First trailer for Americanized ‘Girl With the Dragon Tattoo’ leaks: thoughts?

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Okay, now is the time to start worrying about the “American-ized version” of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. These are some of the preview photos from W Magazine, which were published a few months ago. And the bootleg, low-quality first trailer is below. Now, I’ve seen all three of the Swedish films, and I’ve read the books. I loved both the books and the movies, and for me, there is only one Lisbeth Salander: Noomi Rapace. But that hasn’t stopped David Fincher from thinking he could outdo the Swedish film by casting American and English (and a couple of English-speaking Swedes). The journalist Mikael Blomkvist is played by a brooding Daniel Craig – certainly interesting casting, but Mikael is supposed to be a nice, likeable, affable man who seduces women by simply being a good guy. Is that Daniel Craig? Daniel Craig can seduce women with a flash of his ice-blue eyes, but “nice” isn’t a word that comes to mind. As for the controversial casting of Rooney Mara as Lisbeth… I’m really starting to worry.

Okay, that looks very much like the Swedish films. Very similar framing, similar shots. Can it just be blamed on using the same source material? Maybe. But I’m still very worried. First of all, this trailer shows way too much. If you know the story, you know that this gives away a lot of the story. Even in fast cuts, you can still see the basics. And Jesus, how sexed-up is this version? Do we really need to see Lisbeth writhing away on someone? IN THE TRAILER? This is a genuine concern: these books are primarily about violence against women, not the ceaseless, violent, psychosexual objectification of women.

And here’s the thing that is making my skin itch: Lisbeth’s bangs trauma!!! Oh. My. God. Granted, there’s room for interpretation with Lisbeth’s hair, at least in the first book. The Swedish films did a good job with her hair, I thought. But it’s basically supposed to be kind of short and punk. Those little tiny bangs are really, really disturbing me though.

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Photos courtesy of W Magazine.

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93 Responses to “First trailer for Americanized ‘Girl With the Dragon Tattoo’ leaks: thoughts?”

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  1. Samigirl says:

    This … saddens me. I really love the books and the Swedish trilogy is kind of spot on, imo. I love them, and I was really wanting to love the English movies. I’ll go see them, of course, but, I really think they may end up terrible 🙁

  2. Jez says:

    That was…the entire movie.

  3. Charissa says:

    a freakin tutu? really? The only way I could see Lisbeth near one in the book or Swedish movie is if she were using it to strangle Bjurmann.

  4. Theuth says:

    Considering how almost everyone knows already the story, the trailer himself is not that bad.
    I have hope for this new adaptation IF they don’t “tone it down” in some parts and stop with the first book.
    This trilogy is nice, but nothing outstanding (the writing is HORRIBLE), the first book is the only one worth a screen adaptation: and, sorry to all the fans, but the movies aren’t these incredible masterpieces! Yes, Noomi gave to Lisbeth an incredible energy and the movie was shoot in Sweden, but they were boring and low budget.
    I really hope Fincher did a good job, he has got everything in his hands for a wonderfyl movie.

  5. Fabianne says:

    I agree with you. From the looks of the trailer, this looks like a shot-for-shot remake. And I really don’t like Rooney Mara’s hair and pale skin. I still don’t know why they had to remake this movie so soon.

  6. Ruth says:

    whats with all the ceaseless cutting in the trailer- its literally flash flash flash- totally meaningless unless youve seen the other films?

  7. Falula says:

    I’ve read the books as well, and I think the reason the trailer seems to over-share is because we know the story. If I had seen that without knowing the characters or the outcome it wouldn’t mean much to me, especially with those super quick shots. They don’t really make sense without the context of the story. I don’t necessarily think it will be any good, just saying.

  8. teehee says:

    Is it intentional that they chose a girl nearly annorexic for this?

  9. scotchy says:

    i do not see the point of this remake, it does not look any better than the original. i am too am worried, but luckily i live in europe and won’t have to see them.

  10. Theuth says:

    @teehee: in the book Lisbeth is described as an extremely short girl who looks like a very young boy. Something like less than 5′ feet and 90lbs.
    I would like to know why they didn’t change the title, however. The original is “Men who hate women”…it would have been better.

  11. Liana says:

    Is it intentional that they chose a girl nearly annorexic for this?

    * * * * *

    Yes. In the first book, Lisbeth is described as pale and anorexic.

  12. KJ says:

    @teehee – yes it is very intentional. The books describe Lisbeth as anorexic looking, I kid you not.

