At a glance:
- Novel based movie emotionally connects with women more than men (though it's not a chick flick)
- Explores desires for moving on and vengeance
- Could there be an inbetween?
- Four star worthy
“My murderer began to feel safe…but there was one thing he didn’t understand…how much a father could love his daughter”. Susie Salmon, 13, was murdered Dec. 6, 1973. Back then little girls did not go missing, nor were brutally killed.
“The Lovely Bones” is based on the
novel by Alice Sebold and directed by Peter Jackson ("Lord of the Rings"). The movie is dramatically narrated by Susie (Saoirse Ronan) as we travel through parts of her brief past, rush through her present, and then slowly watch her family’s and murderer’s future unfold.
Susie confesses that she wants her murderer (Stanley Tucci) “cold and dead” because of what he did to her. Her father Jack (Mark Walberg) and sister Lindsey (Rose Mclver) become unhealthily obsessed with finding the killer, however her mother Abigail (Rachel Weisz) withdraws from the household after she yells at her husband, “Can’t you just leave it alone!” Of all of them, Susie’s brother Buckley (Christian Thomas Ashdale) is calmed by the understanding that “Susie is in the inbetween”, watching over them.
While stuck in the “inbetween” Susie is torn between her craving for vengeance and her desire to move on to heaven. However, it is the haunting that pushes her to side with vengeance. As Susie watches in the blue horizon, she sees her father and sister piece together clues that could lead them to her murder.
While“The Lovely Bones” is not as action packed as "Lord of the Rings", it is a thrilling film that is full of strong emotions. The ending is at least satisfactory, while the plot is spattered with instances that will make your heart jump or break.This movie gets four stars out of five.
Movie Details: