court drama, this has to be called upon. Like the other two previous films, the score here is done by Jacob Groth again, and this time it is darker and more tense then the others. Perfectly capturing the high stakes tension as Lisbeth (Noomi Rapace) is fighting for her life and freedom. Which brings me to the acting. While Noomi Rapace has done a damn good job thus far with playing Salander, here she perfects it down. Wile watching this, she completely becomes this obscene, abnormal character that has a presence that can stop you dead just by looking at her. The best example of this is when she is walking to her first court trail. In the entire trilogy, this is the best scene that was directed. While I was watching that scene, a huge smile grew on my face as I realized that in the seven hours that the films take up, that that scene completely capture Stieg Larsson's world or corruption, darkness, and abuse. The other actors do a decent job playing themselves. Nothing too special there. But, the only character that I would say that, other then Salander, that I think deserves mentioning is the character of Erika Berger (Lena Endre). One thing about this character that stands out to me is how strong she becomes when she makes her own choices and has to turn away from Blomkvist (Michael Nyqvist) when he makes a choice that will determine their relationship. As a whole, this is a much better film then The Girl Who Played With Fire (which is a great film), but must be scene with the aforementioned title to have the complete story for when you look at it, it is all one giant tale and allegory for Men Who Hate Women.