The Girl In The Spider’s Web

The opening scenes, which are featured in the trailer, show Lisbeth Salander (Claire Foy) exacting her personal brand of justice on a wife and prostitute beating, philandering wealthy businessman. It falsely suggests that the plot will evolve from this act of feminist based vigilantism, but alas, it does not. Instead, it is centred around the impossibly high stakes theft of a computer program that can commandeer the world’s nuclear weapons, and a sub-plot that introduces a never-before mentioned sister and new backstory.

While the action is fast, continuous and full of nifty stunts, the storyline is devoid of shape, emotional connection, and suspense. It’s easy to watch but hard to care about.

The journalist Mikael Blomkvist (Sverrir Gudnason) who was central to the original Stieg Larsson narrative, wanders around aimlessly looking for relevance. Similiarly, Lakeith Stanfield’s character, Edwin Needham, a US secret agent, is so incongruous he seems to have stumbled into the wrong film.

Only the gloomy Swedish setting adheres to the authentic gritty noir that branded this franchise.

With all that said, it is still entertaining, but may be more pleasing to non Larsson fans.

★★★

Reviewed by Rita Bratovich