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Lucy Buglass (45 KP) rated The Girl in the Spider's Web (2018) in Movies
Jun 20, 2019
Disappointingly Average
I love The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo series. The Swedish films are excellent and David Fincher’s US adaptation was a decent watch too. Lisbeth Salander is such an iconic and well-written character, so her return to the big screen was met with much anticipation. With a new cast and new story I was looking forward to seeing it, catching a Limitless preview screening a few days before its general UK release. Unfortunately, it didn’t live up to my relatively high expectations.
The biggest insult to this film is its trailer. It gives away EVERYTHING so if you’ve seen the trailer, you’ve basically seen the entire film condensed down into a few minutes. All the best scenes and key moments have been awkwardly crammed into its promotion, to the point where I was able to predict exactly what was going to happen. I felt very let down by this and it seriously ruined my ability to enjoy the film properly. It deserved a much more ambiguous trailer, letting the mystery be revealed throughout the full narrative instead.
The film is redeemed somewhat by the performances. Claire Foy is a fantastic Lisbeth Salander, putting her all into this performance and fully embodying the badass, bisexual cyber-hacker that we all know and love. She is slick, smart and sexually charged, and is a worthy successor to both Noomi Rapace and Rooney Mara. If anything, Foy deserved a better film because this story really didn’t do her much justice and that’s not her fault.
It was also interesting to see British comedian Stephen Merchant in a much more serious role, proving that he is able to step out of his comfort zone. His character, Frans Balder, is a complex one despite his lack of screen time, and I was convinced by his take on the character. Despite his relatively small role, I found him more interesting than some of the main characters.
Security expert Edwin Needham is utterly forgettable, and his character wasn’t strong enough to get much interest from me. In a similar vein, Millenium journalist Mikael Blomkvist barely even made an appearance and considering he’s been a key character in the novels and in Lisbeth’s life, this was disappointing for me. I haven’t read the novel yet so I’m unsure if this is true to the original story, but it was a shame he didn’t feature more.
Because this film focuses primarily on Salander and twin sister, Camilla, I was relieved that I at least enjoyed scenes featuring the two of them. Sylvia Hoeks is a terrifying and powerful on-screen presence, from her mannerisms to her costume design. The fractured relationship between the two sisters is fascinating and runs deep, but seems to be glossed over at times. Foy and Hoeks did their best with the script they had, but I still found the narrative jumbled and rushed in places, favouring drawn-out action over scenes with any real substance.
Sure, the action sequences are well-shot and full of adrenaline but when they replace actual narrative coherence, we have a problem. There’s too much going on, there’s plot holes, and filler scenes that really didn’t need to be there. I know two hours isn’t really a lot of screen time to play with, but it could’ve been so much better than this.
The Girl In The Spider’s Web is nothing like the complex thriller I was expecting it to be, cramming far too much into its runtime and leaving me feeling dissatisfied. It’s entertaining in its own way and if you’re mainly looking looking for chase sequences, fast cars and action, then you’ll probably have a good time. There are some great scenes and lines of dialogue, but not enough to fully redeem itself. I don’t necessarily regret watching it, but I won’t be watching again. It’s a forgettable action film.
If you want to see Lisbeth Salander and co. at their best, catch the Swedish films instead.
https://lucygoestohollywood.com/2018/11/28/disappointingly-average-a-review-of-the-girl-in-the-spiders-web/
The biggest insult to this film is its trailer. It gives away EVERYTHING so if you’ve seen the trailer, you’ve basically seen the entire film condensed down into a few minutes. All the best scenes and key moments have been awkwardly crammed into its promotion, to the point where I was able to predict exactly what was going to happen. I felt very let down by this and it seriously ruined my ability to enjoy the film properly. It deserved a much more ambiguous trailer, letting the mystery be revealed throughout the full narrative instead.
The film is redeemed somewhat by the performances. Claire Foy is a fantastic Lisbeth Salander, putting her all into this performance and fully embodying the badass, bisexual cyber-hacker that we all know and love. She is slick, smart and sexually charged, and is a worthy successor to both Noomi Rapace and Rooney Mara. If anything, Foy deserved a better film because this story really didn’t do her much justice and that’s not her fault.