    I honestly like the lack of sexy in mara’s Lisbeth. Noomi Rapace was almost too pretty and stylized I thought. If Lisbeth really was this goth, alternatively styled hacker, she would look more like Mara in my opinion. The tiny bangs may give you bangs trauma, but for people who subscribe to this kind of style, it’s pretty par for the course.

    Not ok with this being a shot for shot remake though.

  13. Jenn says:

    Ok here is my beef with all this. When there is an Americanized version of a movie coming out people complain (b/c most likely this movie comes out this way) that the movie was WAY off from the original. But now we have a movie coming out that seems to be very close to the original (I have seen all three) and now there is complaints that it’s to close to the original? Is there a happy medium? Of course nothing is going to live up to the original. But I would rather see an Americanized version paying homage to a great original then seeing something that is so off to the left and crapping out what was done before. And as for the red band trailer, why not for those who haven’t seen the movie they won’t know the difference. I find it as intense as the subject matter.
    As for the casting. Again, the happy medium. If they picked someone else then Daniel Craig would there be complaints? Sure. Mara Rooney is an interesting casting choice, but aren’t you glad it isn’t the lip biting K-Stew? Least she has acting range!
    And that tutu pic, I didn’t notice till I saw the actual magazine, her nipple is out of the shirt and pierced with that safety pin that is showing (on the left as your looking at it). I found it a nice little “slip” lol

  14. Kaye says:

    I like the trailer itself, and it would probably entice me to see the movie even if I didn’t know anything about the story.

    Still, I’m with you, Kaiser – NO ONE can replace Noomi Rapace.

  15. mln76 says:

    Well as someone who has read the books but hasn’t watched the movies (OK 1/2 hr of the first one) because I remember too much of the story. I think Daniel Craig is terrible casting because he’s way too hot but who cares? Everything else looks great, but it will probably take me a while to watch this because I do want to see the original version first.

  16. jackie says:

    I have also read the books and seen the original films.

    I was also worried about this whole spectacle of remaking it, but I actually do like Rooney Mara, and think she captures the whole “looks like a porcelain doll and boyish underdevelopment” that Lisbeth was suppose to be.

    And I have to say that I kinda like this trailer, am a little excited now.

    Before I get yelled at, while I loved the Swedish movies, I felt that sometimes I was a little bored with it, it wasnt as fast paced as some of the action in the book. From the little I saw here, it looks like it captures the danger/mystery behind the story.

    And I disagree about the sexual undertones, Kaiser. I want to see Lisbeth get it on. She was very comfortable in the book doing her thing, and to me while the book is about the violence against women, it doesn’t mean she shouldn’t enjoy sex. I want to see that, Lisbeth having sex for the sake of getting what she wants.

  17. carrie says:

    it looks a “greatest hits” of the original movie with different actors and i guess Lisbeth is more fragile in Fincher’s version
    the score is great but the tagline is ironic and idiot in the same time
    i’m a few disappointed because it seems a copycat of the swedish movie

  18. Runs with Scissors says:

    Typical that they’d over sexualize her. The great thing about her in the books is that she’s never sexy, or if she is, it’s totally not intentional. All this posing and posturing ISN’T her character.

    Still love the story and will give Fincher way more credit and say that there’s no way he’d settle for a shot-by-shot remake.

  19. Gwen says:

    Mostly I feel this is an unnecessary remake and that bugs.

  20. Anonymei says:

    I loved the books and the first movie was well done, but nothing special from an artistic standpoint. I think Fincher can do a better job, he is extremely talented and will not shy away from the dark subject mater. Any doubts, rent Seven. I think Daniel Craig is a good choice, I peesonally do not need to look at a dumpy middle aged man for 2 hours. Bloomkvist is Larsson’s idealized version of himself. Women falling all over themselves was a bit of an eye roll in the book. With Craig, believable. Robin Wright Penn is perfect casting. Rooney showed great promise in The Social Network. Can not wait!

  21. the original bellaluna says:

    I don’t care WHAT version it is: I will not see it (unless it’s on tv at some God-forsaken hour – I’m an insomniac). And given how long and detailed the book was, I’m sure it would need to be an HBO mini-series to encompass it all, at the very least.

    I DO NOT WATCH MOVIES MADE FROM BOOKS I HAVE READ.

    No movie can come close to what I’ve pictured in my head (except to destroy it – INCLUDING Gone With The Wind) and it ALWAYS turns out to be HUGE disappointment.

