Topic: The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo

[James]

Speaking of Sweden, there's an interesting scene in the movie between Daniel Craig and his daughter (not a real important scene, no spoilers needed)  where they are talking about her going to some bible study meeting or something like that, I'm loosely paraphrasing.  Anyway he just sighs and says he supports her in whatever she chooses, and she replies 'ya you just wished it wasn't religion.'  Point being, its Sweden where atheism is the norm and religious people are seen as odd.  It was a cool scene and I just wish I could live for another 100 yrs or so to see the shift happen in North America

[Audiophile]

Speaking of Sweden, there's an interesting scene in the movie between Daniel Craig and his daughter (not a real important scene, no spoilers needed)  where they are talking about her going to some bible study meeting or something like that, I'm loosely paraphrasing.  Anyway he just sighs and says he supports her in whatever she chooses, and she replies 'ya you just wished it wasn't religion.'  Point being, its Sweden where atheism is the norm and religious people are seen as odd.  It was a cool scene and I just wish I could live for another 100 yrs or so to see the shift happen in North America

Interesting point, talked a bit with the guys at work about this over coffee. We figure it is true to a point.

I'd say we more don't give a shit. Atheism seems like a stance. Like actively debating against reliegion. We just don't... care. Most of us anyway.

[Johnny Slick]

I know Europe in general tends to kinda-sorta say they're Christian because they live near a church but, thanks in large part to the lack of open competition creating the same sort of evangelical powerhouses we have in the USA, they aren't nearly as enthusiastic about the subject. Atheism really *should* be the default, the same as not believing in invisible orange toaster monsters is the default, but, well, it kind of can't be here in the States. Except out here in the unchurched belt, I guess.

[random poet]

i read the books and thought they were very good.

i saw the swedish films and thought they were a great (almost perfect) adaptation of the books.

when i heard hollywood was doing a remake i thought it was a stupid idea. the swedish ones are fine, why can't they just leave it alone? plus they'd probably just turn it into an over-budgeted hollywood action-thriller (à la True Lies).

then i heard it was david fincher and i was interested. the cast seemed pretty good too. i thought maybe this wouldn't be so bad. maybe they'd be worth seeing, if superfluous.

now that i've seen it, i have to say i was right. it's a good movie, at least as good as the swedish one, but it's superfluous. i will never understand the hollywoodian urge to remake everything.

[Ah.hell]

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i read the books and thought they were very good.

i saw the swedish films and thought they were a great (almost perfect) adaptation of the books.

when i heard hollywood was doing a remake i thought it was a stupid idea. the swedish ones are fine, why can't they just leave it alone? plus they'd probably just turn it into an over-budgeted hollywood action-thriller (à la True Lies).

then i heard it was david fincher and i was interested. the cast seemed pretty good too. i thought maybe this wouldn't be so bad. maybe they'd be worth seeing, if superfluous.

M
now that i've seen it, i have to say i was right. it's a good movie, at least as good as the swedish one, but it's superfluous. i will never understand the hollywoodian urge to remake everything.

oney without all the trouble of writing a new story.  Also, you can't really deny that a hollywood movie is going to be seen by a much wider audience.  At least he didn't set it in upstate new york or some nonsense.

[D'oh!]

I enjoyed this remake far more than the American one of Let the Right One In (i.e. Let Me In). 

Now that I've seen the original Dragon Tattoo, I'd say the original is superior.  Any issues I had with the remake were not present in the original.  However, the one thing I liked better in the remake:

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NOT having the journalist have any connection to the missing girl, his former babysitter.  It might have been that way in the book, but I think it's an extra, unnecessary layer of plot.  He has enough motivation outside of this device to try and solve the mystery.

[Felt Martin]

The one thing I was delighted to see in the remake was ....

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.. the scene at the end where Salander (having finally let someone into her life) sees Blomkvist with Berger and is devastated. I still don't understand why they took it out the Swedish version because it explains why she is avoiding him in the next book.

[alexbutterfield]

Never read it.

Saw half the swedish version and was not impressed.

Saw the new version and was excellent.

It's just so well made. The characters and the story (as they are in the others I'm sure) are really interesting. I liked it a lot.

On the subject of accents - they kind of had to do the speaking english in with swedish accents. Unless they cast Swedish actors, which wouldn't have got the green-light, then it would always be a bit fake. The only other alternative is to do it with the actors' own accents. That just wouldn't work at all. It's an unfortunate thing, but I think it was easy to get over it.

Anyway - I really don't like the backlash against the new movie - saying the original is way better. The amount of times I've heard that from people I know... I find it to be disingenuous and pretentious, tbh. The original is pretty poorly made imo, and the new one is great. I don't see the problem with remaking something to be better, if the original isn't very good.

If the original is awesome, like Let the Right One In, then a remake is somewhat unnecessary. (I havent seen the remake) But I'd still be open to the possibility of it being an improvement. I never understood the aversion to remakes.