David Fincher usually finds the exact balance between cutting-edge visuals and compelling, exquisitely told stories. His latest opus, however, features Fincher’s intricate visual world, but without the necessary narrative backdrop. Based on Stieg Larsson’s bestseller—which I have no intention of reading—“The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” follows journalist Henrik Vanger as he tries to uncover a murder from decades prior. He consequently hires Lisbeth Salander, an ill-adjusted computer genius, as his assistant.The true heart of the film is Rooney Mara as Salander, who brings to the table a perfect combination of vulnerability and power. However, as soon as she leaves the screen, the film continues to drag, due to Craig’s cardboard performance, and the film’s overall lack of engagement with the audience. Fincher’s latest work takes too long to take off—an hour passes before Vanger even meets Salander—and never really pays off. While “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” is visually and aurally striking (especially Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross’ haunting score), the narrative structure feels like clunky patchwork, as the film attempts to include myriad unnecessary elements into the plot—such as a ridiculous love story between the protagonists—probably in an attempt to please the book’s fans. Besides Mara and the technical elements of the film, I was unable to find many differences between “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” and a decent episode of “CSI.”
Ambivalent (B-)
No comments:
Post a Comment