REVIEW: The Lovely Bones

Plot summary for The Lovely Bones from comingsoon.net:

Based on the critically acclaimed best-selling novel by Alice Sebold, and directed by Oscar® winner Peter Jackson from a screenplay by Jackson & Fran Walsh & Philippa Boyens, "The Lovely Bones" centers on a young girl who has been murdered and watches over her family – and her killer – from heaven. She must weigh her desire for vengeance against her desire for her family to heal. Oscar® nominee Mark Wahlberg and Oscar® winners Rachel Weisz and Susan Sarandon star along with Stanley Tucci, Michael Imperioli and Oscar® nominee Saoirse Ronan.

After the Oscar nominations came out, and I realized that we only had seven more to see in order to fill out the top seven categories, I assumed the movie I would enjoy the least was The Blind Side. Well, I was wrong. I absolutely hated The Lovely Bones. Horrible, just horrible.

Of course, I'm sure disappointment factored into some of my dislike. I really enjoyed the novel, and I've given Peter Jackson respect as a director in the past. With such great source material, a proven director, and a decent cast (Rachel Weisz and Mark Wahlberg), its not ridiculous to expect something great, or even just good. But this movie is such a disaster it's hard to know where to start. Maybe it'll be easier in list form.

1. The script: Completely flat, uninspired and disgustingly sentimental. I was miming gagging motions to Wade while Saoirse Ronan dramatically yelled "Dad" from heaven for about the 100th time, in a breathy, whispery voice no less. Everything was overly dramatic and always accompanied by an over-the-top musical score.

2. The CGI: Peter Jackson should really take a break from Weta Digital, his go-to special effects crew. While the computer-generated stuff was nice to look at, it became the focus in this movie. The heartbreaking and poignant aspects of the story were cut short due to all the special effects, which stripped them of their power. I felt bad for Mark Wahlberg. It looks like he's doing a poor job, but every time he has a scene it's completely interrupted with another fantasy sequence. Nothing develops naturally because the CGI is always getting in the way.

3. The editing: The Lovely Bones was 2 hours and 15 minutes long, but feels more like 3 hours. Peter Jackson needs to learn how to cut out the fluff. Specifically, again, the CGI scenes seemed to last forever, yet some moments that really needed to be explored, given the purpose/story, were cut short.

4. Other: Susan Sarandon is completely unnecessary as the grandmother, only providing comic relief in this weird "can't figure out the housework" montage, which feels completely out of place in the movie. Also, a major theme of the book is sexual violence, the consequences not only on the victim, but also family and others, yet Jackson tones this down immensely in order to get a PG-13 rating. While certain events are implied, this evasion of the subject of rape almost seems like an insult to Alice Siebold's work.

Wow, went off on this film a bit... Yet I have no regrets about this review, only that I saw The Lovely Bones to begin with.

Wade: 1/5 stars
Kinsey: 0/5 stars