Tag Archives: Daniel Craig

Skyfall {Film Review}

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*WARNING! MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS!*

 

After the underwhelming reaction to Quantum of Solace in 2008, critics and audiences were worried for the James Bond series. It left us feeling cold and empty, much like the character of James Bond that was portrayed on-screen. So there was a lot of work needed to bring the franchise back on its own feet and convince audiences there’s enough room for Bond to keep going! With Sam Mendes hired as the director of the 23rd Bond film, people started raising their eyebrows and their curiosity peaked as more talent were hired to the project.

Now celebrating 50 years of Bond (longest running movie series in history), the main questions on our minds were; does this Bond film deliver a respectful tribute to the series (more so than Die Another Day celebrating 40th anniversary in 2002) and do the filmmakers make up for their mistakes from Quantum and bring back the Bond we’ve been waiting for? The answer to both of those questions is a solid YES! Bond IS back!

The film ignores the events that have happened in the previous two films and goes straight to a different film altogether. The story starts with Bond (Daniel Craig) in Istanbul on the hunt for a missing hard-drive that contains names of every agent in terrorist organisations around the world and is accompanied by Eve (Naomie Harris). Meanwhile, M (Judi Dench) overhears their progress but the mission goes horribly wrong as Eve accidentally shoots Bond as ordered by M and the assassin escapes with the hard-drive. Months later, M and MI6 get attacked from a mysterious terrorist that seems to have a grudge against her. Bond eventually returns to England and is recruited back on the field. He then follows a trail that leads him to Shanghai and to an anonymous island where he meets Silva (Javier Bardem).

The film has all the trademarks of what you expect from a James Bond film; the one liners, the beautiful Bond girls, the stunning locations and the egomaniac villain. Unlike the typical plot where the villain holds the world to ransom or plans to start a World War; Silva has a personal vendetta up his sleeve and makes his character more threatening (even his presence is felt before he shows up). Through-out the film, Bond is treated like an old relic in a 21st Century world. It’s a daring but interesting question Sam Mendes not just puts to the character of Bond but even asks the question as mentioned earlier; is Bond still relevant in today’s generation? To which M delivers a speech in a meeting that time is inevitable but the soul still goes strong. Basically referring to the franchise and something I admire that a blockbuster even asks that question.

Daniel Craig excels as Bond, delivering the witty wisecracks like he’s able to do it blindfolded. He has definitely moved on from being cold and calculative to a Bond that is likeable but still retaining the efficiency as a double-0 agent. Judi Dench really delivers a great performance as M, even bringing more meat to the character than she ever has been since her debut in GoldenEye. She feels the weight as her time is nearly up but also feeling responsible for her recent actions. Her scenes with Daniel Craig are one of the highlights, as they interact with each other as they’re mother and son they both never had. Both Naomie Harris and Bérénice Marlohe really do check the list on being a Bond girl; they are both absolutely stunning! Harris makes Eve a convincing character, showing being a field agent isn’t all that glamourised and there are consequences to her actions. Though the weakest part of the film are the Bond girls, they don’t have enough screen-time to feel beneficial or make an impact to the story (especially with Marlohe’s Sévérine). Ben Whishaw as ‘Q’ made an impressive performance, making his take on the character his own but still retaining what we love about ‘Q’ (requesting Bond return a gadget in pristine order). His first scene with Bond establishes the type of relationship they will have; a banter between the old and the new but no matter on their differences, they still go hand-in-hand. Though Javier Bardem as Silva steals the spot-light and delivers one of the most memorable Bond villains in the series’ history. He brings the same intensity as he performed the character of Anton Chigurh in No Country for Old Men but also making Silva very flamboyant which makes it very fun to watch and can tell Bardem is having a blast playing the role.

The film looks absolutely breathtaking and no surprise it is shot by Roger Deakins (previous credits include True Grit (2010), The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford and The Shawshank Redemption). One of the many things that have been improved from Quantum is; the action sequences are wide and stationary so we can tell what is going on (further proving that you don’t need to make it hand-held and have kinetic editing to make your action scenes to be intense). One particular scene that made my mouth drop was when Bond follows the assassin he encountered earlier in Shanghai, leads up to a skyscraper and the entire floor is only lit from neon lights from opposite buildings. It really shows Deakins’ talent and I applaud Mendes on applying this amount of artistic license in a Bond film (and has my vote for Best Cinematography during the awards season). Thomas Newman replaces regular Bond composer David Arnold and delivers a classic Bond score but also feels very modern (using synthesizers when Bond arrives in Shanghai).

