'THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO' premiered in both the UK and US this week ahead of a full general release in the US from December 20th and the UK from Boxing Day, and critics have already been bowled over by the Daniel Craig starring film. The plot of the movie - a film adaptation directed by David Fincher - sees Craig playing a journalist who sets out to find a woman who's been missing for 40 years, aided by a young Rooney Mara-playing computer hacker.
With reviews aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes giving the film an average score of 94% across all critics, the omens are looking good for the film to become a smash at the box office. Leading the way with the plaudits are the UK's Guardian newspaper who compliment Fincher's directing abilities when stating "In less experienced hands, this would surely have wound up as lurid, trashy pulp. Yet Fincher plays it straight and keeps it serious;" Time Out meanwhile favourably compare it with the original STIEG LARSSON-written Swedish novel, noting "Fans of the book and film should rest easy at how this 'Dragon Tattoo' is still inherently a Swedish tale - set and partly shot in Sweden - and Fincher doesn't flinch from the sexual violence at their core."
Among the many positive reviews however there does lie the odd less than impressed critic, the UK's Daily Telegraph strikes a note of caution when commenting "It's easy to see why David Fincher wanted to make it, but hard to shake the feeling that perhaps he shouldn't have bothered." The public will get to decide for themselves from next week.