The Girl in the Spider's Web

R

Released Nov 9, 2018

1 hr. 57 min.

Action

Mystery & Thriller

List

38%

239 Reviews

Tomatometer

36%

1,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

Fired from the National Security Agency, Frans Balder recruits hacker Lisbeth Salander to steal FireWall, a computer program that can access codes for nuclear weapons worldwide. The download soon draws attention from an NSA agent who traces the activity to Stockholm. Further problems arise when Russian thugs take Lisbeth's laptop and kidnap a math whiz who can make FireWall work. Now, Lisbeth and an unlikely ally must race against time to save the boy and recover the codes to avert disaster.

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Critics Consensus

The Girl in the Spider's Web focuses on the action elements of its source material for a less complex -- and only sporadically effective -- franchise reboot.

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Gabriel S

The Girl in the Spider Web (GSW) comes as an uninvited guest some 7 years after the David Fincher's The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, adding confusion to the storyline. A real shame considering Fede Alvarez's work in Don't Breathe (2016) and Evil Dead (2013). GSW uses David Lagercrantz's homonymous work as source material, of which I know little about as I haven't read the books yet. In this entry, Lisbeth Salander has to steal a might computerized weapon, highly visioned by a number of Orgs and criminals, while also dealing with her past that seems to want to hunt her to death, quite literally. If you have come from the Hollywood-targeted The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011), you will see familiar names, but no familiar faces — no recurring actors whatsoever. I assume casting had to work on a budget, and hiring Daniel Craig was off; I wonder why they couldn't bring in Rooney Mara, because she did a way better Lisbeth than Claire Foy. Claire Foy is alright, but she lacks the heart and soul that Rooney put while playing Lisbeth's role. Speaking of Daniel Craig, GSW's version of Mikael Blomkvist is too funny to go unnoticed. Actor Sverrir Gudnason gets his share of spotlight as a supporting character for Lisbeth, and I feel he was given the wrong directions. It feels Sverrir is trying to be seductive on all his shots, and that's f** annoying. It is funny to compare both Fincher's and Alvarez's Mikael with the Mikael from the Sweden version, which is far more mundane — perhaps too mundane. GSW has a simplistic plot line, a line that is solid, but unexceptional. Remember that I haven't read the books, so I'm dismissing any comparisons. The fact is that this plot falls under good generic, it has all alright elements we expect, but compared to what we've saw on The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, the plot is far inferior. I feel the main reason is because the former had elements of a thriller, while GSW is more of a crime-action movie with a few stunts and predictable plot twists. Tech elements are absent of commentary, I feel, at least for an amateur like myself. There are some slick shots, some humorous wannabe moments; the scenery is alright, but nothing spectacular. The soundtrack is a-okay. You can go brain-dead watching GSW and you would be fine. And I feel this sums up the experience of watching GSW: brain dead. Do you know when you want to watch something light, shallow, not much thought process to expend, just watch beginning to end, go "yeah", and wrap up? That's GSW.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

04/15/24

Full Review

Georgan G

While this isn't my favorite of the franchise, it's well acted. The plot isn't fully developed, but the action is terrific. Always great to see a female kick butt that deserves it.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

04/10/24

Full Review

Terry S

Very watchable and convincingly done. Filmed closely to the book's plot which made it even more enjoyable to me.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/26/24

Full Review

John A

Perfectly reasonable action film. If you like that genre then it's entertaining enough to make it worth watching.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

11/16/23

Full Review

Ted B

So there's this program that can control the entirety of the nuclear arsenal worldwide. It can be transferred over the internet in less than 60 seconds. But nobody thought to make a backup of it. As stunningly stupid a premise as that is, it's the smartest thing about this film. Atrocious coincidences and technically incorrect moments drive a plot with less logic than the Bonzo Dog Doo Dah band's entire catalog. A shameless attempt to keep making money off of a dead man, worst of all, it throws the characters you know and love entirely under the bus in the process.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

07/01/23

Full Review

Gareth v

Solid enough thriller without being memorable. The conversion of Lisbeth from anti-hero hacker to action star just doesn't quite payoff.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

06/22/23

Full Review

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Fede Alvarez

Director

Claire Foy

Lisbeth Salander

Beau Gadsdon

Young Lisbeth Salander

Sverrir Gudnason

Mikael Blomkvist

LaKeith Stanfield

Ed Needham

Sylvia Hoeks

Camilla Salander

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The Girl in the Spider's Web: Official Clip - X-Ray Sniper

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The Girl in the Spider's Web: Official Clip - Toying with Security

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The Girl in the Spider's Web: Official Clip - Car vs. Hacker

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The Girl in the Spider's Web: Official Clip - Abuse Avenger

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The Girl in the Spider's Web: Official Clip - Gassed and Thrashed

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The Girl in the Spider's Web: Official Clip - Water for Fire

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The Girl in the Spider's Web: Official Clip - On Thin Ice

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The Girl in the Spider's Web: Official Clip - Black Latex Torture

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tt stern-enzi

WXIX-TV (Cincinnati, OH)

Elizabeth solander is a larger than life figure and she's grounded in something more meaningful, and you lose parts of that with this film.

Mar 21, 2019

Full Review

Mark Kermode

Kermode & Mayo's Film Review

I think it suffers to some extent from some creaky dialogue...but the thing that holds it together is that Claire Foy surprisingly convincing.

Nov 27, 2018

Full Review

Kevin Maher

Times (UK)

That's it. That's all that has changed. Foy in the lead role. Otherwise everything else is the same, only worse.

Rated: 2/5

Nov 27, 2018

Full Review

Danilo Castro

Next Best Picture

It is a passionless, tedious take on a genre that is driven by passion and excitement, and it drags an iconic character along for the ride.

Rated: 3/10

May 17, 2022

Full Review

Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

Foy, ever the chameleon, gives a strong performance, but in a role that is underwritten and doesn't service her considerable talent.

Rated: 1.5/4

Mar 8, 2022

Full Review

Ben Turner

The Pink Lens

This weak sequel has forgotten to find its own voice and rests heavily on genre tropes that don't belong in a story that celebrates being unabashedly different.

Rated: 3/5

Sep 1, 2021

Full Review

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Synopsis

Fired from the National Security Agency, Frans Balder recruits hacker Lisbeth Salander to steal FireWall, a computer program that can access codes for nuclear weapons worldwide. The download soon draws attention from an NSA agent who traces the activity to Stockholm. Further problems arise when Russian thugs take Lisbeth's laptop and kidnap a math whiz who can make FireWall work. Now, Lisbeth and an unlikely ally must race against time to save the boy and recover the codes to avert disaster.

Director: Fede Alvarez
Executive Producer: Arnon Milchan, Robert J. Dohrmann, David Fincher, Line Winther Skyum Funch, Johannes Jensen, Anni Faurbye Fernandez
Screenwriter: Jay Basu, Fede Alvarez, Steven Knight
Distributor: Columbia Pictures, Sony Pictures Entertainment
Production Co: The Cantillon Company, Scott Rudin Productions, Pascal Pictures, Yellow Bird, Sony Pictures Entertainment
Rating: R (Some Sexual Content/Nudity|Language|Violence)
Genre: Action, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Nov 9, 2018, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 22, 2019
Box Office (Gross USA): $14.8M
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

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