Vergebung

by Stieg Larsson

[thepunktheory]

Book vs. Movie:
After the last novel left me longing for more, I immediately went to the library to get the third installment of the Millenium series. As always, it was impossible to put down. Larsson has a way of writing that sucks you right into the story. On several occasions throughout the book I was holding breathe, excited to find out what happens next. All the revelations made during the investigation were fascinating. Of course, the book is a work of fiction but many aspects are based on real facts. However, the most impressive and certainly intense part was the trial. This part could not have been written any better.
Well, for the movie I encountered a familiar problem. Some bits always have to be changed or left out in order to give the film a reasonable length. But unfortunately some of the changes for The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest simply created logical errors in the plot or left out explanations. While Larsson's novel was almost flawless in terms of giving logical explanations for everything, the movie screwed up a bit. What annoyed me most was the sub-plot about Erika Berger. While reading the book I felt like it's not an absolutely essential part of the story, the way it was altered and presented in the movie made it completely dispensable. Not only did it not make any contribution to the actual plot, it also made Erika Berger appear rather differently than she did in the books.
Unfortunately the trial also didn't come across as intense. In the novel it really got under my skin and gave me goosebumps. The movie version was done pretty well but just didn't do the same job. I guess this problem also arose because of the first aspect I mentioned, altering and leaving out stuff.
Anyways, I'd like to point out that Noomi Rapace gave a strong interpretation of Lisbeth Salander. For me, it was her who kept the movie alive.

Summing up I have to say that the film looks rather pale in comparison with the novel. It is a decent adaptation but can in no way live up the very high standard the book has.