Overall; Sam Mendes delivers a Bond film we’ve been waiting for and actually feels like what a Bond film should! The entire cast and crew should be applauded to their work, bringing the top of their game and truly showing respect to the series. My personal favourite blockbuster of 2012 and one of the best Bond films ever made. Highly Recommended!

5 out of 5

Skyfall: The Best Bond Film Ever?

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The new Bond film, Skyfall, has had a wave of good publicity. It is now the highest-earning Bond film ever, making £32.7million in its first seven days in the UK, and that is even before it opened in America.

I thought Skyfall was one of the best Bond films I have ever seen. My other favourite being Casino Royale. Bond’s relationship with ‘M’ in the movie, played by Judi Dench, is wonderful and multi-layered. The scenes in London are shot beautifully, as are the ones in Scotland.

This side of Bond is more human. Sure Javier Bardem as the villian is camper than a row of tents, but a lot of the Bond villians have been quite outlandish, it only adds to the movie experience. If anything it is a nod to past Bond films. I have always liked Daniel Craig as an actor, he really is one of our best, and I think he makes a great Bond. This film is a more human side to Bond.

Skyfall is a much more modern take on the Bond franchise. It also goes much deeper than previous films, letting us know about Bond’s past. Skyfall is sleeker, more human and full of depth. Sure it is entertaining and full of action- it’s a Bond film- but Skyfall gives you even more: an action film with something to say. I think Sam Mendes has done a great job. One of the themes of Skyfall is the loss of youth. We see that Bond is not invincible. The feels like a changing of the guard.

I know some people have complained that Skyfall is sexist BUT complaining that a Bond film sexist is a little like going to a violent film and complaining that there is blood: it just makes you look silly. Ian Fleming’s book are hardly feminist textbooks. Just watch the film and enjoy. It is a fun ride.

SKYFALL… SALES RISE

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– The 007 effect sees sales of Bond fragrance on the rise–

Superdrug is benefitting from the ‘Bond effect’ as the 007 James Bond fragrance is flying off the shelves since the launch of Skyfall.

 

Sales show that not only do men want to be James Bond they also want to smell like him.  Since the latest Bond film Skyfall launched the retailer has seen sales of the 007 fragrance rise by 32 per cent (compared to the week before the film launch).

 

The retailer is ensuring more stock is rushed to stores to ensure that Bond fans who can’t afford the other 007 essentials, such as an Aston Martin or Tom Ford suit, can get their secret agent fix for just 18.99.

 

Sara Wolverson, Superdrug Director of Beauty said: “We know our customers love to emulate the style of their favourite celebrities but who knew the dapper action hero that is James Bond would have such a great effect on our sales.

 

“It’s not just this fragrance which is seeing the Bond effect, sales of male grooming products are also on the rise as men hope to look as smooth as Daniel Craig.

 

“But we are aware that the sales may be down to women snapping up the fragrance in the hope that a quick spritz may turn him indoors into their very own Bond.”

 

Bond Legends – Game Review

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‘Do you expect me to be a great game Mr Goldfinger…?’

‘No Mr Bond, I expect you to be a crap Movie tie in and destroy your own fanbase…hahaha!’

If everyone was to be completely honest James Bond’s history in video games is a bit of a mixed bunch, on one hand you have got gaming classics like GoldenEye, a decent enough gaming experience with Everything or Nothing, average entries like Agent Under Fire, then you have crap titles like GoldenEye: Rogue Agent. Where would I put 007 Legends? Hmmm – the bottom. Sorry to say it fans but it’s true.

It’s a game I really looked forward to and wanted to enjoy. Hand on my heart I am an avid bond fan and I’ve been enjoying every single one of the films since I was a child. So seeing the trailers for this game, having been told it was the best bits of all the Bond movies I was eager with anticipation on how they were going to do it. Receiving the game early for review ahead of the forthcoming Skyfall film made all of those child-like instincts come out. Yes, Christmas was going to arrive early for me. There it was, sealed in front of me and even though it was 12pm at night I just had to play it. I soon wished I hadn’t. It soon dawned on me that it was one mess of a title that felt untested, incomplete, and well, boring. What happens to children’s dreams eh? Where’s Father Christmas or even Ms Christmas when you need them?

