The (Anti) Climactic End to a Much Anticipated Trilogy

Usually the third film in a trilogy is the best. It ties up all the loose ends and provides a (usually) satisfying resolution. Think "ROTK". No matter which of the MANY endings you prefer, there's still a sense of completeness, like you've been through hell and back with these characters and now you're going your separate ways.

Or think "Return of the Jedi". Or maybe not. Or the worst example - "The Godfather, Part III". Or "The Dark Knight Rises". OK, so that one hasn't started shooting yet, but aren't you just SURE it'll be great? :)

So when I sat down last week to watch "The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest" from Netflix streaming, I couldn't help but wonder on which side it would fall.

I could technically review this film in one word - anticlimactic.

The first film in this set, "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo", was gritty and felt like a 70s film. My favorite is the second film, "The Girl who Played with Fire". This is probably because it feels like an 80s film. It then logically follows that this film would feel like a 90s film, but it doesn't. It feels like a 90s television drama.

The problem isn't the acting or the story itself. It's more the tone of the film. I think by the third film you're used to Lisbeth's ways. And to see her stoically sit in a courtroom or in a jail cell simply doesn't fit. It feels like this film should have been about the chase to put Lisbeth into custody, not a courtroom battle to see how she can get away with a completely justified attempted murder. This film isn't action filled; it's dialogue filled. And that's a problem if you're not familiar with the Swedish judicial system.

Throughout the last third of this 2.5 hour film, I kept wondering how they were going to tie up all of the loose ends. How was the Blomquist/Salander relationship going to end? How will she clear her name and go on with her life? What kind of life would she have? The final "family" confrontation, however, was lame and uneventful. It seemed like Salander was settling for something.

As a member of the audience, the last thing I want to feel after almost eight hours of watching these characters is that they settled. It makes me feel like I, by extension, settled. And that doesn't make me happy. But upon further reflection, even though some of the plotlines were settled rather hurriedly, it seems that the relationship between Blomquist and Salander ends perfectly.

I'm glad that her story (partially) ends here. I'm actually interested to see how David Fincher interprets it all. I just hope he gives her (and me) a bit more satifaction in the end.