Proposed alternate title: OLD MEN WITH GUNS
In the last of the Millennium movies (based on the novels by Stieg Larsson), Lisbeth is under arrest for attempting to kill her criminal mastermind father, Zalachenko, and it's possible she could return to the mental institution run by Dr. Teleborian, who tormented her for 2 years when she was a child. Don't worry, though, Mikael is coming to the rescue with an exposé about how a secret section of the government maneuvered to have Lisbeth declared legally incompetent in order to protect Zalachenko.
This movie was pretty good, even though the plot is sort of impenetrable. That doesn't really matter, though, because all the important parts make sense: we know Lisbeth is in danger and that Mikael is trying to save her. There are some awesome new characters, like Lisbeth's doctor at the hospital, Jonasson, whom she should marry and have a dozen children with. There's also the creepy psychologist who molested her while she was in a mental institution, Dr. Teleborian, who looks like someone tried to create a Frasier clone in a lab experiment and it went terribly wrong; and Annika, who's Mikael's sister and agrees to be Lisbeth's lawyer.
Finally, there's Mikael, who only sees Lisbeth twice during the entire course of the movie, but spends all his time busting ass to make sure she doesn't 1. get murdered by her half-brother; 2. disappear into Teleborian's crazy house; or 3. get convicted of attempted murder. He and Lisbeth are such a mismatched pair, but as with the other films, you really feel a connection between them. I absolutely loved the courtroom scene where they stared at one another while Mikael testified, and the final scene in the movie was priceless. Not exactly what I was hoping for with these two (maybe a hug or something? no? okay then), but perfect for their characters.
Of course, the star of the show is Lisbeth. I love her! Who wouldn't? She's sooo kick-ass. I mean, look at what she wears to a trial where she's the defendant (above). LIKE A BOSS. She's also super-smart and doesn't make nice for anybody. At the same time, there's a purity to Lisbeth, which is what I think attracts Mikael and what he's trying to protect. As the prosecutor observed at one point in the movie, "She's surprisingly fragile and delicate. Like a child." Lisbeth's NOT a child, and she's more than capable of taking care of herself, but the innocence and fragility that she lost when she was a child because no one protected her is still there, somehow. I think this is why Mikael and Lisbeth's relationship is the way it is: Mikael is kind of like a knight in shining armor trying to protect his lady, and that means not imposing on her, sexually or personally.
The only thing I found hard to believe was that Lisbeth would capitulate on showing the video of herself being raped, or telling the entire world her life's story in Millennium. I can understand that circumstances seemed to demand it, but it still seemed out of character; and furthermore, they never show her agreeing to do so. They just have Mikael handing it off and saying, "Lisbeth says you can show this if you need to." Really?! Does she really, Mikael??
Other than that, though, I definitely recommend this movie and the previous two in the series. They're not exactly happy viewing, but they are suspenseful and entertaining.
In the last of the Millennium movies (based on the novels by Stieg Larsson), Lisbeth is under arrest for attempting to kill her criminal mastermind father, Zalachenko, and it's possible she could return to the mental institution run by Dr. Teleborian, who tormented her for 2 years when she was a child. Don't worry, though, Mikael is coming to the rescue with an exposé about how a secret section of the government maneuvered to have Lisbeth declared legally incompetent in order to protect Zalachenko.
This movie was pretty good, even though the plot is sort of impenetrable. That doesn't really matter, though, because all the important parts make sense: we know Lisbeth is in danger and that Mikael is trying to save her. There are some awesome new characters, like Lisbeth's doctor at the hospital, Jonasson, whom she should marry and have a dozen children with. There's also the creepy psychologist who molested her while she was in a mental institution, Dr. Teleborian, who looks like someone tried to create a Frasier clone in a lab experiment and it went terribly wrong; and Annika, who's Mikael's sister and agrees to be Lisbeth's lawyer.
Finally, there's Mikael, who only sees Lisbeth twice during the entire course of the movie, but spends all his time busting ass to make sure she doesn't 1. get murdered by her half-brother; 2. disappear into Teleborian's crazy house; or 3. get convicted of attempted murder. He and Lisbeth are such a mismatched pair, but as with the other films, you really feel a connection between them. I absolutely loved the courtroom scene where they stared at one another while Mikael testified, and the final scene in the movie was priceless. Not exactly what I was hoping for with these two (maybe a hug or something? no? okay then), but perfect for their characters.
Of course, the star of the show is Lisbeth. I love her! Who wouldn't? She's sooo kick-ass. I mean, look at what she wears to a trial where she's the defendant (above). LIKE A BOSS. She's also super-smart and doesn't make nice for anybody. At the same time, there's a purity to Lisbeth, which is what I think attracts Mikael and what he's trying to protect. As the prosecutor observed at one point in the movie, "She's surprisingly fragile and delicate. Like a child." Lisbeth's NOT a child, and she's more than capable of taking care of herself, but the innocence and fragility that she lost when she was a child because no one protected her is still there, somehow. I think this is why Mikael and Lisbeth's relationship is the way it is: Mikael is kind of like a knight in shining armor trying to protect his lady, and that means not imposing on her, sexually or personally.
The only thing I found hard to believe was that Lisbeth would capitulate on showing the video of herself being raped, or telling the entire world her life's story in Millennium. I can understand that circumstances seemed to demand it, but it still seemed out of character; and furthermore, they never show her agreeing to do so. They just have Mikael handing it off and saying, "Lisbeth says you can show this if you need to." Really?! Does she really, Mikael??
Other than that, though, I definitely recommend this movie and the previous two in the series. They're not exactly happy viewing, but they are suspenseful and entertaining.
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