The concept is pretty sound, and one that even I could get my head around. At the beginning of 007 Legends there is a scene showcased from the trailer for the film Skyfall. Daniel Craig as 007 is mistakenly shot by a sniper and falls off a speeding train. Hitting the river below, (in this game at least) causes Bond’s life to flash before his eyes. We can make a fair assumption that he is perhaps thinking or seeing key moments from his life. Next thing you know you are walking into a room where a deceased young girl is sprawled out over a bed covered in gold. A mobile phone rings, the camera turns, you see Daniel Craig answer it and then it cuts to the intro sequence. You get the idea, this is going to be the best missions of Bond but what would have happened if it was Daniel Craig’s iteration. Fair enough I thought – great. The intro sequence was typical Bond style with elements of Goldfinger’s soundtrack, sexy saxaphones, and building orchestral crescendos. Alas, introductions alone do not make a game and once the game actually started I soon realised I was in a poor iteration of Modern Warfare.

Each section plays out in the game’s five missions each based on a different Bond classic Goldfinger, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, Die Another Day, License to Kill, and Moonraker. Skyfall we are assured will be downloadable after the movie release. 007 is a straight faced FPS (First Person Shooter) and like Modern Warfare there are sections where you will be driving and shooting either trying to catch up with someone or trying to escape. There are times where the shooter element in Legends works – some fire fights are genuinely intense and when you first start playing you don’t realise the lack of attention to game structure or even gameplay. But when this game doesn’t work, it really doesn’t; that’s when you realise that despite the change in levels, each game within the game is essentially the same.

To be fair the graphics are of high quality and the rendering of beloved Bond enemies such as Goldfinger, Odd Job and Pussy Galore is gorgeous to see. It’s just a shame that the attention to detail couldn’t be extended to the voice acting. Fine – the actors might not have wanted to put their voices to their onscreen counterparts but they should have at least got people that sounded like them. At one point Pussy Galore asks Bond his name and he just says casual as you like ‘James Bond’; no build up, no nothing, he might as well have been Soap Mactavish. It gets to a point where even the major set-piece battles end up remarkably dull. It really annoys me that the developers failed to capitalise more on the films they sought to use, after all, the film franchise has so many memorable moments and villains, they should have had the pick of the bunch. It’s such a shame that they did not lavish greater attention on them instead of just coating them over.

At some points Bond needs to do little more than follow onscreen indicators that make even taking on Odd Job a walk in the park and every Bond villain receives the same terrible fate. I’ve heard some people talk about stealth sections being a major selling point, but even this was not thought through properly. You see, enemies become alerted when they see dead bodies however as Bond you cannot carry or hide bodies. This means that although you can incapacitate an enemy and get passed them the alarm will nearly always be raised and you end up having a shoot-out anyway. What is the point? On other stages the difficulty level becomes impeccably ramped up causing you to die and restart the entire stage again because the game has failed to save. One would think that problems like these would have been raised and ironed out at the play-testing stage, surely?

My Verdict

Im not going to go on about this game any further because I think you get the picture. Everything about my experience of this game points towards a rushed development, one that was focused on releasing the game as close as possible to Skyfall’s cinematic release which is a shame because they could have developed a higher quality game based on Skyfall instead and released it later and no one would have blinked a golden eye. As it is, this game is below par. Its such a shame because the world of James Bond is almost custom-built for an awesome gaming experience, but Activision deserves a slap on the wrist and should be sent to their room early for putting out this poor excuse for gaming in 007 Legends.

4.5/10

And They’re Off! The Olympics 2012 Starts

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Starting from today, London is the most exciting place in the world. The Olympics has started and Oscar-winning director Danny Boyle’s opening ceremony is underway.

Evoking Britain’s green and pleasant land, choirs sang the national anthems of each country in the United Kingdom with their respective flowers which were: Danny Boy, Flower of Scotland, Bread of Heaven and England’s rose, Scotland’s thistle, Wales’ daffodil and Northern Ireland’s flax. There was even 70 sheep, 12 horses, 10 chickens and nine geese.

Then the set was stage as a volunteer cast of two and a half thousand people acted out the Industrial revolution. The cast are dressed like peasants and rich men from another era gave the audience a history lesson to the rousing beat of the drums. The theme of the opening ceremony is the Isles of Wonder, inspired by William Shakespeare’s play The Tempest. Mark Rylance had to drop out of the main part performing a monologue from The Tempest as his step-daughter died. Our heart goes out to him.

Direct descendants from the suffragette movement also took to the stage. Then there was a moment of silence for all of those who have sacrificed their life for their country. The epic opening ceremony cost £27 million

Then there was a splash of colour for the 60’s. 60,000 people inside the stadium watched the spectacle and another 4 billion watched on TV.

