The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest

Hello again. As with all my endeavours, I have returned after a long leave of absence which I have no reason for taking. I would present you with the excuse that I have been busy but everyone knows students have far too much free time on their hands.

The reason for returning isn't simply random, nor is it because I thought to myself 'I must write something just to make my blogs seem active'. Luckily, as I near the end of my university life, one of my Journalism modules requires me to watch a film and review it every week. So I thought I'd use those to reinvigorate this blog, that never really got into a flow of things.

There will be a reoccurring theme of journalists within these reviews, which you would expect from a module titled 'Journalists on the Screen'. So I hope you enjoy, maybe it'll give you some inspiration to watch some of these films that you might normally ignore.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest
Directed by Daniel Alfredson

As with all film trilogies, the trick to a successful final chapter is to encompass everything from the first two films and tie the story into a securely fastened knot, leaving the audience happy to have taken their time to watch all three instalments. Add in the fact that the film is an adaptation and you have even more expectation to do the novel justice. Thankfully, fans of the books and films will be pleased with the way this dark, gritty drama comes to a climax, allowing for a satisfying conclusion to the story of Lisbeth Salander’s troubled life.

Having directed The Girl Who Played with Fire, his first worldwide feature film release, Daniel Alfredson follows up its success with the final adaptation of Stieg Larsson’s series of novels. However, Box Office figures tell a story – The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest turned over £15 million less than The Girl Who Played with Fire and a staggering £38 million less than the first in the trilogy, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

Unlike in the first two films, the third follows the work of the journalists as they attempt to uncover the illegal activities of a secret organisation within the Swedish government. In following the journalists of Millennium magazine, led by editor Mikael Blomkvist, the film displays thought provoking theories of government corruption, as well as a unique look at the police and journalists working together.

Once you get past the TV production feel and the Swedish subtitles you can appreciate the hard hitting storyline that neatly ties up the trilogy, making it a must watch for those who have seen the first two films.