Andrew McMurtryREVIEW: The Lovely Bones (2009)
“The Lovely Bones” is a sad, but completely brilliant movie. I’m actually surprised that it hasn’t received better reviews from most people. It is an amazing film and a feather in the already brimmed cap of director Peter Jackson. He truly captured the sorrow of a family who had suffered through the loss of a much loved daughter while looking at the much bigger crumbling of the family structure in the search for her killer. Don’t get me wrong, it isn’t a fun movie. At times it is very hard to watch but it is a very good idea for a film and I think it is well done. There are some great visual effects, especially of the purgatory scenes. It won’t be a classic film for Peter Jackson but it reaffirms him as one of the better users of CGI technology. “The Lovely Bones” is one of the better movies I’ve seen this year and probably the launching pad of the careers of stars Saoirse Ronan and Rose McIver.
“The Lovely Bones” follows the story of Suzie Salmon, a girl living in the 1970’s who was killed by a man in her neighbourhood. While Suzie struggles to let her family go and accept that she is in fact dead, her family are mourning her loss. They all have their own ways of coping. Her little brother, Buckley (Christian Thomas Ashdale), too little to really understand what has happened, has visions of her but moves on. Her sister Lindsey (Rose McIver) is saddened and moves a little into her shell, taking up sports such as running. Her mother Abigail (Rachel Weisz) can’t believe it happened and tries to push the bad thoughts away, not going into Suzie’s room and avoiding talking about anything that reminds her. Her father Jack (Mark Wahlberg) begins a search for her killer, when the spirit of Suzie visited him. With neither of them dealing with it well, their alcoholic, chain smoking grandma (Susan Sarandon) moves in, further destabilising their lives. Suzie’s possible boyfriend Ray (Reece Ritchie) also struggles with her death, befriending a strange girl from the neighbourhood, named Ruth (Carolyn Dando). When Jack works eventually works out who the murder is, it begins a tense sequence of trying to find evidence to arrest him.
After Suzie’s death, she has purgatory (or “in-between”) sequences which are amazing and beautiful with some of the most vivid bright colours and depressing grey and dark sequences. Some psychedelic scenes make her freedom after death seem obvious but you always sense that she has something holding her back from being like the others in her purgatory. It is a marvellous performance by Saoirse Ronan. Playing with that much CGI seems daunting to even the most experienced actors but she handles it with ease. Her voiceovers are brilliant as well. They couldn’t have cast her role better. Her voicing was perfect for the role. Rose McIver’s development throughout the film is very good as well. She has some intense scenes and delivers the performance of a true pro. Mark Wahlberg is in one of his better non-action roles as well as a grieving father. Susan Sarandon is good as always but truly channels a drunk, smoking, not-quite-right grandmother. Rachel Weisz is used sparsely and for, such a wonderful emotive actress, I would have liked to see more of her.
Peter Jackson’s directing is great. After the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy I thought he would be able to drift off into the ether, content with his lot in the development of supreme theatricality in the movie industry. But this story must just have had great appeal to him. The justice he gives the book (it’s based on a 2002 book by Alice Sebold) really brings a new perspective to the murder genre. As a co-writer (with Fran Walsh and Philppa Boyens) he created the ideal world for this to happen in. The 70’s is a time of relative innocence compared to today. The child’s perspective of her own death is such an interesting story idea, looking at the emotion of a life cut short and of those left behind. With Suzie being able to see those on Earth and worrying how they are coping, it kind of flips the genre on its head. Peter Jackson does brilliantly, making purgatory so different from the real world, as well as showing a glimpse of the culture of the 70’s.
All in all, there was only one scene I didn’t like and if you see it you can make a decision as to whether it added justice to the story but I guess it was a hard end to tie up. Overall, the experience for the moviegoer is a two-hour trip through the fragility and tension of family grieving the loss of a much loved daughter. While it would have been a hard process in filming and an intense story, it gives justice to a brilliant story. It looks fantastic, is very well acted and is a must see for anyone who is sick of the same old movies that are shoved down our throat over and over again. I’d give it 4.5 out of 5.
Just a side note, I didn’t even know this was based on a book until after I wrote my review. I thought what a great made for movies movie but I’m continually disappointed by the complete lack of imagination showed by Hollywood. When they make such phenomenal movies such as Inglourious Basterds and District 9 from scratch, I’m just waiting for some movie makers and writers to make some movies using their imaginations, not just the imaginations of famous authors. While there is a place for book adaptations, bring on some original ideas.
