The Millennium Trilogy books and original films are a profoundly influential aspect of my life. They forced me to confront and address events in my life which, up until that time, I had only mildly dealt with. With that in mind, I can honestly say I am completely incapable of giving these films an objective analysis. But, I do my best...

Two things before I begin my review:

1) Have you seen the original film first? If not, see this version first. If you have, try to distance the two in your mind while watching...it will help.

2) Prior to seeing this I was pondering if this was to be a remake of the original film(s) or an adaptation of the book(s). It is an adaptation of the book.

Okay, now that that is out of the way, I'll go into it a bit further. **insert requisite possible spoilers below notification**

To explain why I say you should see the newest version first...Typically when someone says this, they are implying that the film to watch first is not as good as the original. To say that would be unfair to the new version and an overstatement of quality of the first. As film adaptations go, I believe both are approximately equal in standing. Both are very good films. Judging by quality of translation from novel to screen, I would actually say the newest version is better. Things that were lost and/or altered in the original were left intact in the new film and did not detract from the story at all. Did it add to it? Probably, if you are one of those who like to see every little detail possible translated on screen. However, I never felt their absence in the originals.

The original films have a very secure place in my heart and mind and I partially wish I had not seen them as I spent a significant amount of time unintentionally drawing connections between the two. I did this with the newest Robin Hood film, however, given the immediate alterations to that story, I was able to distance Prince of Thieves from Russell Crowe's version fairly swiftly. I could not do that right away with TGwtDT.

Both open similarly however with the newest version we are treated to a sort of James Bond-intro-on-a-bad-acid-trip introductory sequence. Paired with the awesome rendition of Immigrant Song, it worked quite well and fit with the feel of the film quite well. All throughout I liked the music and even felt some occasional homages to the original score. Well done. Visually, there are even some references to the original. I remember thinking when I watched the trailers for it, how I almost thought they were filming in the same locations and trying to mimic some of the original in style and visual. I thought the same while watching the film. However, these are definitely two, very distinct films, both with their own individual interpretations of the same source material.

One of the most powerful elements about the original film(s) is its refusal to back away from the realism regarding violence against women. The two rape scenes of Lisbeth being key in our connection with the character. We connect with her in those scenes in a way that I feel has never happened before in a Hollywood depiction of rape. Hollywood tends to glorify the act and make it visually stimulating at the same time diminishing the act and making it seem almost inconsequential to the film. However, no woman, man or child who has been raped will tell you that the act was inconsequential to them. In the original film, we spend the entire sequence with Lisbeth. We see and feel her. No fancy music. No flashy lighting of scene changes. It is her. It is her pain; her loss of control; her suffering which we see and feel. In the newest adaptation, we again in the same place. However, the choice of the director to give more screen time to the rapist, rather than focusing on Lisbeth takes you out of her space and you lose the impact of the rape. It is still intense, do not get me wrong. However, there are some visual angles and shots used during the second rape scene where rather smart choices.

My biggest complaint about the film is the editing for the first main chunk of it. It felt rather disjointed in the way it was put together. We are with Mikael, then Lisbeth, then elsewhere, then back. The connecting scenes didn't have a thematic bridge all of the time which made it somewhat disjointed. It worked, but it was a struggle. However, once we make it passed this area, it becomes much better.

Those unfamiliar with the book(s) and original films may have a bit of difficulty following along with the same level of enjoyment as I did. Maybe I am wrong, but I recalled thinking that someone who didn't know what was going on, might find the whole thing bizarre.

Anyway, that is my quick little review of the 2011, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo film. Overall I still loved it. The two leads were perfect for their respective characters (even more so than the original actors if you are going by novel to film translation standards).

8.5/10

(original is a 9/10 for me)

p.s. This film also contained probably the best use of Enya ever.