Could ‘Dragon Tattoo’ Flop Doom Film Franchise?

It’s a disturbing movie, too much for this time of year, overdone “rape/revenge” concept … not to mention that it is essentially a remake of the Swedish original (subtitled) – that’s been widely available for a year now (along with the following installments).

Car crashes; explosions galore; incessant gunfire; gratuitous nudity; rape and other violent sexual acts; extreme foul language; violent scenes of robbery, property destruction and wanton vandalism; no discernible plot. All these make up the flow of most of the films shown today to ever younger viewers. Is it any wonder that people are growing tired of paying 7,8, 9 or more dollars to see this stuff? Hollywood should take a lesson from the old film noir genre. The illusion of mayhem is often more compelling than the actual act.

Saw the originals which were fairly straightforward hohum films. Then I saw The Social Network which, despite strong performances by the entire cast, ended up being really mediocre. Based on those two experiences, I don’t see this film as being worth watching for me.

I dunno, maybe I should be a little more optimistic about Fincher. I really liked Se7en and Fight Club, but everything he’s made after those two films has been pretty disappointing. Perhaps a return to a more visceral genre might do the trick.

I went with (adult) friends and found this to be an excellent flick. I also had seen the Swedish movies which were certainly good movies and stayed close to the book’s story line, However, this remake seems to be more atmospheric. Here Sweden is cold and hard-edged, with well timed cut-backs to previous times to ellucidate the story. The actress who played Lisbeth Salander was compelling and I though Daniel Craig did a strong representation of Mikval Bloomqusit. The movie did not slowed down and covered the entire story line of the book in 153 minutes.

The rape was represented, not shown, but is a central part of the Salander story. Her story comes more central in the next books, which I hope are also produced.

Not for children, but an intricate and well plotted story.

I think Hollywood should never mess with a good thing. The original movies are untoppable, not to mention that the actress playing Lisbet is not even close to being anywhere near as attractive as the original.

@Misty, having read all the books I found the original made for TV movies mediocre in the extreme, with the exception of the performance of Noomi Rapace. Many things were skipped over. The smallish budget was too limiting. Some things that were meant to be important were handled in an extremely cursory way.

I am not a fan of Hollywood remakes, but there is, just this time, plenty of opportunity for Hollywood to make a better version, and David FIncher is the man to do it.

The movie was a terrific portrayal of the book. The book had some scenes that were disturbing. Of course the movie will as well. Not a holiday movie but better than Black Swan by a long shot.

This was an excellent movie. The acting was amazing, particularly Rooney Mara, who played Lisbeth. She should be nominated for an Oscar. Yes, it had violence and sex scenes, but they weren’t gratuitous. They were all in the name of character insight and development. And the rape scene? People need to be more open minded. Rape does happen in real life, and this is portrayed as a horrible event for the heroine. It’s not made light of at all.

The plot is fascinating and engaging, and everything about the movie is amazing in my opinion. Yes, the beginning 30 minutes is spent setting up the story, but after that it’s basically all nonstop action and suspense. I think they are underestimating this movie and it will definitely do well in the long run. Mission Impossible is all violence too, and and overused concept, and yet people still seem to be paying to see that, when TGWTDT is a much better and more complex film. Go see it, you won’t be disappointed. And this is coming from someone who has seen the Swedish film, and this American one is definitely superior in my opinion. I would even see it again, there’s so much to take in.

@Joe V
Actually, Rooney Mara is more attractive than the actress who portrayed Lisbeth in the Swedish adaptation in my opinion. She is very pretty and more importantly, way more importantly, she is an amazing actress who nails every aspect of the Lisbeth character. She fits the part way more looks wise than Rapace of the Swedish film did, who was too old to play Lisbeth. She also accurately portrays Lisbeth’s mannerisms and the subtle nuances of her character, including her moments of vulnerability.

Besides, being conventionally attractive is not what Lisbeth’s character is about at all. However, Rooney Mara as Lisbeth gets under your skin and if you watch the movie you will see that.

The original 3 movies came out 2 years ago, why would I want to watch a remake already??

not sure why they even bothered remaking it. the origs were great. Noomi Rapace all the way.

1. It’s the Holidays. Time spent with families and loved ones. Makes sense that this was a poor time to launch this movie. Families going to the movies over the Holidays are looking for lighter/family fare.

2. There’s been a huge slump in ticket sales for movies across the board.

3. Many of us are still down and out as a result of the recession. If I manage to scrounge up the money for a movie ticket, I want to come out feeling better/happier! In other words, give me some fun escapism!

4. Netflix = we can wait until then and we won’t have ‘buyer’s remorse’ if the movie is crap. Now if we’d paid $30+ to see it in the theater…

Who wants to see a movie with some ugly tatted, pierced, 14 year old boy looking chick as the star? leave that crap in sweden or wherever – i wanna see some hot chicks with nice racks in my blockbusters!

I saw the Swedish version and that was enough for me. I know this sounds silly, but another reason I don’t want to see the remake is that I am tired of seeing men in their forties and fifties having love interests young enough to be their daughters. Also, I understand that Mara (who to me is average looking at best) is naked through much of the movie, while Craig isn’t. I am not a prude, but I get tired of seeing women’s bodies on display all the time while men are just shown from the waist up.

If you want to see a good movie, check out “War Horse.’ I loved it, and I don’t even like horses.

This was a great film, and I enjoyed it immensely.

What I find most truly disturbing about filmgoers today is their lack of open-mindedness and desire to be challenged when at the cinema–particularly American audiences. Film is a remarkable medium with wondrous capabilities, and it saddens me to see it deteriorate into a disposable weekend entertainment. Support independent cinema. Support film (not digital filmmaking) and film preservation. Peace

For almost 50 years of cinema in this country you had some of the most respected and revered movies made that will last another 100 years and they somehow managed to do it without graphic and anal sex and nudity scenes to shock the audience. Today, hollywood directors, writers and movie makes are so lacking in anything creative that they need to pack their movies with course language and constant and uncessary nudity. Did the nudity in this movie in anyway contribute to this movie. The story itself was good but the nudity was not necessary.