DVD Review: Stieg Larsson’s ‘Dragon Tattoo Trilogy’ Released in Single Set

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CHICAGO – Shouldn’t it be called the “Millennium Trilogy”? Or the “Girl Trilogy”? Only the first movie has the words “Dragon Tattoo” in it. Anyway, I’m being picky. Whatever you call it, the three foreign films adapted from Stieg Larsson’s uber-successful series have been now included in one box set that should appeal to fans of the books hoping to have their favorite series in one place.

When a franchise becomes as much of a cash-generating property as Larsson’s books, it becomes imperative to repackage them in as many ways as possible. So, while “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo,” “The Girl Who Played With Fire,” and “The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Next” have all been released on DVD and Blu-ray separately (and pretty recently), now the hardcore fans have an opportunity to buy them again with a fourth disc of bonus material. As the initial home releases were bare-bones, the bonus material is nice, but the double dip seems awfully quick. Why wasn’t this material just included the first time? And why aren’t these the uncut international versions of the films which you KNOW will be released soon, probably before year-end, making a triple dip of “Girl” goodness?

Stieg Larsson’s Dragon Tattoo Trilogy was released on Blu-Ray and DVD on February 22nd, 2011
Photo credit: Music Box Films

The “Dragon Tattoo” films are pretty damn successful in the United States, especially in today’s barren foreign box office market, but it’s nothing compared to their worldwide profit margins. The first, and best, film in the series made only $10 million domestically (which, believe it or not, makes it the #24 foreign language film of all time…which shows you how few people actually read subtitles) but brought in an amazing $104 million worldwide. “The Girl Who Played With Fire” made $67 million worldwide and “Hornet’s Nest” brought in another $41 million. It’s unclear, but those lesser numbers may be because the films are still working their way around the globe.

And we’re nowhere near the end of this phenomenon as David Fincher’s version of “Dragon Tattoo,” starring Rooney Mara and Daniel Craig, will be released at the end of this year and the phenomenon can start all over again. Fincher’s version will almost certainly make more than the foreign original on its first day of release.

Only time will tell if Ms. Mara can bring the same visceral energy as Noomi Rapace, the best thing about the series, which essentially paints a picture of corruption and the importance of journalism and individuality. Until then, check out the foreign originals and act snooty when Fincher’s version becomes a major hit, pointing out what Niels Arden Oplev’s film did better.

The three films are packaged in a gorgeous box that resembles a hardcover book with a holographic cover. The bonus disc is a bit disappointing with less than two hours of new material but fans will still eat it up. At least until its reheated and served again.

Special Features:
o Millennium: The Story (48:55)
o Interview with Noomi Rapace (19:35)
o Interview with Michael Nyqvist (13:06)
o Interview with the Cast and Crew (13:58)
o Niedermann vs. Paulo Roberto (9:43)
o Trailers For All Three Films

By BRIAN TALLERICO Content Director HollywoodChicago.com brian@hollywoodchicago.com