The Girl Who Played With Fire (2009) ***

The Girl Who Played With Fire (2009) was a lot better than I was expecting. Not as good as the first film, but an engaging, competent thriller nonetheless. I'm almost tempted to give it another 1/2 *, simply because what makes this film better than average are the characters, and you have to have gone through the events of Dragon Tattoo (2009) with them to appreciate that. I like that Lisbeth's past is weaved into the story, even more so than in Tattoo. What prevents me from giving the extra 1/2 * is that I feel the familial elements could have been explored more interestingly.