Starring: Daniel Craig, Christopher Plummer, Rooney Mara
Plot: When political journalist Mikael Blomkvist (Daniel Craig) is disgraced after losing a libel case, he takes up the offer of helping a rich businessman solve the mystery of a family member who was murdered decades earlier. His investigation pairs him up with the strange and aloof researcher Lisbeth Salander (Rooney Mara), the girl with the dragon tattoo, and together they face danger from thieves, misers and bullies (i.e. the businessman’s family) on their quest to uncover the truth about the murder.
English language films on Tenerife: English speaking film fans are in for a big treat this week. There are three films in Tenerife’s cinemas being screened in their original language. Gran Sur in Costa Adeje has the funny and likeable Puss in Boots, getting his own starring role after stealing the show in the Shrek movies (3.30 and 5.10pm daily). Also at Gran Sur is Drive, a darkly violent and exciting thriller with Ryan Gosling (7.40pm).
But our choice of the week is the film that the Zentral Centre has chosen to re-launch screening film in their original language, the eagerly awaited English language remake of The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo.
TM Rating: First there was the super successful book, then there was the moody and occasionally shocking film adaptation that was one of those rarities ““ a movie adaptation that didn’t disappoint and one that uncovered an actress who really was Lisbeth Salander.
So why remake an already successful and critically acclaimed film? Because the original movie was Swedish and like it or not, the great movie going public won’t fork out to see a subtitled film. So we get The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo; the Hollywood version. It was a move that had film fans disliking the movie before it was even released.
But Hollywood’s The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo comes with strong credentials in a director, David Fincher, who rarely puts a foot wrong with his movies. The main cast – Daniel Craig, Christopher Plummer and Stella Starsgard are all actors who don’t normally make poor choices with the roles they pick. It also introduces another strong and faithful characterisation of Lispeth Salander thanks to Rooney Mara this time. Most importantly, the movie doesn’t go all Hollywood and change key elements of the story to suit an American audience reared on the notion of the great American dream.-
Settings, mood and accents (except Daniel Craig) are all uniquely Swedish as this slow burner of a mystery unfolds against icy and unwelcoming landscapes. Like the original film, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo can shock, with content that will make virgins to the series squirm uncomfortably. Also like the original it is an utterly compelling film.
8/10 ““ If there hadn’t been an almost perfect Swedish version, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo would have been an excellent movie…but there was, so that only makes it a very good movie.
Dates: 13 to 19th January
Screening Times: 4pm daily
Tickets: €6.50 Buy Your Tickets Here
