Now that all this Fantasia business is out of the way, I was finally able to catch the newest installment of The Millenium Trilogy, The Girl Who Played with Fire, at my local multiplex. As you’ll remember, I really dug the inaugural film The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, so was totally stoked for the next one.
![](http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_djQSn0PiXpU/TEeN6mEBGAI/AAAAAAAAGiQ/7Mz1-k1GD88/s400/girl2-poster.jpg)
When two of journalist Mikael Blomqvist's (Michael Nyqvist) colleagues are murdered while investigating a sex trafficking ring, it is Lisbeth (Noomi Rapace) who inadvertantly becomes a suspect.
Yeah, this is a tremendous series the Swedes have got going here. Fire is a great film with well-defined characters and pitch perfect storytelling. However, I have to say I didn't find this one nearly as engaging as Tattoo, although that may be more of a preference thing, rather than anything to do with the actual film.
Tattoo is a tough act to follow, man. I just watched it again on Blu-ray a few days ago and everything about that film just pulls me in. First of all, one of the many strengths of Tattoo was the relationship between Mikael & Lisbeth. Normally, these two characters would never ever cross paths, but due to the circumstances laid out in the first film, they became a great team. In Fire, they are separated, each with their own parallel storyline. I know why this happens, as this second film is more about Lisbeth (whereas Tattoo was primarily about Mikael) and it made sense for her character to fight her demons alone. I just, in the back of my mind, always kept waiting for them to be reunited.
![](http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_djQSn0PiXpU/TEeOBRdzF8I/AAAAAAAAGiY/Vu04rty2dWg/s400/lisbeth02.jpg)
Fire also ends very abruptly, which is again in contrast to Tattoo. The first film had a twenty-minute epilogue, yet Fire seemed about that length too short. They totally Empire'd the ending! I can only wager that Fire was meant to be a bridge between two larger stories, the events in Tattoo and whatever is coming up in the last film, The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest. Thank God I only have to wait until November to see how this all turns out.
Despite being a different director this time around – Daniel Alfredson, brother of Tomas 'Let the Right One In' Alfredson – the style was still very similar to that of Niels Arden Oplev's Tattoo. That was a relief, as that can be jarring when you switch directors mid-franchise, like when Paul Greengrass replaced Doug Liman on the Bourne films. I wasn't a fan of that change-up, but here the transition is pretty seamless.
The Millenium Trilogy is classic mystery filmmaking that is not afraid to deal in extremely dark subject matter. I expect that once I have seen them all, they will fit together brilliantly as one gigantic film. For anyone who enjoys good thrillers, this stuff is required viewing.
![](http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_djQSn0PiXpU/TEeN6mEBGAI/AAAAAAAAGiQ/7Mz1-k1GD88/s400/girl2-poster.jpg)
When two of journalist Mikael Blomqvist's (Michael Nyqvist) colleagues are murdered while investigating a sex trafficking ring, it is Lisbeth (Noomi Rapace) who inadvertantly becomes a suspect.
Yeah, this is a tremendous series the Swedes have got going here. Fire is a great film with well-defined characters and pitch perfect storytelling. However, I have to say I didn't find this one nearly as engaging as Tattoo, although that may be more of a preference thing, rather than anything to do with the actual film.
Tattoo is a tough act to follow, man. I just watched it again on Blu-ray a few days ago and everything about that film just pulls me in. First of all, one of the many strengths of Tattoo was the relationship between Mikael & Lisbeth. Normally, these two characters would never ever cross paths, but due to the circumstances laid out in the first film, they became a great team. In Fire, they are separated, each with their own parallel storyline. I know why this happens, as this second film is more about Lisbeth (whereas Tattoo was primarily about Mikael) and it made sense for her character to fight her demons alone. I just, in the back of my mind, always kept waiting for them to be reunited.
![](http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_djQSn0PiXpU/TEeOBRdzF8I/AAAAAAAAGiY/Vu04rty2dWg/s400/lisbeth02.jpg)
Fire also ends very abruptly, which is again in contrast to Tattoo. The first film had a twenty-minute epilogue, yet Fire seemed about that length too short. They totally Empire'd the ending! I can only wager that Fire was meant to be a bridge between two larger stories, the events in Tattoo and whatever is coming up in the last film, The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest. Thank God I only have to wait until November to see how this all turns out.
Despite being a different director this time around – Daniel Alfredson, brother of Tomas 'Let the Right One In' Alfredson – the style was still very similar to that of Niels Arden Oplev's Tattoo. That was a relief, as that can be jarring when you switch directors mid-franchise, like when Paul Greengrass replaced Doug Liman on the Bourne films. I wasn't a fan of that change-up, but here the transition is pretty seamless.
The Millenium Trilogy is classic mystery filmmaking that is not afraid to deal in extremely dark subject matter. I expect that once I have seen them all, they will fit together brilliantly as one gigantic film. For anyone who enjoys good thrillers, this stuff is required viewing.
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