MANILA, Philippines — Columbia Pictures' critically acclaimed and Oscar-nominated thriller “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” has been approved without cuts by the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) with an R-18 rating. This means that only audiences 18 years old and above can be admitted when it opens in selected theaters on Feb. 1.

“Dragon Tattoo” caused a stir when it was released in the US last December, owing to its dark themes and graphic scenes of sexual assault, violence and nudity.

Last Tuesday, the film earned five Academy Award nominations, notably for Best Actress (Rooney Mara), Best Cinematography and Best Film Editing.

Director David Fincher (“The Social Network”) uncoils the world of author Stieg Larsson’s global blockbuster thriller on the screen in “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.”

Within the story’s labyrinth lie murder, corruption, family secrets, and the inner demons of the two unexpected partners chasing the truth of a 40-year-old mystery. Mikael Blomkvist (Daniel Craig) is a financial reporter determined to restore his honor after being convicted of libel. Engaged by one of Sweden’s wealthiest industrialists, Henrik Vanger (Academy Award nominee Christopher Plummer), to get to the bottom of the long-ago disappearance of his beloved niece, Harriet – murdered, Vanger believes, by a member of his large family – the journalist heads to a remote island on the frozen Swedish coast, unaware of what awaits him.

At the same time, Lisbeth Salander (Rooney Mara), an unusual but ingenious investigator at Milton Security, is hired to do a background check on Blomkvist, a job that ultimately leads to her joining Mikael in his investigation of who killed Harriet Vanger. Though Lisbeth shields herself from a world that has repeatedly betrayed her, her hacking skills and single-minded focus become invaluable. While Mikael goes face-to-face with the tight-lipped Vangers, Lisbeth plies the wired shadows. They begin to trace a chain of homicides from the past into the present, forging a fragile strand of trust even as they are pulled into the most savage currents of modern crime.

Opening across the Philippines on Feb. 1, “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” is distributed by Columbia Pictures, local office of Sony Pictures Releasing International.