- 8
...an extremely satisfying ending...
—Betsy Sharkey Los Angeles Times
- 8
The milieu is authentic and the characters completely in sync with their literary counterparts as the tension ratchets up a notch with each passing minute.
—Kirk Honeycutt Hollywood Reporter
- 7
...very well-made...
—Roger Ebert Chicago Sun-Times
- 6
Pity the unsuspecting moviegoer wandering into Larsson's trilogy at the two-thirds point. That moviegoer will be confused.
—Michael Phillips Chicago Tribune
- 6
It takes a bit for the plot's motor to sputter into life, but once it does, the spirit of relentless justice (for better or for worse) makes for a far more satisfying piece of work than Alfredson's dire, uninvolving film of the previous book, The Girl Who Played With Fire.
—Chris Barsanti filmcritic.com
- 6
...this bland-looking Scandi crimer benefits from edge-of-your-seat pacing despite a conspicuous lack of action
—Boyd Van Hoeij Variety
- 6
It's rarely tedious, but it's also rarely insightful or propulsive, and since there's nothing new to discover about the characters or their world, much of the film feels like a protracted, contrived pause, as everyone waits for Rapace to finally get back into the game.
—Tasha Robinson Onion AV Club
- 5
...mostly an epic rehash of the tale Larsson has already told, and that makes it, at two hours and 28 minutes, the first movie in the series that never catches fire.
—Owen Gleiberman Entertainment Weekly
- 5
...Alfredson's work is again essentially functional, limited to clumsy action sequences and television-ready conversations.
—Manohla Dargis New York Times
- 5
...a stinging disappointment.
—Claudia Puig USA Today
- 4
...feels thoughtlessly put together, its script unpruned and rushed through, all to capitalize on the staggering worldwide popularity of its dead author.
—Melissa Anderson Village Voice
- 4
...feels thoughtlessly put together, its script unpruned and rushed through, all to capitalize on the staggering worldwide popularity of its dead author.
—Melissa Anderson LA Weekly
- 3
...2½ hours of rehash, anticlimax and so what. Expunging the clichés, coincidences, flat dialogue and dull exposition will present a challenge for director David Fincher as he begins to remake the films in Hollywood.
—Kyle Smith New York Post
- 2
Message-movie moralizing told without verve, wit, or mature nuance...
—Nick Schager Slant Magazine