It was also interesting to see British comedian Stephen Merchant in a much more serious role, proving that he is able to step out of his comfort zone. His character, Frans Balder, is a complex one despite his lack of screen time, and I was convinced by his take on the character. Despite his relatively small role, I found him more interesting than some of the main characters.
Security expert Edwin Needham is utterly forgettable, and his character wasn’t strong enough to get much interest from me. In a similar vein, Millenium journalist Mikael Blomkvist barely even made an appearance and considering he’s been a key character in the novels and in Lisbeth’s life, this was disappointing for me. I haven’t read the novel yet so I’m unsure if this is true to the original story, but it was a shame he didn’t feature more.
Because this film focuses primarily on Salander and twin sister, Camilla, I was relieved that I at least enjoyed scenes featuring the two of them. Sylvia Hoeks is a terrifying and powerful on-screen presence, from her mannerisms to her costume design. The fractured relationship between the two sisters is fascinating and runs deep, but seems to be glossed over at times. Foy and Hoeks did their best with the script they had, but I still found the narrative jumbled and rushed in places, favouring drawn-out action over scenes with any real substance.
Sure, the action sequences are well-shot and full of adrenaline but when they replace actual narrative coherence, we have a problem. There’s too much going on, there’s plot holes, and filler scenes that really didn’t need to be there. I know two hours isn’t really a lot of screen time to play with, but it could’ve been so much better than this.
The Girl In The Spider’s Web is nothing like the complex thriller I was expecting it to be, cramming far too much into its runtime and leaving me feeling dissatisfied. It’s entertaining in its own way and if you’re mainly looking looking for chase sequences, fast cars and action, then you’ll probably have a good time. There are some great scenes and lines of dialogue, but not enough to fully redeem itself. I don’t necessarily regret watching it, but I won’t be watching again. It’s a forgettable action film.
If you want to see Lisbeth Salander and co. at their best, catch the Swedish films instead.
https://lucygoestohollywood.com/2018/11/28/disappointingly-average-a-review-of-the-girl-in-the-spiders-web/
Jesters_folly (230 KP) rated Midsommar (2019) in Movies
Jul 5, 2019
Contains spoilers, click to show
This will contain spoilers
A group of friend's travel to a remote Swedish village to study their ancient midsummer festival and, let's be honest, if you've seen more than a few horror moves you know it's not going to go smoothly.
Midsommer is a film by the same people who made Hereditary and, almost from the start you can see the similarly in tone, theme, music and cinematography. Midsommar shares some of the same themes as its predecessor, touching on mental illness and ramping up the drug use but it's main focus is on family, customs and tradition.
Midsommar is different film to Hereditary being more of a thriller in the style of 'the Wicker Man' than an out and out horror, relying more on a growing tension than on any outright supernatural threat. People die but, with only one exception you never see them killed and, in most cases the deaths are not treated with much importance (except where there is specific plot relevance).
As I said, Midsommar is similar to 'The Wicker Man' but only in the same way the film 'Battle Royal' is based on 'Lord of the Flies', the film has taken some of the basic ideas and updated them leaving us with an atmospheric thriller with traces of slasher (with no slasher) and psychological movies which works to create a beautiful, disturbing movie which takes you on journey of friendship, love and family.
There are moments in the film which point to the strangeness to come but, unlike Hereditary there are some moments where the tension lets up (If only for a few minutes) most of which are provided by the character Mark who i found seemed to be slightly out of place. He didn't seem gel with the other characters well and, I felt he would have been more at home in a traditional slasher.
I found that there was a familiarity to Midsommar, influenced as it is by 'The Wicker Man' but, with a run time of almost 2 and half hours there is plenty of time events to play out how they do.
A group of friend's travel to a remote Swedish village to study their ancient midsummer festival and, let's be honest, if you've seen more than a few horror moves you know it's not going to go smoothly.
Midsommer is a film by the same people who made Hereditary and, almost from the start you can see the similarly in tone, theme, music and cinematography. Midsommar shares some of the same themes as its predecessor, touching on mental illness and ramping up the drug use but it's main focus is on family, customs and tradition.
