Sweden to Hollywood: We Got This

[snurri]

I have never read the Stieg Larsson books, but today I mainlined the first two Swedish film adaptations based on them--they're on Netflix streaming, in case anyone is wondering, and the third will be streaming as of January 25th. They are better than I was expecting, and I have no doubt that the American versions will be inferior. (Actually that last bit I was pretty sure of before I watched the film, but then I am still bitter about "Let the Right One In.") The main takeaway from these films is HOLY SHIT NOOMI RAPACE. She has to carry the films, and she does more than that; she fucking lifts them up over her head, runs a hundred miles under their weight, and hurls them into orbit.

Comments

[rnb.livejournal.com]

So are they actually good or just not bad? I know approximately zero about them apart from what I've heard in the media, and my takeaway is always "this is supposed to be really good, but a lot of people liked the Da Vinci Code, too."

So I'm hesitant.

[snurri.livejournal.com]

Rapace is excellent, and the character of Lisbeth Salander is well done in a way that heroines rarely are; on the other hand, the plots are a bit ridiculous, and in the first one there were a couple of points that I saw coming a long way off. If you can overlook the latter, as I did, then I think they're good; if you can't, you'd probably go with "not bad."