Molten Olympic rings were forged by craftsmen and then rose from the ground, creating an amazing spectacle. An emotional moment. The Olympic rings represent the five continents.

Then Daniel Craig as James Bond went to Buckingham Palace to get the Queen (yes, that one) with the corgis snapping at his heels. A helicopter ride later across London’s landmarks lead to The Queen and James Bond parachuting from a helicopter.

The Union Jack was then carried in by servicemen from the RAF, Army and the Navy.

Then the NHS and achievements of children’s books were represented while Mike Oldfields played ‘Tubular Bells’. This included Peter Pan and JK Rowling was there. NHS was then displayed in lights. Kids jumped on beds while nurses danced. Then children’s nightmares were represented by Lord Voldemort, Cruella De Vil and child snatcher from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.

Then a few Mary Poppins were dancing on stage and the nightmares were chased away. 10,000 people have taken part in the Opening Ceremony in total. The audience roared as the homage to the NHS ended. All of the nurses and doctors were real NHS workers! They all rehearsed for 350 hours.

Then Rowan Atkinson (as Mr Bean) played along while the National Symphony Orchestra during Chariots of Fire. Then scene from the film were played with Mr Bean cut into them. Very funny.

Then a typical British household was represented along with British TV shows and music from the past. Gregory’s Girl, Charlie Chaplin, The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, The Who and David Bowie were all represented. Every audience member was taken through their childhood.

The Sex Pistols, texting, Soul II Soul and The Eurythmics played as the dancers rocked out and an actor and actress texted each other and then kissed. Famous kisses were then played in the background. Including that of Kate Middleton and Prince William. The journey of music and dance was told from the 60’s to the present day. Danny Boyle even got Trainspotting, the film that made him famous, in.

Then East London’s Dizze Rascal took to the stage. Dizzie was a good choice and then Amy Winehouse played. A homage to the singer who died last year.

The inventor of the internet Sir Tim Berners-Lee appeared and was paid homage to as everyone cheered. David Beckham, East London boy, brought the torch to the Olympic Stadium.

There was a minute silence for those who have passed away and then Emile Sande then sang Abide By Me. The dancers were amazing and there were some brilliant Tai Chi moves.

Then the athletes arrived. The athletes from each country arrived at the stadium carrying their flag as their country was called out.

The opening ceremony was full of British in-jokes and fantastic performances. Frost Magazine are proud to be British and will constantly be blogging about the Olympics. Let us know your opinions and thoughts.

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo (2011) {Film Review}

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*WARNING – MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS!*

“The Feel Bad Movie Of Christmas” One of many taglines given during this holiday season, though not a very festive movie at all! David Fincher makes a return to investigative thrillers and making a controversial decision by remaking Steig Larsson’s original best selling book on which a Swedish TV/ Movie was made only two years earlier. Many were already skeptical and assuming it would be set in the United States and the featured sexualised violence would be softened. More talented cast and crew were brought aboard the project encouraging the public to take it more seriously.

The story is of the journalist Mikael Blomkvist (Daniel Craig), who has been disgraced after filing a report on his opponent Wennerström. He gets called in to investigate a missing person report for Henrik Vanger (Christopher Plummer), even though this person has been missing for forty years. Blomkvist eventually teams up with computer hacker Lisbeth Salander (Rooney Mara).

The film is phenomenally well made, all down to the casting, cinematography, writing and direction. David Fincher was born to make these kinds of films, this film all smells familiar from his previous work (Se7en, Fight Club, Zodiac and even The Social Network). Jeff Cronenworth brings an icy cold presence to the Swedish landscapes but he also creates so arresting cinematography that takes your breath away at times. Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross make another hit on their fantastic score, still containing conventional and electronic musical notes that we heard from their score for The Social Network but Dragon Tattoo‘s score delves deep into Lisbeth Salander’s psyche and probably the only thing that shows any sign of humanity within Lisbeth. The editing from both Kirk Baxter and Angus Wall is fast and fluid. The 158 minute running time may put some viewers off but the story goes by before you could even check the time on your watch. The difference between Fincher’s Dragon Tattoo and Niels Arden Oplev’s original is 2011 version is a more cinematic aroma to it (in terms of its direction and production value behind it).