  22. BR says:

    Typical Hollywood treatment with flashier effects that distract from the original. Noomi Rapace is irreplaceable. This new flick will makes tons of money. Too bad most won’t have seen the Swedish version, superior in all ways, much less read the book.

  23. Mia says:

    Didn’t read the books. Couldn’t get past the first 50 pages to get to the good stuff. I saw the Swedish Trilogy and loved it, with the 1st being my favorite. On that note, the American version looks fine. Daniel Craig is hot, but that works for me. I never understood why women were flocking to the Swedish actor.

  24. Zoya says:

    Of course the only way American filmmakers would allow for the character’s unconventional femininity would be by casting her as a skinny fashion model with an ~edgy haircut~. How predictable. I hope this shit flops.

  25. Anonymei says:

    Also, no problem with the bangs trauma, she is supposed to be ugly, I do hope the really disturbing scene is more toned down. It was too explicit in the first movie. No need for torture porn to tell this story. The scene can still be a girl power moment.

  26. Kaye says:

    @ mln76: You can stream all three originals for free right now on Netflix if you’re a member.

  27. beany says:

    Daniel Craig is hot, …I guess that’s pretty much it.

  28. Zoe says:

    I am SO glad I’m not one of those Americans that can’t be bothered to read subtitles or invest in another culture, even for two hours. The original Swedish film trilogy was awesome and like most foreign films, far eclipses whatever Hollywood is going to do with it. That they even had to make an American version is laughable, not to mention why bother redoing it if you are just going to make it look identical? It even looks like it was shot in Swedish settings and I even caught a glimpse of Stellan Skaarsgard. Boohoo, Americans can’t read subtitles. Nonsense.

  29. Solveig says:

    “And Jesus, how sexed-up is this version? Do we really need to see Lisbeth writhing away on someone? IN THE TRAILER? This is a genuine concern: these books are primarily about violence against women, not the ceaseless, violent, psychosexual objectification of women.”

    Spot on.

    I’ve seen just the first two Swedish movies and I only liked The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.
    It’s not like I’m very exiceted by the idea of a remake of it, especially if the director is Fincher… I hate Fincher, I can’t help but feeling disturbed and bored by the way he makes movies.
    As for the trailer, hard to tell, it shows too much but I already know the story.

  30. mln76 says:

    @Kaye I have Netflix…My problem is that when I started watching the movie I knew exactly what was going to happen because it follows the book so closely. I may try watching this weekend since I have a lot of free time.

  31. The Truth Fairy says:

    Why couldn’t they just release the original in US theaters with English subtitles??? Are American’s too dumb to read?

    Also, how many movie ideas are the American film makers going to steal? Can’t they come up with their own original ideas?!

  32. jc126 says:

    I saw a trailer for this the other day before a movie. I didn’t know what it was for and thought it was all about Daniel Craig! Seriously, this girl was BARELY in the trailer.
    I have heard of these books, but have not read them yet, so forgive my ignorance.

  33. the original bellaluna says:

    @ jc126 – The books are awesome, if not a little tedious. They are rich in detail, very complex, and descriptive.

  34. Original Me says:

    Loved the books…..read them after I knew Daniel Craig would be the lead, so I don’t think I can watch the originals because the lead actor is so……not Daniel Craig. I think eventually I will watch both.

  35. Abby says:

    I say this as someone who loves art house movies, foreign films, doesn’t mind subtitles, and speaks multiple languages (i.e. so please don’t shoot me down for saying this), but I hated the Swedish film version of the first book. I thought it was very well acted, but the film was very badly made. I didn’t hate the second movie with such vigor, but it did kind of bore me. Again, very well acted. When I watch this trailer, I’m actually very excited to see this version as maybe it will match some of the intensity that hooks you into the books. Granted there were long stretches of boring in the books too, but on screen I want the intense and the drama.

  36. Isa says:

    I guess I’m weird because I can’t get through the book. Guess I’ll have to try harder. I’m a big reader, even of books most people would find boring but I just haven’t been able to get interested in this one.

    I knew there’d be comments about her weight…wasn’t disappointed.

  37. Jez says:

    “The original Swedish film trilogy was awesome and like most foreign films, far eclipses whatever Hollywood is going to do with it.”

    You realize that the Swedish versions are generally considered to be pretty crappy, right?

