THE LOVELY BONES REVIEW

Based on the hugely popular book by Alice Sebold, The Lovely Bones makes it’s long awaited appearance on the big screen. Directed by Peter Jackson (Lord of the Rings, King Kong) who also has a writing credit as well as his other half Fran Walsh, The Lovely Bones deals with what, many call a taboo topic for Hollywood, child murder.
Starring Mark Whalberg, Stanley Tucci and our very own Saorise Ronan, the movie tells the story of 14 year old Susie Salmon who is groomed, raped and murdered by a neighbour. From the in-between (between Earth and heaven) Susie follows her family and their grieving, all while attempting to influence proceedings to find her body. That’s the story in a nutshell, and what a story this is.
  
The Lovely Bones will grab you and not let go until its fantastic, incredibly satisfying ending. Maybe it’s something to do with the fact that I’m a Dad to be, but I found this movie incredibly engrossing and engaging. Peter Jackson and his team have done a wonderful job here and in particular with the in-between area, which is full of colour and surreal visuals. Everything from beautifully coloured vista’s to gigantic ships in bottle,s which break apart upon impact on the shore line. Given the subject matter, a lot of the colourful in-between scenes shed light and cheer in contrast to an incredibly frightening and horrific reality.

From a visual perspective, The Lovely Bones holds up, but what about its actors. Wahlberg puts in a great display as the Dad who lost his daughter as does the whole Salmon family. But the real shine out performances here are Stanley Tucci who plays the murderer almost too convincingly. His performance is superb and the range of emotions on display here is certainly award worthy. but its Tucci’s eyes that tell a story of a thousand words. The cold, callous lies he tells are all told so convincingly from his beady little eyes it really is frightening.
But for me, Saorise Ronan puts in an outstanding performance and simply lights up the screen every time she appears. She certainly has thrown down the gauntlet to up and coming child / teen stars. Ronan has laid out a path in front of her which will definitely she her being on the big screen for years to come. One of the genuine true stars of the future and certainly the star of the film.


I loved the Lovely Bones. Its engrossing and fantastic even though it might meander at times.  While it deals with a very sad subject, upon its conclusion the only tears you will have, are ones of joy. Miss this at your peril. Superb!