Stieg Larsson’s ‘Millennium Trilogy’ comes to a conclusion with “The Girl who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest”, and while the third installment is not as engaging as its predecessors, it still manages to tie up all the loose ends, as it should. I think it’s safe to say that in order to enjoy this final chapter, one must watch the three movies in a chronological orders.  The sum is much greater than any of the three films, though I will say that “The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo” is the superior film of the three, by far. And yet this still qualifies as a decent conclusion to the trilogy, be it for the steady pace, or for Noomi Rapace’s excellent performance as Lisbeth Salander. After leaving an axe in her dad’s head at the end of the last film, Lisbeth is in hospital with bullet wounds and a police guard, charged with attempted murder. Blomkvist (Michael Nyqvist), meanwhile, is getting ready to publish something huge in his magazine: proving her innocence and unmasking the corrupt officials who had her locked up in a psychiatric institution at age 12. Mikael even gets his sister Annika (Annika Hallin) to defend Lisbeth during the trial. During the investigation, we discover more dark secrets from Lisbeth’s past and meet some dangerous and powerful people aswell. The question is whether they can gather the evidence in time in order to save Lisbeth.

I think it’s a pity that the trilogy has to end without the expected bang that many of us have anticipated. At some point, the film felt repetitive and awfully long. We are left with that sweet-&-sour taste, wanting a more emotional conclusion to the story, and wanting to know more about Lisbeth. At the same time, I’m glad that the series is coming to end, because the freshness and rawness of the first movie are completely gone in this film. All that’s left now is to wait for David Fincher’s version to see how it compares to the first film. That would be a huge challenge for Fincher and co, mainly because “Dragon Tattoo” is already great as it is. Either way, let’s wait and see.

Rating: 2.5/4