  38. Erin says:

    No, no, no. At least they stayed close to the Swedish films but I have to say, I agree with Kaiser 100%. I will probably rent these movies but so help me God will I be pissed if they try to turn Lisbeth into a sexual object >:(

  39. teehee says:

    Ok good that it was on purpose. Otherwise I’d have reason to be offended LOL thanks

  40. insidescoop says:

    I don’t know. As someone who hasn’t seen the Swedish movies, read the book and lacks total knowledge about what the story is about I think it looks great! Also, i’d say that after seeing the trailer I still don’t know anything about the plot of the movie.

    But I don’t know how many other ppl like myself have been living under a rock when it comes to this story line….

  41. Patrice says:

    I hate to admit this, but I couldn’t suffer through the original Swedish movie, as much as I realllllly wanted to. Noomi Rapace was wonderful in it and I generally LOVE foreign dramas, but The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo bored me to TEARS. I didn’t make it past the first 45 minutes.

    With that being said, I love Rooney Mara (she was the only bearable part of the Nightmare On Elm St. re-make), and judging from these photos, it looks like the American producers are at least making a big effort to remain true to the original story. Sigh. I just hope that the first half of this version has a little more action in it…

  42. the original bellaluna says:

    @ The Truth Fairy – Yes. The majority of Americans (not me) are too lazy to read. Some Americans have the attention span of a hummingbird on crack. 😉

  43. Luna says:

    @KJ, that’s exactly the problem though. Why do Americans feel the need to remake things that are good to begin with? If it is to make a masterpiece more known to people, why not just promote it? Educate your people to accept films from other countries instead of remaking everything into something the American audience seem to prefer.

    That being said, a lot of American audience seem to diss the remakes anyway >.>

  44. Slim Charles says:

    I read the book – LOVED IT – and can’t make sense of the trailer. I don’t think it gives away anything.

  45. Hmmm says:

    As a person who found both the books and original swedish movies too long and overly complicated I think the trailer makes the movie much more exciting than it probably will be. And I thought Noomi didn’t match the image of Lisbeth I had, Rooney on the other hand does. But that’s just me.

  46. mia girl says:

    @insidescoop – You are not alone! When it comes to this particular cultural phenomenon, I’m snuggled up right next to you under that rock. For no particular reason really, it’s just that every time I was about to crawl out, something else caught my attention.

    So, as someone who knows almost nothing about this story, never saw Swedish films, etc… the trailer looked cool and did not give me ANY sense of what the story is. Agree with other posters that I barely saw the actual “girl”. Is this on purpose?

    The coolest thing about the trailer was, what I think is Karen O, covering Led Zeppelin.

  47. luls says:

    I have never heard of this movie or book series, outside of this website.

    And this is the 1st time I lay eyes on ANY of the movies/trailers. And honestly, I found this trailer to be super annoying. Its too fast & makes no sense. (sort of like britney spears’ hold it against me video) 😛

    However, the casting does look interesting; Daniel Craig, Robin Wright. (the lead chick though, I have no idea who she is).

    I will probably end up watching it, just to know what on earth the fuss is all about.

  48. RHONYC says:

    @ luls

    this is the 1st time I lay eyes on ANY of the movies/trailers.

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    you just took the words right out of my mouth.

    never heard of these books/movie.

    just wikied it for info and here’s what my research came up with:

    the novels sound fascinating. i was so enthralled i had to stop reading b4 i spoiled it for myself.

    i did find the original film trailer and here’s what: it looks WAAAAY more suspensful and interesting than this one. the remake is more fast paced that’s all. i didn’t get that gut-churning panic feeling that i did when watching the original trailer.

    on the actresses comparions:

    Rooney Mara actually looks more ‘Euro’ to me than Noomi Rapace actually. i think her physical transfomation is amazing and i did like her ‘dark’ interpretation of Nightmare on Elm Street’s ‘Nancy’. so maybe she has the goods to at least rep this character acurately…we’ll see.

    anyone who hasn’t seen the original like me can watch the trilogy instantly on Netflix…i’ve got them set at the top of my instant queue to watch tonight. super excited!!!

    🙂

  49. Gistine says:

    Looks more like Girl With the Crack Pipe. Eat something, gal.

  50. JulieM says:

    There is only one Lisbeth-Noomi Rapace. The books and movies had flaws, no doubt, but I’ve been pissed off from the day the remake was announced. Why does Hollywood have to take possession of everything? This is a Swedish story written by a Swedish author about Swedish culture, politics, etc., OH, in Swedish and in Sweden. Whatever.

