http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8kOFGI0p6SM
I’m generally not a fan of remakes. This isn’t a steadfast rule that I adhere to at all times – a good remake can definitely win me over, and some, such as Zack Snyder’s remake of Dawn of the Dead or David Cronenberg’s remake of The Fly can actually surpass the films that they’re remaking. It’s a rarity, but it does happen. Anyway, one type of remake that just drives me up the wall, and I know I’m not alone on this when it comes to film critics, is the Americanized remake of a foreign film. These remakes always strike me as lazy attempts to make some more money off of a pre-existing film just because American audiences tend not to like reading subtitles. I’ve never understood the dislike of subtitles, but it’s the driving force behind a lot of remakes of foreign films (along with cash, of course), and to me these remakes feel completely unnecessary. I didn’t see the Matt Reeves film Let Me In, in spite of enjoying his work on Cloverfield, just because I felt that Let The Right One In was such a powerful, perfect movie that a remake only detracted from that, regardless of quality. But even Let Me In is an exception, as most Americanized remakes are just plain bad (see also The Grudge and The Eye).
All of this to say that I’m approaching David Fincher’s remake of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo with a kind of optimistic trepidation. I wasn’t a die-hard fan of the original film starring Michael Nyqvist and Noomi Rapace, but it was still a really well-made film. After seeing this trailer for David Fincher’s remake, however, I find myself actually much more excited to see his take on the story than I was after I saw a trailer for the original movie. David Fincher’s an awesome director, after all, and if anyone can make a remake stand as its own entity, it’d be him. So with that, I say: quickly! Watch this bootleg red band trailer for The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo! Even if the movie falls on its face, this trailer is a work of art. And you can’t go wrong with a Led Zeppelin cover by Trent Reznor and Karen O.!
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo comes out December 21, 2011.