Swedish critics warm to Hollywood's 'DRAGON TATTOO'
So what does Swedish media have to say about Hollywood’s treatment of the country’s native franchise? A big, resounding “Ja,” apparently. According to translations provided by distributor Sony, THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO is a hit with Swede crix, who lay it on especially thick for Rooney Mara’s transfixing performance as superhacker Lisbeth Salander. "So, we have a new Salander in town. Noomi Rapace must excuse me but Rooney Mara is so successful that the Swedish version of the hacker queen simply fades,” writes TT Spektra, the country’s top national news agency.
Other highlights:
“(DRAGON TATTOO) is a hell of a ride -- crazy, nasty and sexier than the Swedish original." – Aftonbladet, Sweden’s largest evening newspaper.
"That Rooney Mara could make the role with the same furious rage as earlier Noomi Rapace did not seem likely. But she did. And it is foremost her movie." – Expressen, Sweden’s second-largest evening newspaper.
"It is inevitable but also rotten to compare. The Hollywood version surpassed the Swedish film version with 130 miles per hour already in the start. It becomes more of everything: excitement, discomfort, violence, sex -- but the tone of Stieg Larsson's book is never lost. ... The newcomer Rooney Mara fits the Salander boots. Daniel Craig is a sharper Mikael Blomkvist." -- Dagbladet, a regional morning paper.
“Much better, much tighter thriller. Hollywood wins.” – Kulturnyheterna/SVT, a non-commercial national channel.
And it's more than just a consensus, as attempts to find a negative review in mainstream Swedish media have thus far proved unsuccessful (if you find one, tweet it to us at @Showblitz and we'll include it here). Back in the states, where CinemaScore reports that moviegoers are giving DRAGON TATTOO an 'A' in exit polling, the film kicked off the holiday box-office with $1.6 million from late-night Tuesday screenings, starting at 7 p.m. For more on early weekend box-office returns, click the link below.