  51. Chris says:

    Fincher’s version couldn’t be any worse than the European version. But I’m surprised they’ve bothered with the remake. Usually the target audience for English remakes of foreign films are the philistines who won’t read subtitles but I wouldn’t have thought the fans of the books would fall into that category. Therefore I think this film is going to bomb at the box office.

  52. Brittney says:

    I have the first book on my nightstand, waiting for when I have time to read it all the way through.

    So as someone who doesn’t know the plot, the trailer is just incredibly mysterious, fragmented and thrilling… though I’m sure that once I start reading, I’ll understand all those flashes and be angry that I know what’s coming. I got goosebumps watching it, but I almost always fall for movie promotion gimmicks.

    All that said… I usually hate American remakes of foreign films (“don’t fix what isn’t broken”) and as a writer and lit major, I also dislike film adaptations of books, even if they drum up more interest in the originals. There’s just something magical about turning the pages and envisioning the world yourself, but I understand there’s money to be made.

    I just really, really hope that people don’t decide to skip the books (or even the Swedish film) and just see this instead.

  53. Marianne says:

    I kind of liked the trailer. I like the rock and roll vibe it has going on.

    Plus Lisbeth is a very sexual person. Yes, she’s very “Girl Power-y” and yes she kick a lot of Pervert ass, but she also is a girl who likes sex. It says so in the book.

  54. Quest says:

    Big fan of the books, loved the original verson of the movie…not sure about the remake.

  55. Dingles says:

    Just like the remake of Let the Right One In: soulless, dumbed-down and completely unnecessary. I don’t know why Hollywood insists on remaking every amazing foreign film, with the exception of The Ring they all end up as cheap shadows of the originals. Are Americans really too stupid to read subtitles?

  56. Shay says:

    Why did this film need an American remake?
    Can’t Americans read subtitles?

    I just hope the script isn’t attenuated. Usually American remake means cliched scripts and dumbed down words.

  57. Solveig says:

    I completely forgot about the remake of ‘Let the right one in’, probably my brain has erected a selfe-defence crash barrier against the thought of that American remake, meh. Doesn’t surprise me to read that it sucks.
    Anyway, I don’t think that the Americans are too stupid to read subtitles (am I too optimistic?), I think instead that the distributors don’t want to risk big money on screening foreign movies, and above all it is clear that the industry is lacking of imagination and finds it easier to recycle others’ ideas.

  58. Mia says:

    I’m incredibly insulted by Dingles & others who insist Americans are too stupid to read subtitles. Obviously these movies were popular enough in America (with subtitles) to warrant a remake in English. It’s one thing to hate remakes (I do too). It’s quite another to insult an entire nation because your panties are in a twist.

  59. WillyNilly says:

    “Why couldn’t they just release the original in US theaters with English subtitles??? Are American’s too dumb to read? ” NO, but we do have directors with massive greed.

    And there are a couple of you that couldn’t get through the first half – I too almost stopped – but once you get past the LONG ASS development of the trial background, it gets so much better. Try and pick it up again… 🙂

  60. Sugar says:

    I’m with Dingles.

  61. Chris says:

    “I’m incredibly insulted by Dingles & others who insist Americans are too stupid to read subtitles.”

    It’s not just limited to America. There’re plenty of philistines in Australia and the UK who won’t read subtitles either. And I don’t know why any film maker worth their salt would want to cater for them. On Americans in general, I love Americans, especially your accents, I find them incredibly exotic because we don’t have accents here in Australia. 🙂

  62. jenni says:

    Ribcage galore in the nude-y scene.

    “Are Americans too stupid to read subtitles?” I’m American and like non-English films because I like foreign languages. But my bf (who is actually British) won’t watch any subtitled films w/me because he has dyslexia. Same w/his brother. They’re both intelligent. Disliking subtitles doesn’t make a person stupid, just a different way of absorbing information. But personally I prefer subtitles to voice overs. And I prefer a voice over to a remake. WORST remake ever? “City of Angels” in comparison to the German films WINGS of DESIRE and FARAWAY SO CLOSE…GAHHH!!!!

  63. Liana says:

    Just like the remake of Let the Right One In: soulless, dumbed-down and completely unnecessary.

    * * * * *

    Passing judgement before actually seeing the film is about as dumb as assuming that an entire nation is stupid and won’t read subtitles. It might suck, it might not.

    Wost remake ever, in my opinion, “The Vanishing.” The original still haunts me two decades out. The remake – pffft.

