Movie Review: The Lovely Bones

From the brilliant mind of Peter Jackson (The Lord of the Rings, King Kong) comes the new feature film, The Lovely Bones, in theaters January 15th. Based on the best selling novel by Alice Sebold, The Lovely Bones tells the story of a young girl murdered in rural Pennsylvania, who after dying watches her family from a sort of purgatory, where she tries to weigh her desire for revenge, against her desire to see her family heal and deal with her tragic passing. The main character, Susie Salmon, is just another notch of fine juvenile acting that young actress Saoirse Ronan can add to her belt. She's a bright, beautiful, lovely young lady, who through childlike naivety falls victim to a predator living right down the street in her very own neighborhood. Played by Stanley Tucci, the character of George Harvey is frightening and disturbing on a level I didn't expect coming in to the film. The Salmon parents, played by Mark Wahlberg and Rachel Weisz are both complex characters and are in no way an afterthought like you'd expect. In fact, I'd go so far as to say this is Wahlberg's broadest performance as an actor to date. Those in the know will remember he replaced Ryan Gossling in the role. I like the guy, so it's hard for him to do wrong by me, but we all know he can turn in a cardboard performance, see: The Happening. The film also has a strong supporting cast, lead to charge by veteran actress Susan Sarandon, who plays Susie's chain-smoking alcoholic grandmother - the only real comedic relief in the film.

Fans of the book will be happy to see Jackson's adaptation is true to the book, and his skills as a director of epic films goes a long away in portraying the beautiful world in between Heaven and Hell that Alice Sebold so craftfully described in her novel. I was left awe-inspired many times by the visuals alone, but it was the deeply moving story at the heart of the film that left me most touched. Those going to see The Lovely Bones with expectations of feeling happy and fuzzy afterwards will be disappointed, as the movie is overall quite grim. However, with subject matter like the rape and murder of a young girl, how inspirational can a film be? That seems like a question Peter Jackson and co. worked hard to fix. You will, or at least I did, come out of the film feeling happy for the Salmon family, but at the same time you will also feel very alert to how fleeting our lives are, and how time spent with our loved ones is the most important thing any of us have. I suppose in the long run, it's a true sign of a good director, if the film can make you appreciate the simple things in your life so much more. That's certainly the effect it had on me.

I give Peter Jackson's The Lovely Bones a 4 out of 5.