The Girl in the Spider's Web

I haven't read David Lagercrantz's book, and I'm not going to. I'm annoyed by Americans constantly parasitizing on great works. I can get over it when it comes to film, but that’s as far as I go. I was curious to see how the creators would follow up on “Millennium,” but it turned out they didn't have the slightest problem with that. They went about it in the same way as an idiot taking a mental ability test - they shoved a square peg into a round hole. It didn’t quite fit, but the task was completed. Logic had to take a break sometimes, a few corners were cut, but I'm afraid I have seen much worse. (08/05/2019)

A fine script, but what can you do when Claire Foy doesn't even come close to brimming with the charisma of Noomi Rapace and Rooney Mara. The film adaptation (both Swedish and American) of the Millennium series benefited in particular from its great cast, as well as its distinctive visual style. When you watch The Girl in the Spider's Web, you'll end up drawing those comparisons whether you like it or not, and with respect to the direction and acting, it's simply a weaker reheating of the previous films. Which sucks, because the story is very interesting. (24/02/2019)

Contemporary Hollywood really did quite something special with this sequel to the story of cult hacker Lisbeth Salander... The casting of the title role alone is highly questionable. Noomi Rapace is probably unbeatable in it, and maybe only Rooney Mara could adequately replace her a few years ago. The actor playing journalist Mikael Blomkvist probably needs no mention. It's the same thing but in pale blue. It takes a lot of self-confidence to skip the second and third parts and make a fourth. According to the mentioned facts, the result also seems to reflect that. This is a typical overseas-produced action thriller without a shred of invention, with the main characters desperately lacking in charisma. Maybe it was only the fast pace of the plot that made me finish the film. (40%) (07/12/2020)

Lisbeth Salander returns and is tasked with stealing an NSA program that its creator wants back. Unfortunately, members of a dangerous gang, who know Lisbeth better than she ever imagined, are also interested. The Girl in the Spider's Web is a lot less ambitious than the American version of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, and settles for being an entertaining, modern spy thriller with a surprising amount of good action. It's a bit sillier than David Fincher's version, but not boring in the slightest, just different. The two hours in the cinema passed quite pleasantly for me though. (08/11/2018)

I’m not exactly a fan of Fincher’s take on Stieg Larsson’s first Millennium book (I prefer the Scandinavian version), but I appreciate this film for the quality of its depictions of the characters, refinedness and wit. The Girl in the Spider’s Web is well plotted and its story has great potential, but Noomi Rapace and Rooney Mara made for a more interesting Lisbeth than Claire Foy, and Sverrir Gudnason would be a better fit for Fifty Shades of Grey than for the role of Mikael Blomkvist. Above all, this technically well-crafted thriller is more of an action flick full of genre clichés and stereotypical one-dimensional characters than a movie with a more detailed character psychology and Scandinavian atmosphere. (17/11/2018)