--- title: "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/the-girl-with-the-dragon-tattoo/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/the-girl-with-the-dragon-tattoo" critics_score: 67 critics_reviews: 27 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011): what the critics said Critics' score 67 from 27 reviews: 13 positive, 11 mixed, 3 negative. Most critics lean positive, but only just, respecting the film more than loving it. The praise gathers in the same places: Rooney Mara’s Salander, which nearly every critic names as the film’s strongest element, and Fincher’s controlled, frosty visual style. Several single out Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross’s score for its steady dread, and a few credit the screenplay with tightening the novel’s sprawl. Her scenes with Daniel Craig are noted for their charge. The reservations cluster around temperature. Critic after critic finds the film cold, its mystery conventional and neatly resolved, its closing stretch too long, and its existence hard to justify so soon after the Swedish version. The spread is wide: Digital Spy gives it full marks, while the Los Angeles Times and Eye for Film sit near the bottom. Kenneth Turan is the rare dissenter on Mara, calling her Salander a stunt rather than a character, and Vulture finds the performance merely functional. ## Empire — Damon Wise Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 14 January 2011. Wise calls it an excellent, hard-edged thriller and a key work in Fincher’s career. He particularly praises Rooney Mara’s performance and the way the screenplay tightens the novel’s story. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/girl-dragon-tattoo-2-review/) ## The AV Club — Scott Tobias Rating B+. 20 December 2011. Tobias finds the film visually accomplished but ultimately limited by its surface-level material. He praises Rooney Mara’s performance and the chemistry between her and Daniel Craig, while noting the film’s slow buildup and lengthy denouement. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/the-girl-with-the-dragon-tattoo-1798171039) ## Little White Lies — Adam Woodward Rating 3/4/2. 21 December 2011. The review finds the film stylish but let down by the source novel’s questionable substance. It praises Rooney Mara’s transformation while criticizing the character’s vulnerability and the story’s voyeuristic, misogynistic undertones. [Read the review](https://lwlies.com/reviews/the-girl-with-the-dragon-tattoo) ## Radio Times — Lucy Barrick Rating 4/5. Barrick finds that Fincher’s version feels fresh and surprising despite the familiar story. She particularly praises Rooney Mara’s portrayal of Lisbeth Salander. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-kgxou8/the-girl-with-the-dragon-tattoo/) ## Sight and Sound — Anton Bitel Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). The review finds Fincher’s remake a forceful improvement on the Swedish original and a finely honed thriller with political resonance. It praises the film’s kinetic style and Rooney Mara’s brittle, vulnerable Salander. [Read the review](http://old.bfi.org.uk/sightandsound/reviews/releases/girl-with-the-dragon-tattoo.php) ## IndieWire — Todd Gilchrist Rating B. 13 December 2011. The critic finds the film beautifully executed and well acted, but ultimately emotionally disengaging and a lesser work in Fincher’s canon. He especially praises Rooney Mara’s controlled, compelling performance as Lisbeth Salander. [Read the review](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/culture/review-david-finchers-girl-with-the-dragon-tattoo-is-an-intense-but-dispassionate-thriller-114032/) ## RogerEbert.com — Roger Ebert Rating 3/4. 20 December 2011. Ebert finds the film grim but absorbing. He singles out Rooney Mara’s performance as a particular strength. [Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-girl-with-the-dragon-tattoo-2010) ## Variety — Justin Chang Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 13 December 2011. Chang finds the film a fastidiously crafted, grimly entertaining adaptation, though its mystery ultimately settles for easy solutions. He singles out Rooney Mara’s riveting performance as the film’s most compelling strength. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2011/film/reviews/the-girl-with-the-dragon-tattoo-1117946739/) ## The New Yorker Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). The review is positive, emphasizing the film’s gripping momentum and Rooney Mara’s striking performance. It also singles out the expertly edited montages and notes that the brutal sexual scenes are staged for horror, not titillation. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/goings-on-about-town/movies/the-girl-with-the-dragon-tattoo-2) ## Evening Standard Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 10 April 2012. The critic calls it a decent film but feels Fincher leaves some of his flair behind. Mara’s performance is praised for brilliantly matching Noomi Rapace’s Lisbeth. [Read the review](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/the-girl-with-the-dragon-tattoo-review-7428147.html) ## The Guardian — Peter Bradshaw Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 22 December 2011. Bradshaw finds the film sleek and confident but chilly, with a strained mystery and an awkward ending. He singles out Rooney Mara’s forceful performance as the film’s driving strength. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2011/dec/22/girl-with-the-dragon-tattoo-film-review) ## The Hollywood Reporter — Todd McCarthy Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 13 December 2011. The review finds the adaptation absorbing and expertly made, but too conventional and neatly wrapped up to add much to the story. It singles out Rooney Mara’s commanding performance as Lisbeth Salander for particular praise. