A few thoughts on the 8-minute preview of The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo

Was the point of showing us an 8-minute "trailer" of David Fincher's The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo to excite us before the inevitable let down that was Rod Lurie's Straw Dogs? Because if so, then they more than succeeded because those 8-minutes were the highlight of the evening. It's clear that the studio understands that this film is a gamble, and the need to get it out there early in front of as many eyeballs as possible is paramount to it having any chance of success. I think they're doing themselves a ton of good, if the reactions I heard were any indication. The crowd seemed to love it.


This footage is a far cry from the blazing, pulse pounding trailer we got a few months ago. The first five minutes I think are a true representation of what the film will actually be, a tense, slow burn crime procedural with an often odd sense of humor. We're introduced to the aging Henrik Vagner(Christopher Plummer), a man of obvious strength and influence, as he probes his research assistant Lisbeth Salander(Rooney Mara) for information on the target: disgraced journalist Mikael Blomqvist(Daniel Craig). While Plummer appears to be in top form, most of the attention will be directed towards Mara and the physical transformation she's undergone for this role. Her Lisbeth is a rail thin, milky shell covered in tattoos and piercings. By comparison to Noomi Rapace's version, Mara's version is less erotic, less ferocious. That's not to say she isn't a commanding presence during the clips we see, because she is. It's just less so than Rapace.

Lisbeth coldly gives her findings on Blomqvist, which includes some of the film's strange humor as she gives details on his sexual prowess and affair with a colleague. From there we start to get into the meat of what the story will ential. Vagner wants Blomqvist to investigate a years old disappearance and presumed murder of his niece, Harriet. We're then taken through a myriad of washed out flashbacks setting up the day of the crime, followed by Blomqvist's questioning of the key players. That's where we get our first looks at Stellan Skarsgard, Joely Richardson, and Robin Wright.

We also see a little more of the weird humor the film features, as Blomqvist first meets Lisbeth at her home while her one night stand is still in bed. But then there's also the precursor to one of the film's most detestable sequences between Lisbeth and her perverted social worker. It's clear they won't be shying away from Lisbeth's more questionable traits: potential drug use and promiscuity among them. For the most part, everything plays out in accord with the Swedish version of the film. The whole thing has a very cold, ominous mood about it, but you can tell almost immediately that it's a David Fincher film. Beautifully shot, but dark and foreboding as well. Atmosphere was not one of the problems the previous films had, and judging by this footage it won't be an issue here.

My only concern will come with the density of the material. The Swedish films were a drag, propelled along only when Lisbeth was on screen. The investiagtion is slow and encompasses a number of older characters that aren't all that interesting. The final couple of minutes of this footage, backed by yet another awesome score by Trent Reznor, seem to indicate that Fincher is taking a much looser approach to some of the action in order to speed things up. I hope that's true, and although I hate to say this because I love character driven movies, they may need to chop down on some of the dialogue heavy scenes to keep up momentum.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo isn't a sure fire bet to be a major hit here in the States, despite the books selling in the millions worldwide. It's an R-rated crime/mystery releasing in the dead of the holiday season. But based on what I saw and head, loyal fans of the novels will appreciate Fincher's vision. I think the best bet is to continue emphasizing the film's risque nature(the darker moments got the most reactions) to appeal to those unfamiliar with the source material.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo hits theaters on December 21st!