Australia's Best Movie Magazine

Film reviews

The Vow

A saccharine and paint-by-numbers slice of romance, which is largely boosted by the appeal of its two leads.

Star Wars: Episode 1 - The Phantom Menace (3D)

The under-utilised 3D adds little to this prequel, which only serves as a sore reminder of the brilliance of the original films.

Any Questions For Ben?

The talented bunch of actors ably cut through the surface gloss, but it’s tough to remain invested in the plight of the self-absorbed lead.

Shame

It starts off as brutal but arresting stuff, and the two lead performances are scorching, but disappointingly dissolves into a case of tragedy for the sake of tragedy.

search the site

Enter search term:

newsletter

Enter your email address below to receive the weekly Filmink newsletter

Enter search term:

The Lovely Bones (Film)

by Erin Free | December 22, 2009 17:41 | Edited December 22, 2009 17:43

Despite missteps, Peter Jackson’s return to more intimate material remains fascinating.

For famed fantasist Peter Jackson - who has created stunning and horrific worlds in the likes of King Kong, the Lord Of The Rings trilogy, The Frighteners, and his early horror splatterfests - the big screen adaptation of Alice Sebold's mournful, downbeat novel The Lovely Bones is a broad stroke departure.

 

This story about a fourteen-year-old girl who is murdered and then looks down on her crumbling family from heaven bears thematic and visual similarity to Jackson's 1994 masterwork, Heavenly Creatures. That film, however, was made more than fifteen years ago, and Jackson proves a little rusty when it comes to dealing with a more intimate brand of storytelling.

 

He also seems to lack confidence in playing in a more minor chord, occasionally tipping into over-the-top melodrama, and too readily preoccupying himself with his cinematic vision of heaven.

 

According to The Lovely Bones, heaven appears to be located somewhere inside a complex computer hard drive - it's a slick, somewhat hollow place marked too boldly with the letters CGI.

 

If he's a little wobbly when it comes to the complicated relationship that exists between the murdered girl's parents (Mark Wahlberg and Rachel Weisz do their best with their under developed characters), Jackson really hits the heights with his depiction of her killer.

 

While showing off his gift for creating a rippling sense of suspense and excitement, Jackson also draws a compelling performance out of a fully transformed Stanley Tucci. The virtually unrecognisable veteran character actor is pure, skin-crawling brilliance as the creepy Mr. Harvey, a blonde, blue-eyed predator with a taste for teenage girls and a striking facility for trapping them in elaborate ways. His capture and (largely unseen) desecration of the beautiful, angelic Susie Salmon (superbly essayed by Atonement's Saoirse Ronan) is a stunningly crafted sequence of heartbreaking power that is far more unforgettable than Jackson's expensive, elaborate depictions of the heaven where Susie ultimately ends up.

 

While Jackson's newfound status as a major Oscar winning Hollywood player has allowed him to make bold, daring films - and to fulfill his singular vision as a filmmaker - it has also robbed him of his ability to paint on a smaller canvas.

 

That said, The Lovely Bones is obviously a film that comes straight from the director's heart, and though Jackson might fumble a little in getting his message about optimism in the face of horror out, it remains one well worth hearing.

 

The Lovely Bones is a strong, memorable film that fascinates despite its flaws.