The Girl who Kicked the Hornets' Nest

Lisbeth Salander, she shall be a heroine for all time. Lisbeth has been severely injured and is taken to hospital. On her recovery, she is to stand trial for the murder of three people and attempted murder of her Father. The journalist Mikael Blomkvist is the only person who has the information to save her. Will she allow her tragic and abusive past to be thrown open to the public to clear her name? This is the final film in the Millenium Trilogy. What a ride it's been. I didn't want to read the books, because they've been so popular. Call it a mid-life teenage rebellion if you like. Then I saw the first movie, 'The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo' and was so captivated that I read the books. They are well worth the read. The problem with adapting well loved novels like this is there is so much packed into them, what do you leave out? The first movie stood on it's own. That's not the case with the second or third film in my opinion. If you haven't read the books, it's very hard to follow. Naturally a lot has been left out, and with that, some of the depth and meaning has gone. Micke in the book is a real lady's man, part of his charm, but it doesn't translate to the film. Even when you have read the books, it's a little disjointed in places. The movie is shot in Sweden, with subtitles and Swedish actors. This gives it a really raw quality, as most of us are not familiar with the actors apart from Michael Nyqvist (As it is in Heaven) and now the excellent Noomi Rapace as Lisbeth. All of them are quite outstanding, and it's really refreshing that none of them seem to have been to the make-up unit, apart from Rapace, who went for everyone. It also paints a very different picture of the Sweden that most of us imagine. There is no beauty or social conscience here, but thankfully it appears that the kitchens are all Ikea still. Some of the scenes are incredibly confronting and violent. It's not often that a heroine is so well portrayed in a film. She is a surly character for sure, but Noomi Rapace forces you to like and admire her, through all of her gothic sulleness. Michael Nyqvist is also excellent. The only gripe I have, and this is not his fault, is that Mikael is described as drop dead gorgeous. Although Nyqvist undeniably grows on you and is attractive in his own way, I think Daniel Craig, (the man slated for the remake) may have been a better choice. It remains to be seen if Rooney Mara comes anywhere close to Noomi Rapace, I somehow doubt it. THE GIRL WHO KICKED THE HORNETS' NEST: Don't stir the Queen and get her angry, she's got a real sting in her tail. 7.5/10