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Parents' Guide to

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

By Jeffrey Anderson, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 18+

English-language remake includes extreme violence and sex.

Movie R 2011 158 minutes
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

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age 18+

Based on 41 parent reviews

rtgfc T.
rtgfc T. Adult
May 6, 2023
age 17+

This title has:

Too much violence
Too much sex
jcmcdowell
jcmcdowell Adult
June 22, 2021
age 18+

Well-made film, but not for everyone

This is a very well-made movie and very hard to understand and watch when one watches it for the first time. I always love a good mystery/conspiracy movie, and it is cool that it is an English remake of the Swedish film. It is also cool to see Daniel Craig in a film besides one that involves James Bond. I enjoyed the mystery parts thoroughly, and I think it is good for anyone who enjoys action movies that involve mysteries and surprises along the way. However, even with all of the compelling investigative scenes, there is an extremely brutal, graphic scenes of violence, one in particular that involves sex. Lisbeth Salander is a positive role model because she stands up for what she believes in and is not afraid to give on the people who have tormented her in the past what they deserve, since she has been a victim more than once. This movie is not for everyone, but it is a quality movie that really makes viewers think and has lots of clues to consider throughout the film.

This title has:

Great role models
Too much violence
Too much sex
Too much swearing
Too much drinking/drugs/smoking
See all 41 parent reviews

What's the Story?

In THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO, journalist Mikael Blomkvist (Daniel Craig) is invited to meet retired tycoon Henrik Vanger (Christopher Plummer) after losing a libel suit. Under the guise of writing a memoir, Vanger hires Mikael to find out what happened to his niece, who mysteriously disappeared many decades earlier. Meanwhile, a troubled, asocial young computer hacker, Lisbeth Salander (Rooney Mara), who supplied information on Mikael for the libel case, has been dealing with problems of her own. Mikael discovers her identity and tracks her down, and the two take a liking to each other. They form an unlikely team in the search for the missing girl -- but little do they know that their search will uncover a series of murders leading back 40 years.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (41 ):
Kids say (31 ):

This is little more than good pulp that's wrapped up in history, the Holocaust, and Nazism to give it depth and presented in a 158-minute package to give it weight. Fortunately, director David Fincher is highly skilled at this kind of thing, having turned in the similar films Seven (1995) and Zodiac (2007). His chilly, precise filmmaking knows how to tease while still looking head-on into a dark, bloody abyss.

Fincher takes time to build the mystery slowly, showing the numbing amounts of research as well as details like freezing-cold cabins and bad vending machine coffee. Every bit of excitement here is mirrored by something either mundane or rotten. (This isn't a glamorous mystery.) For the English-language remake of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo-- which uses all the same character names and locations as the original -- superb casting choices were made all the way down the line, with Craig and Mara superbly commanding the screen.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo's extreme violence. How much of it is actually necessary to tell this type of story? Would the film have as much impact without it?

  • How does the movie portray sex? Are the consequences for the characters' decisions regarding sex realistic? Parents, talk to your teens about your own values relating to sex and relationships.

  • Are these characters compelling, despite their questionable behavior? If so, why? Are they heroes? Are they role models?

  • How does the English-language version differ from the Swedish version? Did this version need to be made?

Movie Details

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