The Girl Who Played With Fire (R16)
Directed by Daniel Alfredson
BY MARGARET AGNEW
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Based on the first of Stieg Larsson's popular novels, the Swedish film The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo was an effective, as well as shockingly graphic, R18 whodunit thriller featuring two fantastic characters - a disgraced middle-aged journalist (played by Michael Nyqvist) and a neo-punk, multi-pierced, black-leathered, antisocial young woman (played by Noomi Rapace) with superhuman computer skills and a photographic memory. It worked well as a murder-mystery, a character study and a compelling oddball love story.
Sadly, the disappointingly flat sequel works as none of these. The only common denominator appears to be the return of Rapace and Nyqvist as super-hacker Lisbeth Salander and unlucky journo Mikael Blomkvist, but their characters seem almost incidental to the meandering, muddled, murder story.
Our two leads are separated and sidelined into passive roles for most of the movie as Lisbeth is in hiding after being framed for multiple murders and Michael, back as the publisher of his crusading Millenium magazine, seems ill-equipped to help her, despite his firm belief in her innocence.
The Girl Who Played with Fire should, by all rights, be riveting as it delves into Lisbeth's history as her abusive father's identity and a huge conspiracy are revealed.
Instead, we have Lisbeth's feisty on-off girlfriend attacked by a big bleached man-mountain who can feel no pain, and then rescued by a famous Swedish boxer, Apollo Roberto playing himself (rather woodenly). Incidentally, Roberto and the Millennium series author Larsson didn't know each other, but Roberto plays an unexpectedly (and rather nonsensically) active part in this narrative.
As a film it doesn't feel complete, with an abrupt ending and perhaps too much time spent laying the groundwork for the third instalment of the trilogy.
There's a salacious lesbian sex scene which borders on softcore porn, for them that likes such, but in the main, this bitsy, amateurish movie plods along rather drearily.
The usually sharp-as-a-knife Lisbeth, in particular, seems uncharacteristically dim-witted in her approach to the flick's climax. Not to spoil anything (since this is a trilogy, you know she survives this instalment), her escape from seemingly certain death is implausible at best, at worst, laughable.
Director Daniel Alfredson, who also directed the upcoming third Millennium film, The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest (due for cinematic release October 21) is simply not up to the standard of the director of the first instalment, Niels Arden Oplev.
A lot happens in two hours but we're left wondering what the point of it all is, especially for those who haven't read the books; there's nothing to hang on to here. With a confusing plot full of holes and only cardboard characters to watch, there's no intrigue, no suspense and certainly no love lost. The girl may play with fire, but she has sadly lost her spark.
- © Fairfax NZ News
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This review was the most biased I have read in a long time. I wonder, did Margaret Agnew read the trilogy before seeing the film? If she had, she would have known that the second novel in the series ends abruptly, and the third starts immediately where the second left off. I understand opinion about a film not feeling complete in itself, but do consider that the books were written this way, and some directors still remain true to original sources.
As to the comment about "salacious lesbian" sex - it never surprises me how much people reveal about themselves and their opinions through their choice of words. And the description of "softcore porn" ? Obviously, the reviewer has never seen actual softcore porn. (I've seen the scene in question). I can't help but wonder, had the scene been heterosexual, if the same phrasing would have been used. Not to mention the obvious undermining of character construction in terms of Lisbeth Salander. Throughout the novels she repeatedly defines herself as neither straight, bisexual or gay. Facts are important, even if you are writing "soft" journalism. In fact, I'm confused as to why the reviewer felt it necessary to bring up the sex scene at all.
Guess that's why I base my film-going habits on reputable sources.
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If you've read the books you know that the film seems pretty much like the second novel. I suppose gay people have to sit through the endless cycle of hetero sex scenes in films too. They must find it very dull.