In 2011, David Fincher showed us that adapting Stieg Larsson’s Millennium series for American audiences was possible, following the Swedish adaptations in 2009. Lisbeth Salander, one of the most complex and interesting female characters in literature was given renewed life on the big screen. Not only was it a box office hit, but it was nominated for five academy awards and won one for Best Film Editing. Fast-forward seven years later: I never thought I would see a sequel adapted from the fourth book in the Millennium series starring a whole different cast and directed by a completely different director, yet here we are.
The Girl in the Spider’s Web follows computer hacker Lisbeth Salander (Claire Foy) on her latest mission which sees her hired to destroy “Firefall,” a weapon created by Frans Balder (Stephan Merchant) that allows the user to hack any nuclear missile system in the world. Fearing its ill-use, Balder contracts Salander to destroy it. However, fearing he may have made a mistake in doing so, Balder contacts the Swedish police. Thus Salander, with the help of the journalist Mikael Blomkvist (Sverrir Gudnason), must discover a method to destroy “Firefall” while running away from the police, Balder, and all the other people who want the power that “Firefall” promises.
Despite its attempt to emulate the success of its predecessor, this film ultimately fails to create anything more than a surface-level, barely passable crime thriller. There is almost nothing in this film that has meaning or substance. Every plot point is predictable or sloppily written in order to move the film along. Every character except Salander has no importance or distinguishing trait. Every beat in which the film wants us to feel shock, pity, empathy, or any emotion, never lands. Due to the film’s lack of substance, I could physically feel my face droop from boredom as the story progressed.
Without any real emotion from the characters or the plot, it is no wonder this film’s lazy script utilizes in one too many conveniences, something that a thriller ought not to if the creation of suspense or excitement is the ultimate goal. Throughout this film, it seems that protagonists could magically exit situations because either an item is in the perfect location or a new character trait is suddenly (and jarringly) introduced. For example, in one action sequence, Salander is literally able to walk freely in a house guarded with about thirty fully armed men because a character, who has not shown any real ability to use a gun, is able to snipe down moving targets. It is scenes like these and the sheer convenience of all of Salander’s escapes that made it unbelievable that Salander is a mastermind avenger/killer. Nothing felt earned and at the climax of this film I almost burst out laughing due to how quickly it was resolved.
Since this is the quasi-sequel to Fincher’s The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, it is almost impossible to not compare the two. One of the things that made Fincher’s The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo special was its ability to orchestrate anxiety and confusion, forcing us to explore both Salander’s and Blomkvist’s psychological complexities. Director Fede Alvarez opts for a different direction, sacrificing substantive psychological undertones and emotional explorations for more action sequences. These additional action sequences make for awkward transitions when Alvarez tries to introduce plot points that are somewhat dark and complex; these plot points end up being too surface-level or introduced too late to make a lasting impact on the rest of the film. The extra action sequences that Alvarez implements are not particularly suspenseful or believable either. Most of the action sequences felt as if they were going in slow motion and all the actors moved like they did not want to get hurt. Even a classic vehicle chase is mishandled and instead of the fast and swift editing that often come in such a sequence, we are treated to monotonous shot sequences that create a rather slow and lethargic motorcycle chase.
The only good thing about this film is Claire Foy and the limited substance she brings to what she is given to work with. In fact, the best parts of the film are when Foy does not have to talk at all. At these moments, we are reminded what a good actor Foy is and forget how lifeless the script actually is. Through Foy’s eyes and movements, we are able to see the internal conflict that goes through Salander’s mind, telling us more about Salander’s psyche than the story ever does. However, acting can ultimately only do so much and with the lifeless script and direction, Foy is not able to show off what makes her so great the way she does in The Crown or First Man.
Ultimately, creating a sequel to a film based on the fourth book in the series with a totally different cast and director was probably not the best idea for Sony. Then again, it seems Sony does not learn from their mistakes all too well in general.
Rating: 2/5