Let's Begin
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
PLOT
Mikael Bloomkvist is a Swedish journalist who has just lost a libel case to a billionaire industrialist. Because of this his magazine, Millennium, is quickly going under. He is hired by Henrik Vanger, CEO of the large Vanger corporation, to solve a 40 year old murder case that has Henrik's niece as the victim. Mickael is having a hard time finding clues and hires a goth research assistant named Lisbeth Salander, who has a mysterious and obviously troubled past. They soon discover they've gotten themselves into something more dangerous then they thought.
PROS
I'm going to start off with a personal pro of mine. Do you remember the first trailer for "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" that had the badass cover of Led Zeppilan's "Immigrant Song"?
Well that song gets a moment to shine as the song playing over the extremely creative and jarring opening if you never read the book or seen the movie before. Also, if you liked that song you can buy it off of iTunes right now!
The acting is this movie is great. Danial Craig does a great job as Bloomkvist and everyone else does a good job too.
The one stand out is Rooney Mara as Lisbeth Salander. While I haven't seen it, I've heard that whoever played Salander in the Swedish film didn't that good of a job capturing the spirit of Salander from the books. Well I'm happy to say that Mara pulls off this performance flawless. She really shows off how frail and weak she looks, but mess with her, and you'll regret it. It's actually very scary.
This film is a near perfect adaptation of the book, not just in content, but in pacing and spirit as well. What I mean is that the first half of the movie is slow and mainly focuses on Bloomkvist and Salander's scenes are way too short, just like in book. It also picks up right where the book picks up. It has the same tone as the book, isolation, dark, and disturbing. Even when they have to leave out a part of the book or do it differently they do it with flying colors. I haven't seen an adaptation like this since last years "Scott Pilgrim vs. the World".
The movie seems just as graphic as the book but doesn't show it. Basically, whenever it's about to get too graphic, Fincher makes the smart decision by implying most of the graphic scenes rather than show them. It makes it more disturbing because your imagination fills in the blanks, that's why some of the best horror movies are the ones that follow the rule of "Less is More".
The score done by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross is, as always, amazing. The funny thing is Trent and Atticus did the soundtrack for David Fincher's last film, "The Social Network" and it's completely different from that one. I found myself zoning out from what was going on on the screen and focusing all of my attention to the music.
CONS
You know how I said how well the movie follows the book? Well it also follows its flaws. Bloomkvist, while having a great performance from Craig, is still just as uninteresting as he was in the book
CONCLUSION
This is a near perfect movie, especially if you've read the book. While not as fast paced and action-packed as most thrillers or how the trailers made it seem, it's still a must see and another great movie under Fincher's belt.
RATING
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This film is a near perfect adaptation of the book, not just in content, but in pacing and spirit as well. What I mean is that the first half of the movie is slow and mainly focuses on Bloomkvist and Salander's scenes are way too short, just like in book. It also picks up right where the book picks up. It has the same tone as the book, isolation, dark, and disturbing. Even when they have to leave out a part of the book or do it differently they do it with flying colors. I haven't seen an adaptation like this since last years "Scott Pilgrim vs. the World".
The movie seems just as graphic as the book but doesn't show it. Basically, whenever it's about to get too graphic, Fincher makes the smart decision by implying most of the graphic scenes rather than show them. It makes it more disturbing because your imagination fills in the blanks, that's why some of the best horror movies are the ones that follow the rule of "Less is More".
The score done by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross is, as always, amazing. The funny thing is Trent and Atticus did the soundtrack for David Fincher's last film, "The Social Network" and it's completely different from that one. I found myself zoning out from what was going on on the screen and focusing all of my attention to the music.
CONS
You know how I said how well the movie follows the book? Well it also follows its flaws. Bloomkvist, while having a great performance from Craig, is still just as uninteresting as he was in the book
CONCLUSION
This is a near perfect movie, especially if you've read the book. While not as fast paced and action-packed as most thrillers or how the trailers made it seem, it's still a must see and another great movie under Fincher's belt.
RATING
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The Adventures of Tintin
PLOT
Tintin is a young journalist who discovers a secret involving a model pirate ship. With the help of his dog Snowy and the alcoholic Captain Haddock, who's ancestors sailed on the pirate ship, they race to stop the evil Sakharine from discovering the secret before they do.
PROS
The motion capture animation is the best its ever been. You know how in movies like "The Polar Express" and "Beowulf" the characters seem really strange and look like lifeless puppets? Well that's something we like to call the Uncanny Valley, and it's always in the eyes. Well I'm happy to say this is farthest from the Valley they've ever gotten. The characters look great and never seem creepy or lifeless.
The 3D is amazing. It really immerses you in Tintin's world, and they barley use cheap pop-out tricks, but it's still really cool whenever they do. One scene where it's raining, it looks like the rain is falling into the theater! A must see in 3D
The action in this movie is the best action I've ever seen in any form of entertainment, period. They are just so ridiculous and fast paced that it leaves you at the edge or your seat and your jaw firmly on the floor. Most of them are all in one take, barley cutting away. Things are moving and reacting all over the place it all seems so seamless and smooth, which is thanks to Peter Jackson's animation team. The 3D only makes these scenes even better.
The #1 reason the action scenes work is Spielberg"s direction. It felt like a kid in a candy shop. The camera never stops moving and never cuts, most scenes are one long take changing characters in real-time. One great example is a scene where Tintin is being kidnapped and Snowy needs to find a way out. At that point, the camera is just barley above the floor and following Snowy running up stairs, jumping out of windows or onto to moving cars.
Most actors are unrecognizable. This may not seem like a good thing, but it really shows how good of an actor someone is when you can't even tell it's them. Daniel Craig plays as the villain Sakharine, but you would never know. He sounds nothing like himself and you could only know it was him by reading the credits. Simon Pegg and Nick Frost play as two bumbling detectives named Tomson and Tompson who, once again, are impossible to tell apart.
CONS
The comedy could have been much better, considering the fact that two of the three writers, Edgar Wright (Shaun of the Dead, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World) and Joe Cornish (Attack the Block) have been involved in some of the funniest and just plain greatest movies and T.V. shows ever made. None of the jokes are laugh out loud funny. Most of them just got a chuckle out of me or a snicker. They never fall flat, but could have used some more work.
CONCLUSION
This is what the last Indiana Jones should have been. This is most fun I've had at the movies in a long time. It's a rollercoaster ride that is longer, less-expensive and a must see 3D experience that's fun for the whole family. If you want your kids to have as a good a time as you will, don't miss this. I really want this movie to do well and I'm afraid it won't since at the theater I went to, it was just me and one other family.
RATING
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