Kay Forrest – The Corsair
Paramount (PG-13)
Directed by Peter Jackson
Starring Saoirse Ronan, Mark Wahlberg, Rachel Weisz, Stanley Tucci
I must admit, I’ve never actually read “The Lovely Bones” by Alice Sebold (although I now plan on doing so). My desire to see the movie stems from a much nerdier reason: Peter Jackson directed “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy, “The Lord of the Rings” changed my life, “The Lovely Bones” is Jackson’s latest film, ergo it must be amazing. I wasn’t disappointed.
“The Lovely Bones” is the story of 14-year-old Susie Salmon, played by Saoirse Ronan, and her family. After Susie is raped and murdered by one of her own neighbors, the story follows the damage this horrific event inflicts on her family, as well as Susie’s journey through the afterlife where she tries to communicate with her family to solve the mystery of her murder.
Different movies affect different people in different ways; I was really moved by this one. In addition to Ronan’s ethereal and innocent portrayal of Susie, Mark Wahlberg’s and Rachel Weisz’s portrayals of Susie’s grief-stricken parents left me needing a hankie more than once (or even twice).
One performance that really stood out was Stanley Tucci’s. Although his rendition of Susie’s murderer, George Harvey, was aged older than the original character (34 years old), he expertly nailed the whole creepy-stalker-predator-child molester persona. He definitely gave me “the skeevies.”
Of course, I can’t review this movie without also mentioning Andrew Lesnie’s cinematography (he was the cinematographer for “The Lord of the Rings” too). His talent is best showcased in the big, sweeping scenes of Susie’s “heaven.” Coupled with CGI, the scenes of Susie’s afterlife are at times whimsical, happy and even terrifying.
According to my friends who have read the book, Peter Jackson and the film’s other writers, Fran Walsh and Phillipa Boyens, made a lot of changes for the movie. Movie adaptations that deviate from a book’s original details usually bother me a lot. And, I’m sure when I get around to reading “The Lovely Bones,” there will be things I’ll balk at. However, there is one scene that I really respect Jackson, Walsh and Boyens for changing: Susie Salmon’s rape and murder scene.
Though this scene is described in detail in the book, Jackson purposely left it very vague in the movie. He stated in an interview that they (he and the other writers) didn’t wish to put their young actress, Ronan, through filming such a mature scene. Nor did they have any intention of putting something so perverse and horrific on the screen for all to see (and for real-life George Harveys to get enjoyment out of).
The point is, in the end, differences or not, Peter Jackson met my expectations: “The Lovely Bones” is a moving film that everyone should definitely consider seeing.