Now I know I don’t usually pick movies from the Vault that aren’t 5 years older or more, but I only just watched The Lovely Bones on Saturday night and felt that it had been done wrong by critics. The purpose of the Vault is to cast a light on overlooked titles that people might have passed on, and based on the film’s “modest” revenues (a gross revenue of ~$95 million ain’t nothing to sneeze at), I think there were quite a few people who gave Peter Jackson’s latest film the cold shoulder.
As a film with the rape, murder and dismemberment of a 14 year old girl at the heart of it, it’s not hard to see why people kept their distance from this film at the outset, but the trailers hinted at tantalizing visuals and a fantastic cast made it hard for me to stay away. (Setting aside the fact that it took me over a year to get around to seeing it.) Susie Salmon is a vibrant 14 year old girl lured to her doom by a neighbour, and ultimately making her way to the “in between” place of the afterlife from where she watches her family and friends from afar as they wade through their misery and grief. It’s dark stuff for sure, but Peter Jackson makes sure it doesn’t dwell in the shadows, transporting us to the boundless wonders of the afterlife and also by showing the kind of strength people can find within themselves when things are at their worst.
I get why people might have had some trouble trudging through the story’s entire spectrum of emotions from the ugly to the wonderful, but that’s the reality of a tragedy like this. To glaze over the nasty parts and head straight for the healing process would not have done justice to scenario like this. If you want the whole experience you need to feel the highs as well as the lows. And Jackson doesn’t disappoint in the highs department thanks to some luscious visuals in the ethereal plane, and some rich and glossy photography on Earth with the help of DOP Andrew Lesnie.
It’s a movie that goes from the wonder of infancy, to the awkward joy of adolescence, to the despair of death, to the mystery of what’s beyond. It’s a journey worth taking, and you’ll be rewarded with no small amount of fantastic filmmaking the only way Peter Jackson knows how: unfettered by the mundane bonds of reality.
I’m going to go and say that I agree with the visual spectacle that this movie is. It’ brilliant in that regard. And Tucci is great.
But everything else (including the execution and the epilogue) are just meh. The movie is hindered by supporting performances that fall completely flat from Wahlberg, Michael Imperioli & Rachel Wiesz.
A meh movie that didn’t deserve mentioning after it left the cinema.
Welcome to the Film Cynics, Andrew!
This movie has certainly generated some strong opinions – besides just my own. I was actually quite fond of Wiesz’s subdued performance – it struck me as authentic for someone rendered numb with grief to emote like that. Imperioli was good enough for me, and Wahlberg will always be Wahlberg and if he’s not your cup of tea, you can only hope that the movie he’s in suits his style.
Too bad it didn’t have an effect on you, I’m really happy to have it in the collection – I think it makes up for many of the missteps he made in King Kong. I think it’s the difference between a passion project (Kong) and an ambitious new undertaking (Bones).