Daniel Craig suits the character of Mikael Blomkvist. It is hard at times to look past Craig as 007 but he shows he can be just as clumsy as we all would be. His dress sense isn’t as elegant as Bond and sometimes has his glasses hanging underneath his chin while he is putting the clues together. Though the driving force of the Millennium trilogy (both from the novels and the films) is Lisbeth Salander, played previously by Noomi Rapace and now played by Rooney Mara. Mara worked with Fincher in a small role as Mark Zuckerberg’s fictional ex-girlfriend in The Social Network and it is not a surprise why Fincher chose her over the likes of Carey Mulligan, Scarlett Johansson, Keira Knightley and even Kristen Stewart. She looks childlike, almost alien from the bleached eyebrows and jet black hair-style. We find it hard to imagine at first glance that such an intelligent loner can handle herself but when she does get her vengeance back (being raped by her guardian, Bjurman (Yorick van Wageningen)), she rises up like a phoenix and we root for her. The difference in direction is the scene where Lisbeth tells Mikael her childhood isn’t done by flashbacks as the original did but keeps focused on Lisbeth telling the story. It is just as emotional and affective without any flashbacks and I prefer Fincher’s simple direction with Lisbeth’s back-story.

For those who have read the novel or 2009 original, it won’t come as a surprise to the reveal. Steven Zaillian (previous credits include Schindler’s List, American Gangster and co-wrote Moneyball along with Aaron Sorkin) adapts the novel very well but brings a few touches that stands apart from the original and doesn’t entirely fall onto the feeling of deja vu. The story itself, written by the late Stieg Larsson, isn’t a masterpiece and it is your basic ‘whodunit’ mystery thriller (though in the hands of Fincher, he creates something as exciting and fresh). Both Zaillian and Fincher both stated they wanted to make an adult thriller from the very start and this really isn’t something a PG-13 rated audience should watch. The as mentioned rape and torture scenes are really hard to watch and Fincher puts the subject matter up-front.

Overall; an intelligent dark thriller that is immensely entertaining and all credit goes to David Fincher and his incredibly talented crew. Rooney Mara makes a career making performance and I am looking forward to seeing the rest of this new Millennium trilogy.

5 out of 5!

Frost's Review of 2011

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2011 was an eventful political year, with the Arab Spring, phone Hacking and the death of more than one tyrant. On the flip side, it was also a year of wedding fever, Prince William finally made an honest women of Kate Middleton on April 29. Kate Moss and Jamie Hince, Lily Allen and Sam Cooper (she also announced her pregnancy), Rachel Weisz and Daniel Craig, Prince Albert and Charlotte, Zara Phillips and Mark Tindall and Paul McCartney and Nancy Shevell all tied the knot. Kim Kardashian got married too, but so briefly it is barely worth mentioning.

There was tragedy when Japan was struck by an record 9.0-magnitude earthquake and a tsunami. Followed by nuclear disaster at Fukushima, which is still being cleared up by brave workers, at serious risk to their own health.

Amanda Knox and Raffaele Sollecito were acquitted of the murder of Meredith Kercher.

In August London burned as riots spread all over England, people died, lost their homes and taxpayers were left with a bill of over 100 million.

The Arab Spring started when 26-year-old vegetable seller Mohamed Bouazizi. set himself on fire in protest in a Tunisian marketplace on December 17th 2010. It lead to leaders all over the Arab world standing down including Hosni Mubarak (Egypt), Tunisia’s Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, and the death of Gaddafi in October.

Silvio Berlusconi also finally stepped down.

Osama Bin Laden was killed ten years after 9/11.

The press went mad over Pippa Middleton’s bottom. As did PR companies.

Super Injunctions were the buzzword of the year, but the name of the footballer came out after he was named by multiple people on Twitter. The film star who slept with the same prostitute as Wayne Rooney, however, got away with it. Our article on it was one of our most popular of the year, getting over 14,000 hits in a matter of hours

Borders book store closed down, as did the Space Shuttle Programme and Harry Potter ended after a decade.

The Iraqi war ended in December. A date set by the Bush administration.

Liam Fox lost his job.

The Phone Hacking scandal ran and ran.

Charlie Sheen lost it, but bounced back.

Aung San Suu Kyi was finally released from house arrest.

Frost’s Politician of the year is the people of Libya.

Anders Behring Breivik went on an murderous rampage in Norway on the Island of Utoya, leaving over 80 people dead and many more injured. Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg called the attack a “national tragedy” and the worst atrocity in Norway since World War II. Stoltenberg further vowed that the attack would not hurt Norwegian democracy, and said the proper answer to the violence was “more democracy, more openness, but not naivety”. In his speech at the memorial service on 24 July 2011, he said what a proper reaction would be: “No one has said it better than the AUF girl who was interviewed by CNN: ‘If one man can show so much hate, think how much love we could show, standing together.’

