Blu-ray Movie Reviews

Forty years ago, Harriet Vanger disappeared from a family gathering on the island owned and inhabited by the powerful Vanger clan. Her body was never found, yet her beloved uncle is convinced it was murder and that the killer is a member of his own tightly knit but dysfunctional family. He employs disgraced financial journalist Mikael Blomkvist and the tattooed and troubled but resourceful computer hacker Lisbeth Salander to investigate. When the pair link Harriet's disappearance to a number of grotesque murders from almost forty years ago, they begin to unravel a dark and appalling family history. But the Vanger's are a secretive clan, and Blomkvist and Salander are about to find out just how far they are prepared to go to protect themselves.

Based on the international best seller of the same name, this is the Swedish film vision of the book. Here in the states this got a rather limited release (no doubt due to the foreign language soundtrack) and has already been pegged for an American film version directed by no less than David Fincher. This is once again one of those films that really gets it right and doesn’t need an American version. This is a solid production with great casting and photography. I’ve heard comments saying that the film runs long but I never felt like the two hour plus running time got in the way of the story or the film’s tension. This production will set the bar pretty high for Fincher’s vision.

The Blu-ray gets a very good video transfer that is full of rich detail and contrast. This is a darker film but the encode is up to the task with plenty of deep blacks and shadow detail. Dimensionality never suffers and I loved the preservation of film grain within the frame. The only disappointment was the lack of a lossless audio option. The Blu-ray includes the original Swedish language track along with an English dub. Both are included in Dolby Digital 5.1. While atmosphere and mood are still outstanding within the track, the spaciousness of the mix didn’t match some of the better lossless mixes I’ve heard. One could only wonder if the lossy mix compromised the home theater experience.

Extras include an interview with the main actress (who was incredible in the role) plus the trailer. You also get a trailer for the upcoming sequel that will be released overseas in theaters soon.

If you’re a fan of the novel you should definitely seek this one out. This is an outstanding production that unfortunately didn’t see a lot of play here in the states despite the enormous following of the book. Highly recommended.