  64. Ria says:

    not the kinda movie I wanna watch. and this rooney mara – seriously, I don’t want any of her with those piercings, that haircut and general styling

  65. lachica says:

    I didn’t LOVE these books as there is far too much explaining required to make the stories hang together. but i did LIKE them and the original Swedish casting for the movie versions was awesome. too bad a teenaged Jolie wasn’t available to act in the Americanized versions. these scripts could have been based on her, yes.

  66. DeeVine says:

    For me Rooney Mara actually looks more that the Lisbeth I imagined from the books. Very young, anorexic, fragile looking goth/punk. That is why when she fights back it surprises her adversaries how vicious she can be. Noomi Rapace was great, but she looks like she is over 30 and been through hell and back. Lisbeth in the books looked 17.

    I read all the books and watched the 1st Swedish movie, I am actually looking forward to the remake. The Swedish one actually left out Blomkvist’s relationship with 2 other leading female characters, so maybe the American one will have more details and thrills.

  67. Crys says:

    nothing is sacred…

  68. almond says:

    How the hell did they get the rights for Led Zeppelin’s Immigrant Song?!

    The trailer was… vague and annoying what with all the fast cuts and basically giving away the whole movie. “Meh” I say. Oh, and Mara is much too thin. I can see ribcage in all its detailed glory. Meh.

  69. taxi says:

    Really liked the books & Noomi. Salander is described as under 5′ tall. 90 lbs & built like a 12 yr old boy. She also isn’t pretty & isn’t sexy in demeanor, despite having appetites. Mara is too tall, too pretty but weirded up with a tutu(?). Dan’l Craig is too buffed & too cold for Blomqvist, who occasionally shows some human warmth.

    The music on the trailer is seriously annoying & may keep me away from the film until it hits HBO.

    Those readers who liked the books are probably well satisfied by the Swedish movies. The US remake is an attempt, I think, to pull in non-readers who’d never get past the first 20 free Kindle pages.

  70. S says:

    Absolutely anything to do with this remake just makes me so, SO angry. The fact there IS one makes me angry, the film itself (or at least how it looks so far and how we can probably quite successfully speculate what it will actually be like) makes me angry, even Rooney Mara makes me angry; both for being part of this ‘remake’ abomination of an idea, and for her self-entitled trust-fund baby lifestyle and connections. I don’t care how nice she may be in real life or how ‘down-to-earth’ she is, I can’t stand the fact that she’s just been handed this amazing role on a platter when someone much less well-connected and financially-satiated (and probably an infinitely better actor) could have gotten it instead.

    Of course the other multitude of reasons it (the remake) makes me furious have already been covered by everyone else; but mostly it’s just the fact it’s unnecessary to the point that it’s almost offensive (and by that I mean the fact that someone decided that no, the original films weren’t good enough so yeah they should like totally be remade). I like Fincher’s direction, I like Daniel Craig and I (obviously) LOVE the series and I LOVE Lisbeth.

    But I will never, never like this.

  71. Maddox says:

    She’s hot, I can see her pulling it off as long as she chills out.

  72. truthzbetta says:

    I’m not familiar with this movie franchise.

    I’d WAY rather they released the original movies in the US with a splashy promotional tour than make an obnoxious do-over. It’s such an insult to the people who did a great original series with great casting.

    The real Insomnia was so good I’m so glad a true movie fan turned me on to the original. Insomnia made so much sense nothing in the world could make me watch something tailor made for the Scandinavian Arctic circle suddenly reset in Alaska with a bearded Mork. We’re not all morons. We can watch some foreign movies.

  73. Sheigh says:

    Looks like a wasting of movie’s roll for my eyes! Mara doesn’t suit Lisbeth’s charm at any steps, just looks like in a Willy Wonka disguise and Daniel craig, a little too ass pinched, guys! Altough, the music’s trailer is the worst all of this!

  74. Carolyn says:

    Lisbeth wouldn’t pose for those stupid photos…don’t Americans understand that subtle PR works? Yep she’d either strangle someone with it or set fire to it.

  75. orion70 says:

    As someone who hasn’t followed the development of the American film and only recently read the book, was Ellen Page ever approached? Her voice doesn’t really suit or some of her demeanor, but the pervert scene reminded me of Hard Candy, and physically she suits (especially as she has lost weight lately).

