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I just got done reading the book, in anticipation of seeing the English language production of the movie. I know a Swedish version exists, but I really hate subtitles. It's not the sort of book that I usually read, but I can in some ways relate ro Lisbeth Salander, especially her disdain for all of the banal little things people do in order to not seem like weirdos. I don't do any of that stuff, and I really don't care whether people like me or not. I'm not as antisocial as her, but I suspect that she has a hell of a lot of emotional baggage that will be revealed in the other two books in the trilogy.

1. Its the first book of three in a series. Don't forget to check out the other two.
2. The Wife is very ambivalent about seeing the movie as it she really enjoyed the book and it might interfere with the images she made. regardless I am not allowed to see it as I tend to berserk over torture scenes (well torture in general).

Frazzled wrote:1. Its the first book of three in a series. Don't forget to check out the other two.
2. The Wife is very ambivalent about seeing the movie as it she really enjoyed the book and it might interfere with the images she made. regardless I am not allowed to see it as I tend to berserk over torture scenes (well torture in general).

Yeah, I've read a synopsis of the other two, and I'll probably read them eventually, but they seem sort of tacked-on at first look. And I generally consider extensive torture scenes in movies to be gratuitous, though Salander's revenge on that creep was satisfying. I'm looking forward to Stellan Saarsgard as Martin Vanger, that's the sort of role he's best at.

I want to read it at some point, I like to see films before I read the books. Just finished reading The Lovely Bones (which is about 100X better than the film, which in itself is very good), and quite liked the fact I had the images from the film in my head already, and could then add to it.

While after reading the Darren Shan saga, 2 or 3 times all the way through (not in one go), and then they made a film supposedly based on the first 3 books (more like took a few details then made a completely different story) kind of ruined the imagery I had going from the books, its was just not a very good film really, which didn't help.

How long until the English version of the film is out? I'm not too bothered by subtitles, I quite like watching foreign films in a way because they are just different to American/English films (not even just Hollywood). But i would like to watch before I read the books, might be best to watch the Swedish versions, because all three have already been made and are out.

warpcrafter wrote:Yeah, I've read a synopsis of the other two, and I'll probably read them eventually, but they seem sort of tacked-on at first look.

The Girl with the Dragon Tatoo trilogy is similar to the Star Wars trilogy in that the first book is a standalone adventure, whilst the second and third form a two parter with a cliff hanger at the end of the second book. Not wanting to spoil it too much, but 2 and 3 very much focus on Salander's backstory. Oh and the last line of the second book is awesome

EDIT - I would also add that like all good sequels/threequels, Larsson doesn't simply throw out more of the same, but takes the same characters and moves the story forward

rodgers37 wrote:How long until the English version of the film is out?

UK release date is December 26th.

I liked the first book, but I was never of the opinion that it would make a good film - I was sort of correct. The original Swedish film is enjoyable enough, though it has none of the atmosphere of the book. It's just a decently-acted mid-pace thriller. I will say this - Noomi Rapace improved my opinion of Lisbeth Salander's character, who I couldn't stand in the book. I found her juvenile and pretentious, like one of those idiotic goth chicks that thinks that acting hostile and rude makes them look smart and edgy. Rapace's portrayal was a little more nuanced, which brought a slightly different dimension to Salander and, for me, made her bearable.

Flashman wrote:

warpcrafter wrote:Yeah, I've read a synopsis of the other two, and I'll probably read them eventually, but they seem sort of tacked-on at first look.

The Girl with the Dragon Tatoo trilogy is similar to the Star Wars trilogy in that the first book is a standalone adventure, whilst the second and third form a two parter with a cliff hanger at the end of the second book. Not wanting to spoil it too much, but 2 and 3 very much focus on Salander's backstory. Oh and the last line of the second book is awesome

EDIT - I would also add that like all good sequels/threequels, Larsson doesn't simply throw out more of the same, but takes the same characters and moves the story forward

That's good, because it seems like the first book is more about Mikael Blomkvist. It wasn't until about 2/3 of the way through until the various threads started to come together.

