Review of The Lovely Bones (2009) by Ryan C — 09 Sep 2016

As never a big fan of the novel, I still went into watching this movie hoping it would translate to a thrilling film especially starring Mark Wahlberg and Stanley Tucci. However, being behind the reigns of Peter Jackson's directing, "The Lovely Bones" is oddly paced switching tones constantly. With its bizarre CGI and special effects, it tries to be that "larger than life" film, but it gets lost trying to balance a murder, a love story, and the afterlife all at once.

"The Lovely Bones" is about a 14-year-old girl who is raped and murdered and watches her family and friends - especially the boy she is in love with - from what I assume is Purgatory as they try to cope with her murder. In the meantime, there is a police investigation trying to find the murderer as he draws up plans to strike again. Now, that sounds like a damn good plot line and it is. And while half of the film plays out into these thrilling sequences of the murderer and his victim(s), it's the other half that is shown through CGI that is annoyingly sentimental and ridiculous.