    As for remakes, I really like Quarantine, even though Rec is described as the superior movie (i’ve yet to watch it all the way through, the ending is supposed to be more terrifying). I equally like The Host as much as Cloverfield (even though they’re not the same movie, there are some similarities)

  76. vic says:

    When Hollywood does something controversial, like do a remake of something most people already like, it’s an excuse to judge all of America. “Can’t we read? We don’t like anything unless it’s blown up. We have no attention span. Blah, blah, blah.” Are you too obtuse to realize movie makers don’t represent the whole country or it’s viewing audience? And many Americans love the books and films so that contradicts your insults anyway.

    And here’s the kicker. The Swedish producer wanted this done to bring it to a larger audience. He’s partnered with Scott Rudin to make this happen and they went to David Fincher.

    http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000399/board/thread/183411561

    And as far as making her sexy, she wasn’t a sex kitten in the book, but she was very sexual.

  77. Karon says:

    I am actually excited by this remake. I loved all 3 of the books and was disappointed by the Swedish movies. While I had no problem with the subtitles, I thought the production was low quality…almost like watching a made for tv movie.
    I also thought that the swedish casting was totally off. Lisbeth is suppose to be tiny but Noomi looked like an olympic swimmer with those back and arm muscles. She also looked much too old. Bloomkvist is suppose to have sex appeal which I found lacking in the Swedish version. I am excited by the casting of daniel craig who looks sexy but also worn down by life. I am also looking forward to seeing Skarsgard play Vanger.
    Finally, I think that the american version will include more details than the swedish version, which skipped many details from the book like Bloomkvist and Berger’s relationship outside of the newspaper. I am more looking forward to the remake of the next 2 books, which I absolutely detested the Swedish versions of.

  78. Chloe says:

    As someone who hasn’t read the books, nor seen the Swedish movies, I really don’t mind the trailer.

    It seems to me more of an impression of what the movie might be and didn’t seem to reveal anything of the spoilery kind (remember, I have NO IDEA of the plot).

    I am, though planning to read it and watch the Swedish version.

  79. Flan says:

    This posing is ridiculous and this is the complete opposite of what the books and character are about.

    Seriously, to anyone who read the books, it must look bizarre.

    Wanted to be open-minded towards it, but trust an American filmmaker to drag it back into his (her?) comfort zone and show there is no understand of the source material at all.

  80. beth says:

    aside from virtually guaranteed commercial profit, i dont understand the need to… ok, i guess ‘virtually guaranteed commercial profit’ was good enough reason. this almost can’t fail.
    i don’t like her bangs –

  81. Solveig says:

    I saw “Let me in” (remake of the Sweden movie “Let the right one in”) last night, and although it isn’t completely awful, it is somewhat a poor copy of the original.
    Most shoots are like the ones of the original, in fact sometimes I ask myself if the American director just put some shoot from the original movie in his one. The atmosphere is pretty much similar, the two protagonists (the kids) are ok. But as most of American remakes there’s something off, that I suppose is the constant need to exaggerate everything in order to engross the audience with cheap effects. Problem is that what makes the Sweden movie so overwhelming is its way to describe the horror, the pain and everything that is absorbing in a very subtle way.
    That’s the big difference from Original movies and American remakes: the remakes always exceed in the description of the facts with too much useless details, whilst the original – especially if European or Corean – let the audience imagine.
    I get the bored the subs cause, they are distracting more than the the dubbing, IMO. But fortunately if I’m watching an English spoken movie, the subs to me are just a help if I miss some words. Different case is when I don’t know the language spoken, or I know very little and often I find myself thinking in Italian, whatching a French/Spanish movie (two languages I studied for years but I never use) and reading the subs in English. Headache inducing.
    Wouldn’t it be better for the sake of the annoyed (by subs) audience and for the sake of the authentic movie to increase the use of subs. I know that sometimes it’s like the actors are speaking out of synch, but dubbing is not different from acting, once you get good dubbers you won’t notice anything disturbing in what is the movement of the mouth of the actor and the sound you hear.

  82. endoplasmic_ridiculum says:

    You know when you watch something so good and you think “wish I had done that?” wel.. remaking it doesn’t make it “yours”..

    I’m talking to you David Fincher, Cameron Crowe etc etc.

    Honestly, the only remake of a foreign film that was better than the foreign film was Father of the Bride and that was mainly thanks to Steve Martin making everyone weep…

  83. rerun delaney says:

    i was heartened by the casting as daniel craig-he will bring intensity-but salander looks oversexualized. in the books, while she takes and gets what she wants with a high degree of practicality, she’s not vampy. she’s a true techie, a geek, and a punk. despite her jumbled feelings and expressions of sex, desire, and love, she doesn’t set out to BE sexy, EVER.

    the young woman looks like she’s giving it a try, but for me, there is only one lisbeth: noomi rapace. sorry kid, but good luck.

    the original swedish movies are a mixed bag: the first is ok, the second SUCKED, and the third was pretty good.

