The Lovely Bones

Rating PG13 Genre drama Starring Saoirse Ronan, Mark Wahlberg, Rachel Weisz, Stanley Tucci Directed by Peter Jackson Publisher Dreamworks

This reviewer freely admits that while I AM a fan of the early works of Peter Jackson such as BAD TASTE, DEAD ALIVE and MEET THE FEEBLES, I have NOT been impressed by his more recent films. I feel that while the LORD OF THE RINGS trilogy was well made and pretty to look at, they were just not my thing. I fell asleep less than half way through the extremely lengthy first installment. I likewise felt that roughly 90 minutes of KING KONG was a great film, but the film as a whole was a self indulgent re-envisioning of a classic film that was under 2 hours in length.

I must say however, that with THE LOVELY BONES, Mr. Jackson has redeemed himself in my eyes. I was hoping that the film would have more in common with his 2000 drama BEAUTIFUL CREATURES than his more recent films (besides the obvious similarity of cast member Rachel Weisz), and I was not disappointed.

Based on a bestselling novel by Alice Sebold, Jackson seems an unlikely, yet also perfect fit for the tale of a murdered teen watching over those in her life in the wake of her disappearance and death.

In the hands of another director that may have been tempted to stray from the emotional core of the story and linger a little longer on the heavier aspects, THE LOVELY BONES could have been a complete disaster, but Jackson manages to tackle the murder of a fourteen year old girl by a creepy serial killer with the perfect amount of reserve and subtlety while taking on other elements of the film with a sense of wonder that makes us feel that we are indeed seeing what unfolds through the eyes of a young girl.

Also, for two hours, Peter Jackson managed to take me to another time and world. Not only is the film set in 1973, but EVERYTHING about the film takes us back to ’73. From the perfect wardrobe and production design to the grainy film stock, I felt at times as though I was watching a film MADE in the 1970’s.

I was engrossed from the opening narraration to the final shot. The acting was top notch (If there is any justice in the world of film, Stanley Tucci will get an Oscar nod for his shiver inducing portrayal of Mr. Harvey), the story never drags, the visual effects are fantastic and for two hours I stared at a movie screen in wonder. This film is the reason we go to the movies; to escape our lives and live in another world for a few hours. Peter Jackson proves that he is one of the best and most versatile directors out there making big budget Hollywood films.