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/girl-dragon-tattoo-film-review-2-272649/) ## Vulture — David Edelstein Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). Edelstein finds Fincher’s remake more evocative than the earlier adaptation, though it adds little and Rooney Mara’s performance feels merely functional. He praises the film’s unsettling atmosphere, especially its score and Fincher’s clinical visual style. [Read the review](https://www.vulture.com/2011/12/movie-review-finchers-the-girl-with-the-dragon-tattoo-brings-the-hate.html) ## Screen Daily — Tim Grierson Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 13 December 2011. The page identifies this as a review, but its verdict is hidden behind the paywall. No specific praise or complaint is visible in the accessible text. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/the-girl-with-the-dragon-tattoo/5035418.article) ## The New York Times Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). The review’s verdict cannot be verified because the page is blocked. Its specific praise or criticism is likewise unavailable. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/20/movies/the-girl-with-dragon-tattoo-movie-review.html) ## Slant Magazine — Ed Gonzalez Rating 2.5/4. 13 December 2011. The critic finds Fincher’s adaptation handsome but ultimately retrograde and unable to elevate its source material. Rooney Mara’s portrayal is praised for conveying Lisbeth’s vulnerability beneath her deliberately alienating persona. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/the-girl-with-the-dragon-tattoo-5965/) ## The Independent — Anthony Quinn Rating **. 23 December 2011. Quinn finds the remake solemn, plodding and insufficiently justified so soon after the Swedish version. He praises Fincher’s visual style and use of snowbound locations, but complains that the mystery is uninvolving and overlong. [Read the review](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/the-girl-with-the-dragon-tattoo-david-fincher-156-mins-18-mission-impossible-ghost-protocol-133-mins-brad-bird-12a-6280578.html) ## Los Angeles Times — Kenneth Turan Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 20 December 2011. Turan finds the film too emotionally cold to be effective. He praises the screenwriter’s skillful trimming of the novel but complains that Rooney Mara’s Salander feels more like a stunt than a fully realized character. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-xpm-2011-dec-20-la-et-girl-with-the-dragon-tattoo-20111220-story.html) ## Digital Spy — Ben Rawson-Jones Rating 5/5. 13 December 2011. The critic calls the film a scintillating masterpiece and finds its mystery gripping and satisfying. Rooney Mara’s performance as Lisbeth Salander is singled out for its truthful emotional range. [Read the review](https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a355836/the-girl-with-the-dragon-tattoo-review/) ## Paste — Annlee Ellingson Rating 8.6/10. 15 December 2011. Ellingson praises Fincher’s slick, atmospheric adaptation while noting that it will feel familiar to readers and viewers of the earlier version. Rooney Mara’s raw, physically and emotionally exposed performance as Lisbeth is singled out as a career-changing achievement. [Read the review](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/the-girl-with-the-dragon-tattoo/the-girl-with-the-dragon-tattoo) ## Den of Geek — Simon Brew Rating 4 out of 5. 13 December 2011. Brew praises the film as a mature, meticulously made and unusually unsettling thriller, though its mystery is conventional and the ending stretch drags. He singles out Rooney Mara’s performance and Fincher’s controlled, frosty visual style for particular praise. [Read the review](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/the-girl-with-the-dragon-tattoo-review/) ## NME — Owen Nicholls Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 20 December 2011. The critic calls the film very good, though not quite a classic. Rooney Mara and Daniel Craig’s performances are singled out, especially their electric chemistry when sharing the screen. [Read the review](https://www.nme.com/blogs/the-movies-blog/the-girl-with-the-dragon-tattoo-film-review-781312) ## Collider — Matt Goldberg Rating C+. 20 December 2011. The critic calls it Fincher’s weakest crime thriller, faulting its weak structure and bland narrative. He praises Rooney Mara’s commanding performance and the bleak, haunting score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross. [Read the review](https://collider.com/the-girl-with-the-dragon-tattoo-review/) ## /Film — Russ Fischer Rating 6 out of 10. 20 December 2011. Fischer finds the film technically proficient but ultimately a routine, bloodless thriller that fails to make its characters’ pain resonate. He singles out Rooney Mara’s controlled, arresting performance as Lisbeth Salander as the film’s strongest element. [Read the review](https://www.slashfilm.com/518773/girl-with-dragon-tattoo-review/) ## The Playlist Fi1m's normalised score 50/100 (inferred from the text). The review characterizes the film as an intense but dispassionate thriller. Its headline singles out intensity while faulting its emotional distance. [Read the review](https://theplaylist.net/review-david-finchers-girl-with-the-dragon-tattoo-is-an-intense-but-dispassionate-thriller-20111213/) ## The Wrap — Alonso Duralde Fi1m's normalised score 40/100 (inferred from the text). 20 December 2011. The critic finds the film engaging but overly familiar, with significant flaws in its leads and ending. He praises the crisp cinematography and the score’s sustained atmosphere of dread. [Read the review](https://www.thewrap.com/very-familiar-dragon-tattoo-33585/) ## Eye for Film — Jennie Kermode Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 12 October 2013. Kermode finds the film disappointing and ultimately uninteresting despite its talented team. She praises Rooney Mara’s performance, while criticizing the adaptation’s confusing structure and uneven pacing. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/the-girl-with-the-dragon-tattoo-2011-film-review-by-jennie-kermode) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/the-girl-with-the-dragon-tattoo.md