This Week's Review: "The Girl in the Spider's Web"

The weekend of November 9-11 was a bit hectic, but I did manage to see “The Girl in the Spider’s Web.” I can’t say that it is the most wholesome film I have ever seen, but it holds its own with the various Swedish and American interpretations of the “Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” adventures.

Claire Foy is as good as the other two actresses we have seen in the role; it is my understanding that she had a great deal to say about how she should portray the most persecuted Swede in history. No other cast member comes across so strongly, and some viewers may disagree with the near-banishment of some of the major characters from the novels.

I frequently say that it is okay to wait for the DVD of various films, and that statement could apply to this one, but I may temper my enthusiasm for that strategy. I had a chance to see the 30th anniversary release of the first “Die Hard” film, and I was amazed at how much better the theatrical experience is than a DVD. I have watched my DVDs of that series many times, but AI caught things in the big-screen version that I had either not noticed or not heard on the DVD version.

John McClane’s first adventure holds up very well, but the audience now knows that he will never be reunited with his family and will never win the recognition that is justly his. (He will also lose his hair.) That makes the first film more poignant than the original writers and director could have imagined.