The end of Harry Potter.

Frost started a campaign to end Prescription charges in England, the only place in the so called ‘United’ Kingdom still paying them.

Jessie J had a breakthrough year and confessed to being bisexual.

David Walliams swam the Thames. He raised £1 million for Sports relief.

Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher split.

As did J-Lo and Marc Anthony

Ryan Gosling had a brilliant year and was in the brilliant Drive. http://frostmagazine.com/2011/09/drive-film-review/

Sir David Attenborough dazzled again with Frozen Planet.

Frost Women of the year: Kate Middleton. After ten years and two break-ups, Catherine Elizabeth Middleton finally married her Prince Charming. Their wedding was watched by more people than 20 million people and the new Duchess of Cambridge has been wowing press and public alike with her style, charm and poise.

Man of the year: Steve Jobs. Steve Jobs died too young, aged 56, after a long battle with cancer. He changed the world with his vision and business acumen and when he died the outpouring of grief would rival that of Princess Diana. A true loss of a visionary man.

Most inspirational person: Eva Schloss. Eva survived the holocaust. She lost her father and her brother, her mother also survived and went on to marry Otto Frank and Eva became Anne Frank’s step-sister. She is truly the most inspirational women I have ever met. If you don’t believe me, read her books. The Promise: The Moving Story of a Family in the Holocaust
or Eva’s Story: A Survivor’s Tale by the Step-Sister of Anne Frank
[Full disclosure: I was in the West End Production of the play of Eva’s life; And Then They Came For Me.]

Kim Jong-il, Lucien Freud, Christopher Hitchens, Liz Taylor, Amy Winehouse and Vaclav Havel all died in 2011.

Adele and Katy Perry released the albums of the year.

Kristen Wiig co-wrote and starred in the hilarious Bridesmaids, which proved women could be funny.

Unemployment was high and economical troubles rumbled throughout the year. The US lost their triple AAA credit rating.

Finally, a great article.

http://frostmagazine.com/2011/10/top-10-common-faults-with-human-thought/

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo (2011) trailer

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I will talk about the trailer in a bit, but first some context for those who are diving straight in without knowing this particular film. As we all know, it is based on a Swedish novel (and first in the Millennium trilogy) by the late Stieg Larsson and has already been adapted as a TV-movie in 2009 (starring Michael Nyqvist as Mikael Blomkvist and Noomi Rapace as Lisbeth Salander). It received three BAFTA nominations (including Best Leading Actress – Noomi Rapace and Best Adapted Screenplay), though it left with one; Best Film not in the English Language.

It wouldn’t be long till Hollywood would decide to grab their hands on it and develop their own version. It cause some outcry and some saying that it should be left alone. I will admit, I was pretty adamant on the idea of a Hollywood version of the novel/TV-movie. Though the talent behind it started to make me have some sigh of hope; they recruited Steven Zaillian to adapt the novel (previous credits – Schindler’s List, Gangs of New York and American Gangster) and David Fincher was hired to direct the film (previous credits – Se7en, Fight Club and The Social Network) Who was going to play the leading players? Daniel Craig (Casino Royale) as troubled yet talented journalist and Rooney Mara (The Social Network) as the socially awkward goth/punk hacker. This is a team that no one could ask anymore better from them! Fincher, especially, is in familiar ground; a dark mystery thriller that practically runs in his veins.

Now our questions were what was the film going to look like? Would the actors attempt to pull a Swedish/English dialect? Well the look is very slick and top notch, Rooney Mara really becomes Salander but actually more like a punk/goth than Rapace did (sorry fans of the original movies but I quite like this new Salander). It features the Oscar winning composers, Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross, music in the trailer (Reznor even created a cover of ‘Immigrant Song’ by Led Zeppelin with Karen-O for the teaser trailer). Even the trailer runs at 3 minutes and 40 seconds (usually average running time for a theatrical trailer is 2 minutes 30 seconds) reveals only enough to not spoil anything for those who have not read the book or seen the previous films.

My reaction to the trailer? I cannot wait for it! It has moved from being number 2 to number 1 on my most anticipated list (http://frostmagazine.com/2011/03/top-most-anticipated-movies-of-2011/). Plus it’s directed by David Fincher! Do I need to explain why that’s a good thing? As you’ve seen from his credits, he has made a movie that everyone likes! What do you think? Are you excited for it as much as I am or do you think it should’ve been left alone from the very start?