The Lovely Bones is the latest offering from acclaimed director Peter Jackson. It revolves around the death of its main character Susie Salmon (Saoirse Ronan) by local paeodiphile/child murderer George Harvey (Stanley Tucci). Originally a novel, 'The Lovely Bones' Follows the middle class family of Susie who try to uncover the mystery of her death after she is gone. It is only when her determined father uncovers a photograph taken by his deceased daughter (who incidentally had a passion for photography) of loner neighbour George Harvey that suspicions arise.
'The Lovely' Bones' is meant to represent the sixth-sense feelings we have when a deceased loved one or friend appears to be mystically intervening in our life via interpretive sensal feelings after they have gone. Jackson uncovers the world beyond earthly reality that the ever-present narrator Susie Salmon now inhabits. (We learn that this is the world between earth and heaven the deceased meander around before discovering their destiny). Seemingly a mix between subconscious surrealism and the world of 'Willie Wonka', this world inhabits our aformentioned narrator for the whole film. Her whispering sensualities become increasingly annoying as the plot moves on-especially since we are aware of the protagonist who has killed her from the moment the murder 'mystery' is being unravelled. There is no surprise and there is no suspense. It meanders from drama to
light comedy (mostly through the eccentric alcoholic grandmother of Susie, played by Susan Sarandon), to after life fantasy.
'The Lovely Bones' is not a great film. This is unexpected as I am a big fan of Peter Jackson. If we did not have to endure Susie's 'feel sorry for me I was murdered' narration to the end, and if we did not know who killed her through out the film we would have a much better plot. Perhaps the book reads better than the film. 3 stars.
