The Girl in the Spider’s Web: a New Dragon Tattoo Story (4/10)

by Tony Medley

Runtime 117 minutes

R

There have been lots and lots of movies made out of books. Almost invariably the books are better than the movies. This is true even of Oscar®- winning films like Gone with the Wind (1939) and From Here to Eternity (1953). Good as those movies were, they don’t hold a candle to the books written by Margaret Mitchell and James Jones, respectively.

What separates those from this is that those movies were exceptionally good. One reason was that they were faithful to the books, even though they condensed a lot of the action. For example, in the book “From Here to Eternity” almost half of the book was omitted, including many, many pages devoted to Maggio in the stockade with Fatso.

To be honest this movie should say only that it is “based on characters created by the late Stieg Larsson.” After he died writer David Lagercrantz was hired to write a fourth novel, which is what this one is purportedly about.

But it’s not. The plot has been completely changed, only the characters remain and any relationship between them and the novel is purely coincidental.

And that’s a shame because the novel had a good story while this movie makes no sense. In fact, I asked my assistant who had not read the book if she understood what was going on and she said she didn’t have a clue.

There are plot coincidences that are so absurd they are almost offensive. Just as one example Lisbeth Salander (Claire Foy in a fine performance) is in a desperate battle with the bad guy. They knock each other around for a while and he finally injects her with a drug that almost knocks her out. He absconds but she’s still groggy. The fight took place in a bathroom and some of the drugs have fallen on the floor. She just happens to put her hand around one that is clearly labeled “amphetamine.” Equally lucky, during the fight the pills had turned into a powder so she could lean over and snort the powder which revives her. I’d say “only in Hollywood…” But even a Hollywood script writer wouldn’t put a scene as silly as that in a major movie, would he? I guess they would if their names were Jay Basu, Fede Alvarez (who also directed), or Steven Knight.

One thing about the movie that is very good is the music by Roque Baños. But two hours of the nonsense that Alvarez puts on the screen can’t be saved by music alone.

Next time, guys, trust the material and make the book into the movie.