Review of The Lovely Bones (2009) by Bob R — 30 Mar 2014

Here is another lazy review, and yeah, I really don't feel like going into detail with this one, even if it's an interesting movie to me. Interesting in the fact that there are so many promising parts to it and so much shit at the same time. First off, I was not familiar with the source material whatsoever going into this. Hell it wasn't my idea to watch it, but I thought what the hell, seeing Peter Jackson's name on it. First off, it's a damn weird idea for a story, but I like that thinking outside the box.

Susie is a young girl who lives in a small town, who is just an ordinary kid. She comes from a loving family and home, has friends, and a guy at school she likes. She's an ordinary kid living an ordinary life, until one day she's captured and murdered by her quiet, creepy neighbour Mr. Harvey. It takes awhile, but Susie realizes she isn't alive anymore, but rather in heaven, where she meets many of Harvey's other victims. While Susie lives in nirvana with other girls, she peers down onto earth, to see how her loved ones struggle for answers in regards to her disappearance.

Like I stated before, it's a weird fuckin' concept. An interesting one, especially with the right execution. It had some potential, but ultimately the whole thing doesn't hit the right notes in the right spots. For example, there must have been a more effective lead man for Mark Wahlberg's character. I didn't see anyone but Marky Mark, which made for a distracting watch. Though this might be the case, I thought Stanley Tucci did a bang up job portraying a chilling psychopath in Mr. Harvey.

In terms of direction, I feel like Jackson did as much as he could. Maybe, it's just that this is one of those stories that is reaaaaally hard to bring to film, at least with moderate success. There are some interesting visuals, and it definitely gets what it wants in terms of creepy atmosphere. Which is what is so weird. There are pros here, but The Lovely Bones feels oddly off. Maybe it's the cardboard acting, or the unexplained parts of the story that felt like they didn't really fit. It's been awhile since I watched it, so it's hard to put my finger on all the downfalls, but The Lovely Bones has a number of them. Maybe it's hard to remember, but I think that proves as a decent statement on the movie. In the end, it's pretty forgettable.

The Lovely Bones features interesting visuals and direction from Peter Jackson, but fails to execute properly on all fronts, leaving us with a boring, messy crime drama.