The Girl in the Spider's Web
Columbia Pictures | Release Date: November 9, 2018 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
43
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 42 Critic Reviews
Positive:
10
Mixed:
22
Negative:
10
Watch Now
Buy on
Stream On
Stream On
Stream On
Stream On
Stream On
Expand

Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
60
The TelegraphTim RobeyNov 21, 2018
There’s a doomy superficial finesse to the picture, with all its wintry confrontations, skull-trained sniper fire and quick thinking, and it doesn’t take itself as seriously as Fincher’s did. But then, it couldn’t: there’s nothing going on beneath. Read full review
60
Total FilmPhilip KempNov 5, 2018
This latest Millennium movie smooths out the series’ earlier quirks. But there’s action galore and Foy makes a poised, dangerous heroine. Read full review
60
EmpireAlex GodfreyNov 5, 2018
An often effective reboot, this does everything you’d expect, but that’s a real shame. Read full review
60
The GuardianBenjamin LeeOct 24, 2018
It’s watchable enough but let down by a strange lack of interest in presenting Salander as anything but an engine to propel a plot. More female action heroes is by no means a bad thing but forcing Salander into Bond’s shoes feels like a misstep, her intellect and survivalism suited to far more interesting pursuits. Read full review
58
IndieWireKate ErblandOct 24, 2018
Lisbeth is never going to be cuddly or sunny, but that doesn’t mean she has to be robotic or impossible to read. That’s something that Foy and Alvarez clearly understand, and the result is a heroine not only worth cheering for, but one worth loving and even understanding. Read full review
50
Chicago Sun-TimesRichard RoeperNov 12, 2018
At times The Girl in the Spider’s Web almost feels like a superhero movie, with Lisbeth as Bat Girl. Read full review
50
Movie NationRoger MooreNov 10, 2018
Here character is sacrificed pure action and story becomes whatever they can make of a fifth rate Bond villain and ridiculous plot device. Read full review
50
L.A. WeeklyBilge EbiriNov 8, 2018
Everything has been watered down: the intensity of the hero, the sense of sexual danger, the violence. Read full review
50
The Associated PressJake CoyleNov 8, 2018
The greatest tension in Larsson’s “Millennium” series is how Salander so bristles with unease in the world, even while she expertly manipulates everything in it. No such conflict is found in The Girl in the Spider’s Web, a commonplace thriller for an uncommon heroine. Read full review
50
Entertainment WeeklyChris NashawatyNov 7, 2018
Now a miscast Claire Foy adopts the hacker vigilante’s black leather and badass avenging-angel attitude for The Girl in the Spider’s Web — a disappointingly safe, by-the-numbers action-thriller. Read full review
50
The Seattle TimesSoren AndersenNov 6, 2018
The “Dragon Tattoo” series continues with “Spider’s Web,” but it seems as though the franchise is running out of gas and fresh ideas. Read full review
50
New York Magazine (Vulture)Emily YoshidaNov 6, 2018
I don’t hold Larsson’s novels in enough esteem to mind a theoretical sanding down of them into B-movie popcorn fare, but this isn’t the way to do it. Read full review
50
Chicago TribuneMichael PhillipsNov 6, 2018
Uruguayan-born Fede Alvarez (“Don’t Breathe,” the recent “Evil Dead” reboot) handles the action breathlessly and well enough. The movie’s acted with serious conviction. But I kind of hate it. Read full review
50
The Hollywood ReporterDeborah YoungOct 24, 2018
The filmmakers take a heroic, action-packed, high-tech approach that empties out some of the originality of this unique female heroine. Read full review
50
VarietyJay WeissbergOct 24, 2018
It was probably inevitable that Hollywood would neuter the best elements of Stieg Larsson’s “Millennium” franchise, but did the producers really need to shift it into a commonplace cross between a superhero flick and James Bond? Read full review
42
ConsequenceAllison ShoemakerNov 8, 2018
Because it’s Claire Foy’s turn, The Girl in the Spider’s Web cannot honestly be called a colossal waste of time. It’s merely a moderate waste. Read full review
40
Vanity FairRichard LawsonDec 16, 2018
Lisbeth loses a bit of her individuality in her conversion to action star, becoming a more generic butt-kicker with plainer motivations. Read full review
40
The Observer (UK)Wendy IdeNov 29, 2018
This glum crime franchise, unfolding against a backdrop of blighted concrete chill and semi-derelict industrial spaces, is evolving into Scandinavia’s anti-hygge. Read full review
40
CineVueMichael MazzantiNov 28, 2018
The Girl in the Spider’s Web demonstrates how uncertainty is a detriment, just as it proves Alvarez will always be a stylist worth watching. Read full review
40
Arizona RepublicRandy CordovaNov 5, 2018
Unfortunately, nothing in the film –Foy's performance included – cuts the chill, and you're left trapped in a big, wintry void. Read full review
40
Time OutJoshua RothkopfNov 2, 2018
Once intriguingly strange, Lisbeth Salander returns as a boring action hero, her rough edges sanded down. Read full review
40
Screen DailyTim GriersonNov 2, 2018
Lacking the freshness of the original trilogy or the meticulous, insidious tone of Fincher’s film, Spider’s Web mostly feels like a holding action to ensure that more sequels can be made in the future. That timidity flies in the face of this series’ inherent edginess. Read full review
More From This Movie

43 Critic Reviews

4.9 User Reviews

Details & Credits|Trailers

Current Movie Releases
By MetascoreBy User Score
1 77 Project Hail Mary
2 75 Send Help
3 73 Hoppers
4 72 The Sheep Detectives
5 63 Normal
SEE ALL
Essential Links
New on Amazon Prime Video
New on Netflix
Coming Soon to DVD/Blu-ray
SEE ALL