This movie was a tour de force. It had the gripping suspense that held viewers attention in the first installment of the Girl With the Dragon Tattoo series, but was sorely lacking in the second film. I thought the story was the strongest aspect of the film. A government conspiracy, a girl who had been so wronged by a corrupt and perverted system, and a group of dedicated freedom fighters working for justice. Great film! Great trilogy!
In film class we are currently talking about the hero's journey. We are reading a book by Vogler who writes about the steps and sequences the hero goes through. He argues that stories can be boiled down to their essentials to reveal that there are not so many different stories throughout time and across cultures. I think Lisbeth, the hero of the the Girl With the Dragon Tattoo qualifies as a hero who goes on a long and difficult journey. In the first film she is an avenging angel. She works outside of Swedish society to help Mikael solve the crime. In the third and final film she is cleared of any wrong doing and her rights and sanity are restored.
In the third film we see the hero's journey come to a climax. The events of the previous two films lead up to a trial where Lisbeth must prove her innocence and legal competence. In a number of plot twists it is revealed that Lisbeth accusers, the psychiatrist, her legal guardian, and her father are all guilty of a vast conspiracy to help Zalachenko and keep Lisbeth institutionalized. The suspense builds to a peak and all of Lisbeth's enemies are dealt with leaving her free.
Aside from the hero's journey Lisbeth goes on, and Lisbeth is quite a hero. First, she is a woman who is abused by white men. The film is a clear indictment of the patriarchical Swedish society the Lisbeth lives in. She must fight against entrenched corruption with only a few resources and few allies. Yet she does come out on top.
I also found the use of technology interesting in the film. It is such a film that reflects how digitally connected we are. Lisbeth uses her skills as a hacker to find information, her allies hack computers to clear her name, and cell phones are very common. I like the whole "cypherpunk" style and attitude of Lisbeth. I like how there is a constant tension as to how she is going to succeed. How is she going to expose the villains and evilness of Swedish society. It also goes well with the current activities of hacktivists, anonymous, and current debates about the internet, government secrets, openness, abuse of power, systematic repression, and corruption in government. With the trial of Bradley Manning and the legal status of Julian Assange in question this film is very relevant to today's World.
I think this film is a very good conclusion to the Girl With the Dragon Tattoo series. It ties up all the lose ends, there is a definite conclusion. The film has some classical aspects to it, but with a postmodern influence. There are "good" people who help Lisbeth and there are villains just like in a classical story. Yet all of the events and use of technology make it a story that is very contemporary.
I'm teaching a course this Fall about Cinema and Digital Technology and I'm debating about which film to show; the first film or the third film? I will take a survey of the class to determine how many students have seen the first film and if there are a lot of students who have seen the first film, then I'll probably show the third film.
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