2012 seems set to be a year of movie remakes – this year we can big budget remakes of Total Recall, The Great Gatsby, Contraband, Judge Dread, 21 Jump Street, The Three Stooges and probably many more. The year of remakes started with the remake of 2009 Swedish movie, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, which was released on Boxing Day 2011. 

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo follows disgraced financial journalist Mikael Blomkvist and dark and ruthless computer hacker Lisbeth Salander, as they investigate the 40 year old case of a missing girl. The missing girl, Harriet Vanger vanished from a family gathering on the mysterious island owned and inhabited by the powerful Vanger clan. Although her body was never found, her uncle is convinced that it is murder and that the killer is a member of his own tight knit, yet dysfunctional family. Lisbeth and Mikael soon link Harriet’s disappearance to a number of gruesome murders and begin to unravel a dark and appalling family history.

Sounds good doesn’t it? Well as someone who has seen the 2009 original Swedish version I can confirm that it is even better than it sounds. Lisbeth Salander is the central role of the movie – she is troubled, damaged, edgy, dark, intelligent, angry, fragile and beautiful. She is a great, complex character, with an amazing look to match – all dark black hair styled in punky Mohicans and long Emo fringes, with plenty of black leather to match.

Rooney Mara (r) and Noomi Rapace (l) as Lisbeth Salander

Noomi Rapace plays Lisbeth in the 2009 original and Rooney Mara takes on the role in the 2012 remake. For me it is Naoomi Rapace who is more convincing as the trouble rock chick Lisbeth, there is just a bit more behind her eyes and the styling is effortless. As beautiful as Rooney Mara is, (although I admit I haven’t seen the remake) looking at the pictures her look as Lisbeth seems a little more ‘costumey’.

The likelihood is, I won’t be seeing the remake for some time, as I loved the original, and Lisbeth, so much (can you say girl crush?). So I would love to know from someone who has seen both to let me know who really does play Lisbeth better. And who carries off the lisbeth look, Mohican and all, to better effect.

Stay tuned for later in the week when I will be giving you a little tutorial on how to get the Lisbeth Salander look for yourself.

- This is Gems, Signing off!