David Fincher Binge Part VII of VII, 2nd Viewing
I think rewatching this movie just made me even more disheartened on the account that Fincher never made a follow-up to this stupendous adaptation of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, given all the set-up it does as if preparing for a sequel. I mean, pretty much the last twenty minutes of the film is devoid of the movie’s main storyline and are openly just puzzle pieces tossed at us to get us pumped up for the future of these characters’ chronicle. Not saying this is necessarily a flaw (or a pro) but it certainly had me eager for what was to come next. Sigh…
Lisbeth Salander: she’s a 23-year-old lady on financial control who has the get-up of a slightly less scary and “girly” Marilyn Manson, a decorous inclination for bloody justice, and she eats Happy Meals on the down-low. This is eccentricity as we’ve never seen it before, and the underrated Rooney Mara camouflages herself seamlessly into this role. It’s furthermore what we see her suffer through as a woman, constantly downplayed by the crimes of men, that places us on her side, as well as how she geniusly handles them via uncanny methods. Working alongside Lisbeth, Daniel Craig plays the second greatest character in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Mikael Blomkvist; he’s basically the less Southern version of Detective Benoit Blanc from Knives Out or the less physically capable version of James Bond. The point being, this is a dynamic duo wunderkind that I could imagine seeing countless movies on.
The mystery surrounding the motion picture is quite nail-biting and distinguished, as well; maybe not quite at a level this director has endowed before, as with features like the maddening Se7en. However, it works as an Agatha Christie sort of tale with, of course, a touch of David Fincher gruesomeness that defines his trademark. Despite all the horrid circumstances that happen to many of the victims in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, this seems to effortlessly be Fincher’s most optimistic murder mystery in consideration of its bittersweet conclusion? I mean, that being said, it’s up against Se7en, Zodiac, and Gone Girl, so take that statement with a grain of salt.
Verdict: B+
“The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” is now available to stream on Vudu, Amazon Prime, YouTube, iTunes, Google Play, and Starz.
Burning the Celluloid 
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