*** StarsThe Lovely Bones does not deserve the hatred it's getting, but it is a disappointment because it was supposed to be one of the best films of the year. Instead, we have a good film worthy of mild praises.
I understand why people aren't into Peter Jackson's screenplay here, but there is a too much talent on and behind the camera to just dismiss the whole film all together. Saoirse Ronan (Atonement) plays Susie Salmon (like the fish), a 14-year old girl who is raped and murdered (but the rape is not referenced here) by her neighbor George Harvey (a mesmerizing performance by Stanley Tucci) and watches over family from heaven dealing with the aftermaths of her death.
For the first timers who didn't read the book (including myself) think What Dreams May Come meets Mystic River. Mark Wahlberg and Rachel Weisz are fitting as Suzie's grieving parents (although Weisz's screen time is very limited), and there are some moments in Director Peter Jackson's film that are almost poetic (especially nearing the climax) but screenwriter Peter Jackson and company disappoint.
I know I sound like a broken record here, but this is another film that falls victim to the MPAA. This shouldn't be a PG-13 film because it needs to be darker, and it shouldn't be a dark R-rated movie because it doesn't need to be. What The Lovely Bones needs is to be unrestricted from money worries and ratings to tell the story we the audience wanted to see. If that occurred, we could have been looking at the Oscar frontrunner everyone was expecting.
I understand why people aren't into Peter Jackson's screenplay here, but there is a too much talent on and behind the camera to just dismiss the whole film all together. Saoirse Ronan (Atonement) plays Susie Salmon (like the fish), a 14-year old girl who is raped and murdered (but the rape is not referenced here) by her neighbor George Harvey (a mesmerizing performance by Stanley Tucci) and watches over family from heaven dealing with the aftermaths of her death.
For the first timers who didn't read the book (including myself) think What Dreams May Come meets Mystic River. Mark Wahlberg and Rachel Weisz are fitting as Suzie's grieving parents (although Weisz's screen time is very limited), and there are some moments in Director Peter Jackson's film that are almost poetic (especially nearing the climax) but screenwriter Peter Jackson and company disappoint.
I know I sound like a broken record here, but this is another film that falls victim to the MPAA. This shouldn't be a PG-13 film because it needs to be darker, and it shouldn't be a dark R-rated movie because it doesn't need to be. What The Lovely Bones needs is to be unrestricted from money worries and ratings to tell the story we the audience wanted to see. If that occurred, we could have been looking at the Oscar frontrunner everyone was expecting.
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