Peter Jackson directed the most successful fantasy motion picture franchise in history with "The Lord of the Rings." Instead of filming the prequel story, "The Hobbit," to follow-up on the box-office success of the "King Kong" remake, Jackson decided to craft a quieter, more ethereal picture called "The Lovely Bones." Based on the popular novel by Alice Sebold, the material would not be easy to adapt or film for the silver screen. A mixture of a thriller, coming-of-age drama, and a supernatural "afterlife" story, "The Lovely Bones" was a massive undertaking. It had to make an instant, comprehendible connection with general audiences while also satisfying the novel's more minutiae-oriented fans. Jackson's grand attempt ends up being a beautiful failure. Visually stunning and seemingly crafted with care, the director fails to balance the competing interests and creates an ineffective mess that will leave viewers shrugging their shoulders.
The story is told from the point-of-view of a 14-year-old girl named Susie Salmon who is recently dead by unnatural causes. But instead of heaven, her death takes her to a limbo-like purgatory where she watches her heart-broken family and the killer-next-door live on. There is no attempt by Jackson to hide who the villain is from the viewer early on in the picture, nor is there any suspense as to what happens to poor Susie. Her father, Jack (Mark Wahlberg; "Date Night"), refuses to move on with his life, instead focusing on finding Susie's killer. Her mother, Abigail (Rachel Weisz; "The Brothers Bloom") cannot stand living with the memories of her dead daughter and looks for escape. Her siblings are torn between two hurting parents, therefore the non-traditional Grandma Lynn (Susan Sarandon; "Enchanted") moves in to help care for them. Meanwhile, the killer, George Harvey (Stanley Tucci; "Julie & Julia") waits to see if he'll "get away with it" and then begins plotting another murder.
The story is set in the past, specifically the 1970s. Jackson creates this yesteryear with period clothing, sets, and mentalities. The colors are muted in the real world, while Susie's supernatural world is contrasted with brighter hues. Jackson cuts between these two realities often and to the detriment of a flowing narrative. He uses the symbolism of Susie's personal items as they appear in the real world and how they are expressed in the supernatural one to get across her feelings. The visuals, such as giant model boats encased in glass, can be stunning but are overdone and a distraction from the core story of Susie's murder. Much of the director's focus on "The Lovely Bones" is on stunning visually, while ignoring the importance of creating lasting bonds between the characters.
The viewer is supposed to believe there is a special bond between Susie and her father based upon one short scene of her helping him construct model boats. The mother-daughter connection is similarly glossed over. The only character in the family to get suitable expression and screen time is the odd but concerned grandmother. The ultimate problem comes from too many character storylines and too little time to develop those stories. It seems especially shocking that Jackson mishandled the juggling of multiple characters after his success with "Lord of the Rings." But not enough time is spent creating a true connection with anyone but Susie and her plight. Her plight in the afterlife is so ethereal that it is hard for true concern to be felt.
If the movie wanted to emphasize its thriller aspect, the opportunity is wasted until the very end when Susie's sister is in peril. The coming-of-age story is cut short with Susie's death early on in the picture. The family drama is expressed more in a musical highlight reel than in character interaction. Even the supernatural "afterlife" is too foreign and without an adequate contextual reference for the audience to properly understand its images. Instead, the movie does none of its various genres particularly well.
Ultimately, "The Lovely Bones" is far from comforting, instead building dread and discomfort throughout the picture as the villain apparently "gets away with it." A family's trial and ability to overcome adversity is never adequately expressed. Instead, the movie is a depressing series of cut scenes that barely hold together an understandable narrative. Three performances, the young actress who plays Susie, Tucci, and Sarandon make the movie palatable but nothing more. Perhaps the story would have been better expressed as a painting. Even great directors will occasionally miss the mark; Jackson does so here.
I instead recommend two other supernatural thrillers which balance the competing needs of the story better than Jackson’s attempt: "What Dreams May Come" and "Frequency."
Rated PG-13 for mature thematic material involving disturbing violent content and images, and some language.