Midsommar is different film to Hereditary being more of a thriller in the style of 'the Wicker Man' than an out and out horror, relying more on a growing tension than on any outright supernatural threat. People die but, with only one exception you never see them killed and, in most cases the deaths are not treated with much importance (except where there is specific plot relevance).
As I said, Midsommar is similar to 'The Wicker Man' but only in the same way the film 'Battle Royal' is based on 'Lord of the Flies', the film has taken some of the basic ideas and updated them leaving us with an atmospheric thriller with traces of slasher (with no slasher) and psychological movies which works to create a beautiful, disturbing movie which takes you on journey of friendship, love and family.
There are moments in the film which point to the strangeness to come but, unlike Hereditary there are some moments where the tension lets up (If only for a few minutes) most of which are provided by the character Mark who i found seemed to be slightly out of place. He didn't seem gel with the other characters well and, I felt he would have been more at home in a traditional slasher.
I found that there was a familiarity to Midsommar, influenced as it is by 'The Wicker Man' but, with a run time of almost 2 and half hours there is plenty of time events to play out how they do.
Phillip McSween (751 KP) rated Midsommar (2019) in Movies
Mar 22, 2020
Can't Deny it's a Solid Movie
Typically when I write a review, I try to watch the movie as I’m writing to bring back any lost memories to mind. Now, as I watch Midsommar on Prime, I’m trying to type as fast as I can so I can move on from this movie. It’s not that the movie is bad, not in the least. It’s just unsettling as hell, a movie that leaves you with an eery feeling that’s undeniable. The plot: Trying to escape a family tragedy, Dani (Florence Pugh) escapes with her boyfriend to a Swedish village for a midsummer festival. What she finds is the furthest things from what she expected.
Acting: 10
Beginning: 10
Characters: 10
Here’s what I loved most about the characters in Midsommar: They are, all of them, true to form. When situations arise, they act just like you expect them to act based on their personality traits. If it weren’t for these main characters, the movie never would have played out the way it did as they all experienced their doubts about the village at one point, but continued to stay for one personal reason to the next. As a result, shit hits the fan and things get juicier by the minute.
Cinematography/Visuals: 10
Conflict: 7
Entertainment Value: 1
Memorability: 10
Pace: 8
Plot: 9
Resolution: 5
It was…an ending to say the least. Bananas. Crazy. Threw me for a loop. Did I love it, though? Meh.
Overall: 80
Thankfully, it’s only taken me about eleven minutes to get all this typed so I’ll be shutting Midsommar off real soon. In my overall opinion, the movie falls short a few paces of being in the classic category because it gets a bit humdrum after awhile. However, I applaud it’s bold originality and its desire to be like nothing else that’s out there right now. That is something I ultimately respect whether or not I loved the movie. It won’t have universal appeal, but I definitely recommend it if you are a movie buff and have yet to see it.
Acting: 10
Beginning: 10
Characters: 10
Here’s what I loved most about the characters in Midsommar: They are, all of them, true to form. When situations arise, they act just like you expect them to act based on their personality traits. If it weren’t for these main characters, the movie never would have played out the way it did as they all experienced their doubts about the village at one point, but continued to stay for one personal reason to the next. As a result, shit hits the fan and things get juicier by the minute.
Cinematography/Visuals: 10
Conflict: 7
Entertainment Value: 1
Memorability: 10
Pace: 8
Plot: 9
Resolution: 5
It was…an ending to say the least. Bananas. Crazy. Threw me for a loop. Did I love it, though? Meh.
Overall: 80
Thankfully, it’s only taken me about eleven minutes to get all this typed so I’ll be shutting Midsommar off real soon. In my overall opinion, the movie falls short a few paces of being in the classic category because it gets a bit humdrum after awhile. However, I applaud it’s bold originality and its desire to be like nothing else that’s out there right now. That is something I ultimately respect whether or not I loved the movie. It won’t have universal appeal, but I definitely recommend it if you are a movie buff and have yet to see it.
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