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A young girl, who was brutally raped and murdered, watches the effects of her death on her family from Heaven, as her parents drift apart, her father becomes obsessed with vengeance and her sister grows into the woman she would never be. She herself must weigh her desire for vengeance against her desire for her family to heal.
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Rated:
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[ M ]
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Cinema release:
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26 Dec 2009
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Director:
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Peter Jackson
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Running time:
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135 mins
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Stars:
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Saoirse Ronan, Mark Wahlberg, Rachel Weisz
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Links:
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Official Site
IMDb
Rotten Tomatoes
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The Lovely Bones is out in cinemas December 26 but before you watch the film, check out our Lovely Bones special and watch preview clips from the film, download wallpapers and more. Read more.
What we say
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The Bones are hollow
Director Peter Jackson works to inject "The Lovely Bones" with the same cinematic fervour as "The Lord of the Rings", but he wants his new film to be so many things - whimsical, thoughtful, horrifying - that ultimately it's hollow.
The basic plot is true to Alice Sebold's 2002 novel: after 14-year-old Susie Salmon (Saoirse Ronan) is brutally murdered by her creepy neighbour Mr Harvey (Stanley Tucci), she goes to "the in-between" - not quite heaven, not quite Earth - where she watches over the lives of her family.
Susie's grief-stricken parents Jack and Abigail (Mark Wahlberg and Rachel Weisz, who both seem somewhat miscast) don't cope when the police investigation, led by Detective Len Fenerman (Christopher Imperioli), fails to offer closure about Susie's fate. When Abigail flees, her alcoholic, chain-smoking mother Lynn (Susan Sarandon) comes to help Jack care for his remaining children.
It appears that Jackson and fellow screenwriters Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens (the trio also penned the "Rings" trilogy) are mostly concerned with adapting Sebold's tone of poetic whimsy, because they excise many of the book's darker, more morally grey moments.
That's a mistake, because the resulting film lacks both conviction and emotion.
But it's not all bad. Ronan and Tucci offer stunning performances, while Susie's heaven is surreal and beautiful. A taut, suspenseful scene where her sister Lindsay (Rose McIver) breaks into Harvey's house to hunt for evidence is the highlight of the film.
Sebold's best-selling novel was about redemption, mortality and humanity. Unfortunately, Jackson hasn't recaptured those themes on the big screen.
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Find more info on The Lovely Bones with Bing Search
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What you say
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Add a review
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What you say
lovely
 
There is only so much time to fit a book into a movie, i think they managed quite well. Susie Salmon was just like i thought she would be, i enjoyed her voice-over which seemed to make the movie run smoothly and particularly would have been a help to people who did not read the novel first. it was poignant and emotional, the villian was suitably disgusting, and Susan Sarandon as the wonderfully colourful grandmother added a touch of flambouyance. i would recommend this movie to anyone who has or has not read the novel, Alice Seabold is a great author and should be very happy with the screen interpretation of a wonderful book.
Jenni C
Adelaide, SA
26 Jan 2010
Boned out
Failed miserably to rise to any heights, had a few 'moments' but they did not hold for long. Thank heaven for the perps house search, and the final scene which at least raised a ripple if not a wave. Could have been treated better and presented as a far better cinema experience then we received.
Neil
Melbourne, VIC
11 Jan 2010
The lovely bones
Movie strated off quite interesting and strong, however half way through, storyline became quite fluffy. Would of liked to see more on the investigation of the murder. i give it 2 and a half stars
Anonymous
Coogee, NSW
11 Jan 2010
the book
Alice Seabold's book is wonderful, the prose and discriptive language is flawless. I recommend reading the book prior to seeing the movie, it will enhance the movie experience, I felt the movie was a touch disjointed, but enjoyable just the same. I would have liked to see more deep emotion depicted by the actors.
Pam
Townsville, QLD
10 Jan 2010
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