  84. Quercus says:

    I have no problems with subtitles, but the first Swedish movie was seriously underwhelming. It was very faithful, but the pacing was not tight, despite the wonderful Noomi Rapace. Just because something is “foreign” doesn’t make it a work of genius, lol.

    Film is a different medium with different requirements, so I’ll be excited to see this adaptation. I think to make it more dramatic, they’ve really changed the character of Blomkvist to not be as sweet, and I read somewhere they changed the ending too. The thing I loved about Lisbeth is her complete willingness to be viciously violent; it made her a very transgressive character, and it’s also pretty much implied [SPOILER] that she’s got Asperger’s or something on the autism spectrum; I hope they don’t lose those elements.

  85. fizixgirl314 says:

    this is overly sexualized just like everything in America… It’s like we’re a bunch of no class, brain dead hornballs or something :-/

  86. Cherry Rose says:

    Lisbeth is a hard character to portray. Certainly the way she dresses isn’t too hard to get down, but even though Lisbeth isn’t conventionally pretty or has a sensual body, she still manages to be have sexual appeal, even though it’s entirely unintentional.

    I love to read, but even I’m having trouble reading this series. I’m still stuck on the first book, to the first few chapters. I’m tempted to watch the movie first, then go back and read it (sometimes this helps me read a book I might have trouble getting into), but I don’t want anything to be spoiled.

    And I wonder if this remake does well, will David Fincher also remake the second and third movies as well?

  87. caitrin176 says:

    I think this remake is completely and absurdly unnecesary.It is yet another symptom of Hollywood’s increasingly meager to non-existent imagination–the way that,vampire-like, it tries to suck the life blood of the films of other nations by “recreating”(copying) them, shamelessly.(As well as rehashing,of course, their *own* films,”remaking”–or regurgitating–them less than 20 years after their original versions.)It is no secret that Hollywood long ago ran dry of original ideas, but remakes like this only highlight and magnify that fact.I liked the Swedish movies–well, mainly the first one–quite a lot–and the very *idea* of this U.S. remake makes me cringe.(The one possibly remotely interesting thing about it is to see how the new actors interpret their different roles,and whether and how they can add dimension to the story and overall tone.Yet, all of the main characters in the original film were pitch perfect and poignantly memorable, so I don’t care to see the new actors personal depictions of these roles.)The remake seems so obviously to be inspired solely by desire for financial gain, simply and saddeningly.It is one of far too many films recycled by Hollywood out of greed and a shameless lack of passion,care, creativity, and imagination.

  88. Gigohead says:

    This trailer looks awesome and I’m open to seeing it. I’ve read the books, saw the Swedish films but I’m a type of person that I’m open to seeing all of it because that’s what art is all about. I don’t want to pass judgment on something I’ve not seen yet.

  89. sage says:

    Awesome!!

    Saw + really liked the original, but for me, it was waaaaayyy too slow. Needed a heavy metal thing, or a faster pace– needed to be “turned up”== this trailer does it for me. I hope they cut a solid 30 minutes out of the time of the original movie too.

  90. Dizzybenny says:

    just saw the original tonight for the 1st time and WOW what a movie!!!
    thought the pace was fine it made for great tension.
    So thank you everyone who mentioned how good it was and now what are the titles of the next 2?I’m hooked!! lol 😀

  91. friction5 says:

    I thought the books where great, but I didn’t like the movies so much. Here are my top three complaints. Number one, I hate sub-titles because you miss half the movie reading. Number two, the story was cut up and missing quite a bit of the original story…typical for adaptations. Three, they looked liked they were made for TV…in fact they where lol! One positive, the actors where spot on based on what I would have imagined them to be, they were great.

    Now with the “Americanized” first movie coming this year, I’m looking forward to seeing what Hollywood can do. I like the actors, but I will have to wait before I can make any kind of critique…at least I’ll have my eyes on the screen and not reading the bottom of it lol.

  92. RHONYC says:

    @ Dizzybenny

    me too…totally obsessed. 😉

    2nd one is ‘The Girl Who Played with Fire’

    3rd one is ‘The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest’

    also on Netflix.

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