SYNOPSIS:
From Academy Award winning director Peter Jackson
comes the extraordinary story about one girl's life, and everything
that came after. When 14-year-old Susie Salmon was murdered,
she left her unfinished life behind. But now from her place
in a strange but beautiful in-between world, she must help
her father catch her killer and protect her family before
she can finally move on.
MOVIE REVIEW:
So
having won the Oscar and generating a few billions of dollars
in the box-office doesn’t automatically qualify you
for an exemption in churning out a dud. Sir Peter Jackson’s
"The Lovely Bones" makes a good case study in this
aspect.
Based
on the 2002 best-selling novel by Alice Sebold, "The
Lovely Bones" tells the story of a 14-year-old girl Susie
Salmon who was raped and brutally murdered on the way home
from school. But the story didn’t end here. Susie is
trapped in a realm between heaven and earth observing the
antics of her murderer and her grieving parents while at the
same time, coming to terms with her own death.
One
of the apparent reasons why the movie failed to find the audience
is unlike any conventional crime thriller where the story
is focused solely on tracking down the murderer; "The
Lovely Bones" branches off into three different directions
after the death of Susie. Firstly, the depiction of her parents,
Jack and Abigail (Mark Wahlberg and Rachel Weisz) who finds
it hard to continue a normal routine after the tragedy. Secondly,
the movie spends a great deal of time showcasing Susie’s
journey in the afterlife and lastly perhaps the most engaging
of all, the detective and her father who is into the murder
case.
As a reader of the original Sebold’s
material, I can’t really fault the adaptation by Peter
Jackson and his usual writing partners, Fran Walsh and Philippa
Boyens. While many blamed Jackson for his indulgence in CGI
effects for all the dazzling heaven sequences instead of being
more story oriented, the movie version remains a faithful
adaptation with the exception of minor cosmetic changes.
For
a movie which carries a $65 million production budget, one
can see how much effort the crew did to replicate the 70’s
settings and costumes. The story might be a mixed-bag for
most but Jackson’s gift in visual and casting no doubt
deserved a mention. Saoirse Ronan (Atonement) is almost perfect
as the unfortunate teenager. Mark Wahlberg whose stiff performance
has been criticized heavily is much more 'happening' here
than the one in Shyamalan’s "The Happening"
to be fair. Rachel Weisz is wasted in a role that deserved
more while Susan Sarandon hams it up as Grandma Lynn. Of course,
Stanley Tucci who was nominated for an Oscar turns it in a
remarkable, unsettling performance as the serial killer, Harvey.
At
the end of the day, the frequent alternates in tone possibly
disrupt the emotional impact though the movie does contain
several moments of suspense to grab you all thanks to Sir
Jackson. It might be hard to justify what messages are Jackson
and team are trying to convey in the movie, is it religion?
Is it self-redemption? Or according to Jackson himself, a
movie about how love never really dies and how time heals?
It’s definitely not a straightforward digestible crime
thriller to sum it, despite that; this dark spiritual filled
movie still deserved a single viewing.
SPECIAL FEATURES :
NIL
AUDIO/VISUAL:
Though
not a track to showcase your surround sound system, dialogue
is strong and ambient sound effects such as phone ringing;
the rustle of grass etc is beautifully presented. The visual
transfer is also excellent most notably dark backdrops and
settings.
MOVIE RATING :
DVD
RATING :
Review
by Linus Tee
Posted
on 14 June 2010 |
