The Stieg Larsson Trilogy – Blu-ray Review

The Films:

It’s interesting that these books and films have become the phenomenon that they have, with elements of violence, rape, and an underground sex ring, along with some Nazis and the role media plays in our lives. Maybe it tapped into something bubbling under our current climate as a society or is it just good entertainment? Stieg Larrson has created perhaps the best thrillers since Thomas Harris’ Hannibal Lecter novels (but let us forget Hannibal Rising, please?). Without repeating ourselves too much, I’ve collected our prior reviews for a Dragon Tattoo recap, before we get into this new set.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo [from Jon Peters' review]: “…is one of the more complex thrillers in recent memory. The film has one A-plot, but features a slew of subplots, something that most films would find itself buckling under that weight, but here, director Niels Arden Oplev allows each subplot to conclude while given their due. What that makes is a very long movie, that for some audience members will have their patience tested. If they can make it to the 152 minute mark, others will be rewarded by a fully involved thriller, that never allows the viewer to be a step head of the protagonists, but instead will uncover the mystery along with them.”

The Girl Who Played with Fire [from Steve Brock's and Jon Peters' dual review]: “(Steve Brock) As the connecting feature, the story suffers a bit, as it sets up the final piece. The film neglects much of the ancillary character development of the novel; in fact, if one has not read the book, one will have little understanding of the parade of characters here. Mikael Blomkvist (Michael Nyqvist) also receives short shrift. But per the texts, the pock-marked Nyquist brings neither good looks nor charm needed to play Blomkvist; enter Daniel Craig in the new David Fincher version of Dragon Tattoo. The incendiary fire scenes are among the best of the movie. Salander’s back-story from Dr. Holger Palmgren (Per Oscarsson) is nicely rendered even if the story has familiar Darth Vadar underpinnings. Elizabeth’s own hazy flashbacks in the psych hospital bring chills. A chase scene, albeit brief, evokes the French Connection.

(Jon) The Girl Who Played with Fire comes at a curious time to America. We’re in the midst of a sex ring around the border of Texas and Mexico, something that seems to be as dangerous and sickening as the drug cartels leaking into our streets, which makes for added value in the film’s plot. Again, that’s what makes Lisbeth Salander such a curious heroine. She’s flawed; she’s been abused, raped, misunderstood, yet comes as a vengeful saint. It’s a quality that serves well into America, as we’re a country who is in love with superheroes, also a key to why her character is so well known and loved.”

The Girl Who Kicked a Hornet’s Nest [from Brad Reiter's review]: “At a running time of 2 hours and 30 minutes, it might seem long, but the viewer is so enthralled with the story and what the outcome is, that the time seems to move at a great pace. There is never a dull moment. When talking about the best trilogies in movie history, one tends to list The Godfather, Back to the Future, and the original three Star Wars films. There is no reason at all that The Millennium Trilogy should be left off that list. This was about as perfect an ending as one can hope for in this series. It doesn’t leave room for an unnecessary sequel. The viewer is left to wonder about the characters and what they would do now, but that’s how life would be. If you saw the first two films, this is a must see to see how the story ends.”

You can read the full reviews of these three films here, here, and here.

The Blu-ray:

Music Box Films Home Entertainment reissues this trilogy in a handsome package. It’s in a fake leather clam-shell box, with each film in its own keep-case. The cover art of the box is a cool lenticular 3-D hologram. The set looks more like a book set than a Blu-ray set, which might be the reason they’re calling it the Stieg Larrson Trilogy and not the Millennium Trilogy.

Audio/Video: This might disappoint some HD fans. These aren’t new transfers. Yes, they’re still quite good, as typical for the format, but they’re not radiant like most new releases. This might be because of the murky colors, smoky locations, and night scenes that are in abundance in the films, as the close-ups and day scenes look superb in HD. Minor grain that might be a little issue for the stickler of HD, but overall they’re all really good.

The audio is in the Swedish DD 5.1, no DTS or lossless, sadly. Overall, they’re great, since the trilogy is more of a talky set of films than action.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo was the only Blu-ray (and DVD) release Music Box gave any extras to, and that was just disappointing for fans. Luckily, there’s a fourth disc of extras, which is one of the key reason that this set has been released. All extras have been ported over.

Millennium: The Story: Here’s a rather nice look at the films, the books, and the author through interviews and location footage. Larrson died before the books were published in Sweden, but his brother appear and talks about the works. No further updates about the unfinished fourth book. Sorry fans. Noomi Rapace chats up a storm about the character and her methods.

Michael Nyqvist is also interviewed for a low key chat. Further cast is also interviewed for their insights. A little bit of history of Stockholm is given, as well. It’s not the thorough look we’ve wanted, but it’s good enough to stop complaining.

The Girl Who Played with Fire Fight: Here’s a breakdown of the fight between Niederman and Paulo Roberto. It’s a decent look, but hardly riveting.

Poster Galleries and Trailers round out the extras on Disc Four.

Conclusion: Owning the individual releases and wanting to upgrade? Do so. The extras and the packaging make for a great re-release for fans.

The Films: Rating:

The Blu-ray: Rating: