Millennium

I've seen all three original movies (plus the perfectly fine U.S. adaptation) and read the novels later. If one definition of a "10" rating is something that you know you will watch again (and again), then this six-part series from which three movies were "condensed" is the definitive version to watch and to collect. They expand the story back to its original scope, showing how the first movie is really just the beginning of the mysteries to be unearthed. They ultimately deliver a riveting story of cynical evil loosed by the amoral schemes of people who think they know what is "best."

Some have remarked on the violence, yet that violence is sparse and hardly what I would call "gratuitous." The first movie contains the only example of what might be called "triggering" (unless you have personally experienced bloodshed or war), and yet even that incident is balanced by a cathartic comeuppance.

Adult fans of mystery and intrigue on an international scale should not miss this excellent example.

This packs together the 3 movies into one or rather overall 6 parts - which means each movie becomes a two parter. That is because the running time is also extended for better or worse. And let me again emphasize that I have not read the source material, so I cannot attest to similarities or changes that have been made while transitioning this onto the big (or small) screen, depending on where you watched or will watch this.

The first two parts are really something different and set the tone. And they do not take any prisoners. From that we get the feeling that the two characters that are being highlighted here, also seem to be quite close to each other. And I don't mean sexually (though if you have issues with sex and nudity and all that, the movie will quite frankly really upset you) at all. Though there is some of that too - but I am talking about a spiritual connection. They are different ... really different ... which is why they make a good team.

Talking about sex, there is one scene that goes completely wrong for one of our characters ... the plan was different ... it sort of worked out, but it was not supposed to be as hardcore as it got to be. But that particular scene is more than just haunting! It will deliver ripple effects all through the movie world this created ... up until the end of it all ... For more insight, I reckon you can look up the individual reviews to the movies. And while this sparked a US remake, they only really went after the first movie (or two parts if you count it the way they do it here)!

I haven't read the books so can't comment on how faithful this 9 hour version is compared to the 3 theatrical release versions. However, I understand them to be largely faithful. It has been over 10 years since I first watched the Girl films, but the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo remains one of my favourite films ever. The hollywood remake was also perfect, however, for its Swedish origins and a more perfect Lisbeth in Noomi Rapace, the original remains as good as ever. With 30 minutes more footage in it, this first story felt even better, especially the first 90 minutes which is better paced and we see more of Lisbeth and Michael working together and more detail about how they solved the crime. So if you are going to watch the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo then watch the version in this miniseries, it is better than the theatrical release.

Similarly, if you are going to watch the other two movies, then it is better to watch the extended versions available in this series as the pacing is better and explanation of the plot (which can get intricate at times) is clearer. However, in my opinion the 2nd and 3rd stories just don't live up to the quality and entertainment of the 1st one. This is a criticism of the source material probably rather than this adaptation. Everything that I and others love about Dragon Tattoo is the mystery, as well as the fledging relationship between Lisbeth and Michael. The 2nd and 3rd stories have much less mystery and virtually no character development between Lisbeth and Michael as they have very little time spent together. Nevertheless, as a fan of the first story and therefore the characters, it is interesting to see more unfold about Lisbeth's back story and how her friends work together to protect her from evil forces.

Dragon Tattoo: 10/10 Played with fire: 8/10 Hornets nest: 7/10.

Everytime they changed something from the books, I was a bit dissappointed and sometimes evem frustrated. Also the characters even the main ones fall short to the ones from the book. But when you look at it just as a movie-trilogy it is told in a captivating way, with a good pacing and good actors. The last one was my personal favourite of the three.

Okay, so I came late to the party, but the Millennium trilogy became this summer's read. I was a little intimidated by three books which are 600 to 700 pages in length each, but after The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo finally picked up the pace and became a "page-turner", the last two books went very quickly. Ultimately, The Girl Who Played With Fire became my favorite of the three.

So next I started watching the films beginning with the American version of TGWTDT. It was really good, but in my reading of the book I envisioned Liam Neeson, not Daniel Craig. Then I watched the first of the Swedish films. I was kinda surprised at how different they were and I preferred some things about the Swedish version, but I thought the American version was a little better overall.

Then I picked up The Girl Who Played With Fire on DVD at my local BlockBuster (like I said, I came a little late to the party). Since TGWPWF was my favorite of the three books, I was crushed when I saw how badly they had chopped up the story and action.

At this point, I started browsing IMDb.com for background info on the film and came across a member's comments about a 6-part Swedish mini-series. Apparently, the original intention was to present the trilogy as six 90-minute episodes on Swedish television, but the money-making potential for a theatrical release became too great. So everything was re-edited into three feature length films.

The kicker is this guy says that TGWPWF lost an hour of its original footage on the cutting room floor. Now I gotta get a look at the mini-series version, but my BlockBuster (yes, we still have one) doesn't carry it. So I ask a friend who isn't as cheap as me, to look it up on her NetFlix account. HOORAY! It's available for streaming! I bring the food and she supplies the wine and we sit through the middle three hours of the Millennium Trilogy (parts 3 & 4).

OUTSTANDING!!!! I mean not quite as good as the book (production values, casting, etc.), but soooo much better than the Swedish theatrical release. I mean absolutely no comparison with the other version.

I'm a glutton for punishment. So the next night I watch TGWKTHN on Blu-ray (Hey…how come it's in 4:3 format? Oh yeah…filmed for TV.) Really good. Liked it lots.

One more night, back over to my NetFlix friend's place with dinner and watched episodes 5 & 6 of the trilogy. I gotta admit that the 3rd book was my toughest read. I thought it bogged down in all the SAPO Swedish Secret Police minutia. Well, turns out so did episode 5 & 6. They were good and the background info was helpful, but the pacing (like the book) made it a slow-go. Without spoiling it the final 45 minutes are excellent, but it's a long way to go to get there.

I'm a little burned out on Millennium right now, so I'm not gonna go back and watch those first two TV episodes 1 & 2 for a while yet. But when I do, it will be interesting to see if they improve upon the original Swedish theatrical release version of TGWTDT.

In summary… 1. I liked both the American and Swedish versions of The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, with a small preference for the American version. (I'm a motorcycle guy, so I definitely liked her vintage bike better.) 2. The theatrical release of The Girl Who Played With Fire is crap. Bypass this one for episodes 3 & 4 of the Swedish TV mini-series. 3. I'll give the nod to the theatrical release of The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet's Nest, but not by much. If you really liked all the SAPO details from the book, then go for episodes 5 & 6 of the mini-series.

At this point, I can't wait to see how the American versions of the 2nd and 3rd films turn out. These two books are really just one extended story, so I hope they film them simultaneously and bring them out pretty close together.