I liked the first movie a lot. The second and third not so much. Noomi Rapace was excellent, but the performances overall were strong, and the setting and story gripping.

Part of me is against the idea of English-language versions of good foreign movies, as usually they are not close to equaling the original, and they lose a lot of the cultural and aesthetic qualities of the original. Lisbeth and everyone else in this story is just not going to seem the same without the Swedish language. But maybe I'm just being an elitist dick, and people who can't deal with subtitles don't deserve to miss out.

warpcrafter wrote:

Flashman wrote:

warpcrafter wrote:Yeah, I've read a synopsis of the other two, and I'll probably read them eventually, but they seem sort of tacked-on at first look.

The Girl with the Dragon Tatoo trilogy is similar to the Star Wars trilogy in that the first book is a standalone adventure, whilst the second and third form a two parter with a cliff hanger at the end of the second book. Not wanting to spoil it too much, but 2 and 3 very much focus on Salander's backstory. Oh and the last line of the second book is awesome

EDIT - I would also add that like all good sequels/threequels, Larsson doesn't simply throw out more of the same, but takes the same characters and moves the story forward

That's good, because it seems like the first book is more about Mikael Blomkvist. It wasn't until about 2/3 of the way through until the various threads started to come together.

Hmm... well don't expect to see his character toned down. Blomkvist represents Larsson's (alter) ego (he was also an anti far right magazine journalist) and to be honest, Salander disappears for half of book 2. What you don't get thankfully is reams of explanation about Blomkvist's problems which marred the opening chapters of the first book.

Mannahnin wrote:I liked the first movie a lot. The second and third not so much. Noomi Rapace was excellent, but the performances overall were strong, and the setting and story gripping.

Part of me is against the idea of English-language versions of good foreign movies, as usually they are not close to equaling the original, and they lose a lot of the cultural and aesthetic qualities of the original. Lisbeth and everyone else in this story is just not going to seem the same without the Swedish language. But maybe I'm just being an elitist dick, and people who can't deal with subtitles don't deserve to miss out.

I'm dyslexic, so my reading speed is not great, and I have to mentally switch between reading mode and movie watching mode, which ruins my ability to actually follow the movie. I would rather deal with bad dubbing that missing out on the visual aspects of a movie because I have to waste time reading the bottom of the screen.

Thanks for the reminder about this. My friends told me about how awesome this movie and book was. I completely forgot to ever check it out.

I personally have no iddues with subtitles, and love to hear the dialect of the original actors in most cases.

warpcrafter wrote:

Mannahnin wrote:I liked the first movie a lot. The second and third not so much. Noomi Rapace was excellent, but the performances overall were strong, and the setting and story gripping.

Part of me is against the idea of English-language versions of good foreign movies, as usually they are not close to equaling the original, and they lose a lot of the cultural and aesthetic qualities of the original. Lisbeth and everyone else in this story is just not going to seem the same without the Swedish language. But maybe I'm just being an elitist dick, and people who can't deal with subtitles don't deserve to miss out.

I'm dyslexic, so my reading speed is not great, and I have to mentally switch between reading mode and movie watching mode, which ruins my ability to actually follow the movie. I would rather deal with bad dubbing that missing out on the visual aspects of a movie because I have to waste time reading the bottom of the screen.

The dvd has an option to listen to the dubbed version, warp. I suggest giving it a go - it didn't spoil my enjoyment of the film.

Yeah, dyslexia or other visual issues are the main reason I can't take a hardline stance on subtitled movies. For folks physically capable, though, I always recommend the subtitled original. Being able to get the original look+feel of the film, and hear the actors' voices is way better, if you have the option. Dubbing is usually (though not always) a poor substitute even in relatively big-budget films. One gamer-friendly example is Brotherhood of the Wolf, the dubbed voices for which are terrible compared to the real ones.

Just found this over on Cheezburger. Thought it should be included.

http://celebs.icanhascheezburger.com/

That was pretty good.

Just got done seeing the movie. Kinda slow, lots more police procedural than you'd expect but all in all interesting, with one scene that is absolutely unforgettable.