Rating of
3.5/4
The Best Drama in Over 4 Years
Alex - wrote on 01/02/12
I've never read the book or seen the original and I'm glad. I think it made this movie better. David Fincher is one of the best filmmakers over the last 15 years.
The Story: Extremely deep. At times it gets carried away in all of the details. I didn't mind. I liked the complexity. I couldn't follow everything but I didn't really care. The character development is some of the best I have seen in a single movie since a Tarantino flick. The mystery that surrounds the movie is all set up by a simple mystery that started 40 years ago. Some may find this boring, but I felt it very engrossing.
Style/Cinematography: As you would expect with Fincher, absolutely top notch. Everything from the color usage, the clothes, the sets, the out door settings, the island. It all makes a unique movie setting that feels totally real. He also doesn't try to go over the top with anything. It all just works. Nothing new is brought on, but each shot and each element is carefully articulated. Not the most stylistic movie, but still beautiful.
The Music: Who knew that Trent Rezner would be so good at making musical scores. The theme of the movie is just perfect for the lead characters. While, I really enjoyed his work on The Social Network, it works even better here considering the hip 23 year old has a Dragon Tattoo and the metalic sounds seem to lend themselves well to cold European living. The best score I've heard next to Drive (which was more of a soundtrack).
The Acting: Rooney Mara will win the Oscar. If she doesn't, its a shame. Granted she had the exact same part to copy, but I still think it takes someone who is very talented to do this. Ultra believable. Daniel Craig does a good job, but as always, isn't the most dynamic actor in the world. Still, I think he fits the part well. The rest mesh extremely well. They had to with this type of drama.
Compared to Others: Better than Zodiac, on par with The Social Network and not as good as Se7en. The best pure drama movie since There Will Be Blood (though not as good).
