First reviews for Girl in the Spider’s Web praise Claire Foy, criticise James Bond tone

The first reviews for The Girl in the Spider’s Web, billed as ‘a new Dragon Tattoo story’, have arrived online. The film premiered at the Rome Film Festival recently.

Based on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film has been received positively by critics. It currently has an 83% rating based on six reviews.

IndieWire’s Kate Erbland wrote, “Lisbeth (Salander) is never going to be cuddly or sunny, but that doesn’t mean she has to be robotic or impossible to read. That’s something that (Claire) Foy and (Fede) Alvarez clearly understand, and the result is a heroine not only worth cheering for, but one worth loving.”

The Wrap’s William Bibbiani wrote, “Alvarez’s film isn’t a harsh character study or a brutal indictment of a misogynistic society: It’s a fast-moving thriller about nuclear launch codes, and there’s hardly any time for little luxuries like character development and themes.”

Variety’s Jay Weissberg offered a contrary opinion. “It was probably inevitable that Hollywood would neuter the best elements of Stieg Larsson’s Millennium franchise, but did the producers really need to shift it into a commonplace cross between a superhero flick and James Bond?” he wrote.

The Girl in the Spider’s Web is a reboot of 2011’s The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, directed by David Fincher and starring Rooney Mara in an Oscar nominated role. The film did moderately well at the box office, but not quite good enough for a sequel to be greenlit immediately.

Alvarez, who previously directed the thriller Don’t Breathe for Sony, was announced as Fincher’s replacement. The central role was taken over by The Crown’s Claire Foy.

The Girl in the Spider’s Web also stars Sverrir Gudnason, LaKeith Stanfield, Sylvia Hoeks, Stephen Merchant and Claes Bang, and has been scheduled for a November 9 release in the US.

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