The Girl In The Spider's Web Review: 3 Ups & 6 Downs

1. Mikael Blomkvist Is A Totally Pointless Character

For some reason journalist and Lisbeth's occasional lover Mikael Blomkvist is given a youthful-ish recast this time around, being played with fair disinterest by 40-year-old Sverrir Gudnason.

The baby-faced Gudnason also looks decidedly younger than his years and therefore his Blomkvist appears around the same age as Lisbeth, which substantially alters their dynamic given that Blomkvist is typically much older than her.

Even more frustrating than this, however, is how little import the beloved character has in the plot.

He could've pretty much been removed from the movie without affecting its core outcome, and little effort is made to integrate him into the story in a way that's even remotely interesting.

It's hard to have much to say about Gudnason's performance, honestly, because the character as written is such a boring, impenetrable cipher.

So, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo franchise hasn't been successfully resurrected, then. But the film does have its moments, so here's what it actually nails...