On the basis of the surprising box-office success of his horror/thriller Don’t Breathe, Uruguayan director Fede Alvarez was handed the chance to deliver the latest entry in the Dragon Tattoo franchise. Armed with a 40+ million dollar budget and the work of The Crown’s Claire Foy in the leading role, Alvarez may have driven a much-needed nail in the coffin of this over-hyped series.
After a surprisingly delicate opening scene which includes a golden spider sinuously working its way around a chess piece during a game between the heroine and her sibling nemesis, the audience suffers through an incomprehensively absurd plot delivered via a series of painfully overemphasized close-ups accompanied by a thundering soundtrack.
Ms. Foy, she of delicate features that compliment the regal presence befitting the star of that long-running British T.V.examination of the Queen, is woefully cast here. The director’s color palate, which runs the gamut from light gray to deep black wraps the action in gloomy images that rely on frenetic action rather than even basic character development. In a word, this movie’s a disaster.
The Verdict? Don’t bother
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