THE LOVELY BONES Review

THE LOVELY BONES is utter disappointment. It fails to capture the yearning and the heart in Alice Sebold’s story. Even if the movie stands by itself, it fails to get the audience to understand the meaning of THE LOVELY BONES at all because it gets lost in… unnecessary CG work. This is an example of overbearing cinematic set pieces that backfire and kill every intention that the movie tries to build up. Director Peter Jackson has ruined what could’ve been a powerful human drama.

Based on the critically acclaimed best-selling novel by Alice Sebold, and directed by Oscar® winner Peter Jackson from a screenplay by Jackson & Fran Walsh & Philippa Boyens, “The Lovely Bones” centers on a young girl who has been murdered and watches over her family – and her killer – from heaven. She must weigh her desire for vengeance against her desire for her family to heal. Oscar® nominee Mark Wahlberg and Oscar® winners Rachel Weisz and Susan Sarandon star along with Stanley Tucci, Michael Imperioli and Oscar® nominee Saoirse Ronan.

Screenwriters Walsh, Boyens and Jackson miss out on what makes the book such an endearing read. They focus too much on the suspense/thriller parts of the story and pretty much cuts or skims through the lives of Susie’s family that’s supposed to be what THE LOVELY BONES is all about. The plot goes by way too much and leaves significant details, I think it would’ve been better had it been a 2-part HBO miniseries instead of a 2 hour movie because at least a TV presentation could cover what Peter Jackson seems to be rushing on.

I usually have respect for Peter Jackson and his CG wizards but THE LOVELY BONES should not be treated like Lord Of The Rings or King Kong. Let’s forget for a second that I’ve read the book, the emphasis on Susie’s heaven/InBetween is a bit one-sided, even Alice’s Wonderland doesn’t get this insane.
All the while you’re wondering what kind of place Jackson is creating instead of what kind of place Susie is living in while watching her family.
It’s plain to see that Jackson has an active imagination, and it’s understandable for a visionary director of his caliber to go beyond the narration and run wild with his creativity on screen but there is a point when the CG work turns from being helpful into pointless and THE LOVELY BONES becomes a series of one CG madness after another.
Sometimes, there’s no need to illustrate emotions, sometimes you just gotta let the actors display their feelings raw.
Even Susie’s InBetween couldn’t escape the suspense/thriller of the story on earth. Many times, Susie herself has to survive the InBetween that seems to be destroying itself and taking Suzie with it. A threatening and scary place for someone who’s supposed to be already dead, why does it seem like she’d have to fear another type of death!

The performances of Mark Wahlberg, Susan Sarandon, Rachel Weisz and Saoirse Ronan are overshadowed by Jackson, Boyen and Walsh’s impatient screenplay that for some reason gives more time for Stanley Tucci’s villainous character, Dr. Harvey to be something more but he doesn’t really arrive anywhere.
I’m reminded of David Fincher’s Zodiac in which the story would span across many years and show how each character was affected by the murders. Now that was an example of movie that worked well because Fincher didn’t go astray from what was really important.
Jackson, on the other hand, doesn’t just go astray, he goes way off and when he tries to bring us back for some type of conclusion, the impression has become like bones scattered all over the place. Uncollected and not lovely.

* Place the cursor on the image below to check my grade for this film