Film Reviews

The Lovely Bones

• Rating:
• Director: Peter Jackson
• Starring: Saoirse Ronan, Mark Wahlberg, Rachel Weisz, Stanley Tucci, Susan Sarandon, Michael Imperioli
• Details: US/124mins (12A)

Alice Sebold's beautiful, but heartbreaking, novel is brought to the big screen by the man behind The Lord of the Rings and Heavenly Creatures. Seemingly the proprietor of the perfect combination of technology and character for the gig, Jackson has already taken numerous hits from critics for his handling of the controversial "heaven" scenes. How he can translate a 14 year old girl's interpretation of the afterlife to celluloid and please everyone is a conundrum that is beyond perplexing. He doesn't make a perfect film here - far from it - but the essence of Sebold's wonderful work is certainly visible. Despite some ropey casting and serious issues with pacing, The Lovely Bones is a film that will leave not a dry eye in the house come that final scene. While Saoirse Ronan proves herself a genuine star, who positively lights up the screen every time the camera is on her. Ronan is Susie Salmon, a girl we learn will soon be murdered from her opening narration. Just beginning the difficult journey into adulthood, Susie is brutally raped and killed by Stanley Tucci's creepy neighbour. Stuck in the "in-between," where she watches the effect her death had on those closest to her, Susie also sees her murderer seemingly go about his life, having cruelly taken hers. Her mother and father, played by Rachel Weisz and Mark Wahlberg handle the loss with polarising emotions; her father is in denial and obsessed with finding her killer, while her mother can't deal with his lack of support. Meanwhile, her sister and those she shared the briefest of connections with mourn her death, but can't seem to let her go. There are undoubted flaws scattered all over Jackson's uneven, but undeniably affecting adaptation. Wahlberg doesn't really have the vulnerability for such a role, while Weisz is givien a lot less to do - a lot of her scenes from the novel are part of an exodus of subplot caused by running time issues. Those subplots, with the detective hunting Susie's killer, as well that of the strange girl who was the last person to see Susie alive, were a big part of what made the novel feel whole. Omitting them creates holes, and some will find it difficult to really connect with the material because of those holes. Ronan fills every frame with a glow that no other actress of her generation appears to possess. Her obvious talent is elevated by a screen presence akin to that of a young Cate Blancett. It's a testament to her wonderful work here that the film suffers whenever she is not around. Tucci's killer may be too overtly sinister aesthetically for the part, but the always reliable actor does a stellar job of making you hate him regardless. If you connect with the material and buy the world that Susie finds herself in, then The Lovely Bones will break your heart.

Review by Mike Sheridan