The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest Review
By David Kempler
The Sting is Fading
Lisbeth Salander (Noomi Rapace) is back in "The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest", the third and final installment of the late Swedish author Stieg Larsson's trilogy. If you saw the "
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo" and "
The Girl Who Played With Fire", you have a pretty good idea of where this one is headed and what Lisbeth will be up to. But don't worry if you didn't see the first two films, because there is a quick intro at the beginning that gets you up to speed very quickly. Daniel Alfredson directs again, after helming the second part of the trilogy, and while it's still exciting, there is a paint-by-the-numbers feel creeping into the formula.
Lisbeth is in the hospital, in critical condition, as the curtain rises, but there is little doubt that her condition has not a ghost of a chance of stopping our tiny, but powerful, typhoon of a woman. Not only is she battling for her life, a bullet lodged in her head, but if she recovers, she is going to stand trial for three murders. Once again, her only ally is journalist Mikael Blomkvist (Michael Nyqvist). But we've seen them team up twice before, and despite some hefty obstacles, they are still standing against all odds.
When "The Girl Who Played With Fire" came to a close, Lisbeth's half-brother, Ronald (Mikael Spreitz) escaped, so you knew he was going to be a major player here, and I was really looking forward to seeing what he what he would be doing in the final installment. Ronald, due to a rare condition, does not have the ability to feel pain. Combined with his truck-like build, and his intense desire to off his half-sister, I expected extra-big things from him here. But for some reason, his role fizzles more than sizzles, and while there is a scene where he finally does battle with Lisbeth, it feels a tad too cartoonish and lacking in tension for my taste. What works best are the courtroom scenes, where Lisbeth really exacts sweet revenge.
"The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest" is good, but not great. It's just running out of steam. It's time to put Lisbeth to bed and let someone else root out all of the evil that exists among the powerful elite of Sweden. Unfortunately, we are only a few months away from the American adaptations of the books. While it might breathe new life back into the tale, judging by how American remakes usually turn out, don't be surprised if the new girl on the block is woefully lacking. Poor Lisbeth. After all she has been through.
