Fired from the National Security Agency, Frans Balder recruits hacker Lisbeth Salander to steal FireWall, a computer program that can access codes for nuclear weapons worldwide. The download soon draws attention from an NSA agent who traces the activity to Stockholm. Further problems arise when Russian thugs take Lisbeth's laptop and kidnap a math whiz who can make FireWall work. Now, Lisbeth and an unlikely ally must race against time to save the boy and recover the codes to avert disaster.
Similarly to my Venom review, here is my next installment of the 'Filmtalk Express' posts for those of you on the go! The girl in the Spider's web is the newest film of the genre by David Lagercrantz which follows female physco 'Lisbeth' around Sweden in pursuit of a mystery package. I'll be honest, the main reason I saw this film is because it was one of the Cineworld Unlimited screenings so I managed to see the film early. I haven't seen any of the other films in the series so I didn't know what to expect, but this film really seems to pack a punch in the way it portrays its characters, story lines and the ties that each of these have to each other which is what makes this film especially interesting. It has definitely intrigued me though, but for good or bad reasons? Here are my thoughts on the film.
If you're familiar to my reviews you'll know I start of with what I liked about the film. Here, there was plenty. I feel that the start of this film was so powerful and crucial to the whole film that it would ruin the film to miss it. I really enjoyed the starting scene because I felt that it managed to introduce not only the theme of the film well but also to allow us to find more out about the characters whilst keeping them subtle and secret. The chess scene at the start was so basic but it introduced the tense theme portrayed throughout the film and established the mood really nicely, it also really built a sense of mystery around the characters, their thoughts and what they were scared of which kept this strong theme of mystery apparent throughout the film. These mysterious characters were well portrayed throughout the film which had a great impact, I liked the mystery surrounding Lisbeth and her family, seeing her change when her family was mentioned really seemed to bring out the realism of her character to open her up to the audience which I liked. This sense of mystery was well captured by the variety of perceptions throughout the film, from peering over someone's shoulder to viewing the scene from a birds eye view, it just really put the audience in control of each scene and really helped us to engage well with the film which I really liked and felt was executed very well. I also liked how Lisbeth changed characteristics thoughout the film, at the beginning she was seen as a ruthless thug but as the film developed she softened and matured into a much more round character which was pleasing and intruiging to see.
The film was also full of raw and exciting scenes too, explosions, fights, chases, this film had them all and the way in which they were executed was actually done really well to stay exciting and entertaining at the same time. These scenes were tense, exciting and enjoyable which combined to make a great set of entertaining scenes. These were spread throughout the film too which I liked, it just helped to keep the film 'active' and interesting for us. The film moved really quickly in this way though, there was a fairly clear plot that was established late but it moved quickly and was surprisingly simple to understand and keep up with, this made scenes that held great importance easy to interpret and understand for us because they were well explained. I also really enjoyed how the plot of the film seemed to establish itself. Strange scenes from the start and throughout were slowly explained and this just seemed to make the film so much better, because as an audience, we found out these hints as soon as the characters did which just made the film more immersive for us and more importantly, made the audience actively involved so long scenes weren't boring. There were side stories too which again, linked back to the start of the film really nicely and helped to keep us up to date and involved with what the characters were up to. Speaking of which, the characters were really enjoyable and had a good impact on the film. Even though lots of characters were introduced to us quickly, it didn't seem to matter because the main focus was on Lisbeth and she was introduced very well, although the characters did add to some of the thrills of the film and the relationships they shared during the film helped to really round it off. There was definitely plenty of interesting stuff going on in this film, all helped by a strong plot. It was a little late being established but when we found out about it then it was very clear and straightforward what was going on which really helped to keep us at the forefront of everything that was happening and kept us on the edge of our seats for many parts of the film for sure!
There were some parts that weren't so good though. The main problem that I had with this film is that it felt a bit cheap and as if production had been rushed. It felt like this because characters and scenes weren't introduced to us very well which left some scenes during the film quite confusing and difficult to understand. This wasn't helped by the wide introduction of characters, it felt as if lots of characters were sprung on us during the film, but none of them were particularly well introduced which left them feeling empty and a little obsolete even though they played key parts. The cast was so weak, Claire Foy tries to do her best with her character, but still falls short of the exciting expectations that I had going into the film of her. They're not bad actors, but all of them seem to be in this movie by obligation because there isn't a real passion or excitement brought from them.
The film didn't feel as if it shocked and gripped me as much as I'd expected either, I was expecting surprises and real edge of your seat thrills and even though there were a few, they were predictable and felt slightly short of expectations. Because of these scenes not feeling that they matched their potential, it really felt to me as if the creators of this film just didn't push the boundaries to really try and produce a creative film. It doesn't really establish itself from any other 'spy' kinda film that I've seen which is a shame because I did have good expectations for the series but this film has lowered those expectations a little. The story feels kind of familiar: Lisbeth Salander agrees to help a client, but powerful criminals interfere and set her up for murder, making her intent on getting the perpetrators and staying out of the hands of the authorities. It just feels like something we've all seen before.
Overall, I would rate this film a 7. It was definitely exciting, thrilling and enjoyable but to me it just didn't feel very well made, the characters weren't introduced very well as they joined the film in their masses and it didn't feel as adventurous as I would have hoped either. It has all of the necessary parts to be a fairly enjoyable action film, and to be fair it does excite and thrill so it does it's job of being a thriller well, it just doesn't provide many new things to the table that make it exciting when compared to similar films. If you have an unlimited card I'd recommend it for sure, however if you've read the books I've been told to stay away as it doesn't do them much justice. But for the average film - goer, if you enjoy a thriller then sure, go watch it, maybe you'll really enjoy it, films are subjective after all...
Thank you for reading my review, I hope you enjoyed reading it! :) I hope you have an awesome day and remember, if there are any films you want reviewed, just get in contact!!
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