The Lovely Bones (2009, United States of America/United Kingdom/New Zealand, classified M (New Zealand, Australia), PG (Singapore, original film rating), PG13 (Singapore, TV rating), PG-13 (United States), 12A (United Kingdom))
Run time 135 minutes, directed by Peter Jackson, starring Mark Wahlberg and Susan Sarandon
Overall rating: 15/25 (★★★)
Sweet as or not? – Yeah, nah.
Verdict: Peter Jackson’s adaptation of the novel by Alice Sebold is sub-par in comparison to his other masterpieces post-LOTR.
Watch or Skip? – Watch it later if you want to.
Review by J.M. Broad · February 3rd, 2021 (February 4th, 2021 NZT)
Kia ora folks, and welcome back to Sweet As?, the review site reviewing stuff with New Zealand panache from a uniquely NZ perspective, so you don’t have to, back from its latest hiatus which has been longer than usual this time round, here with another film review to fill the void left by the lack of reviews throughout our hiatus, this time reviewing an adaptation of a book which is, of course, the film adaptation of Alice Sebold’s The Lovely Bones, a co-production between the United States, the United Kingdom and the land of the long white cloud, Aotearoa New Zealand.
Anyway, before we jump into this review, it is now time for the obligatory disclaimer. If you are not interested in film adaptations of books, or if you are not a fan of supernatural films, please go to another corner of the site or another corner of the Internet, i.e. leave the site altogether.
If you are interested in reading this review, however, please feel free to continue from this point on.
Now, without further ado, let us delve into the review. The Lovely Bones begins with the obligatory production company logos set to a piano soundtrack before seguing into what looks like white Times New Roman over a black background, then a snowglobe and an unassuming, innocent and carefree childhood.
Merely a few seconds later, the film falls victim to soap opera rapid aging syndrome, even though it is not a soap opera (please correct me if I am wrong in the comments, especially if you have seen this film multiple times and/or scrutinised it closely) and cuts to an ethereal white flash followed by teenage girls doing what they did back then, reading magazines and falling for heartthrobs, to say the least, which does make the plot something of a let-down as I feel that director Peter Jackson has advanced the plot too quickly, only linking events together by a thread.
Then, a few minutes later, extreme close-ups of a dollhouse are shown before we cut to bottle boat building and a lone man digging in a field, yet another example of how the plot is incoherent and lacking in structure. In addition to this, the plot is filled with unnecessary filler material that consists of everything from school life to a fledgling love story complete with some family dynamics at the breakfast table thrown in for good measure which distracts the audience from some much-needed action, although thankfully, this action comes in the form of a quest for a piece of paper which makes its way underground before being intercut with images looking like they came straight out of a horror movie.
I am doubtful that Jackson is making a horror movie, as the trusty Wikipedia claims The Lovely Bones is a ‘supernatural thriller drama film’, but the imagery makes it seem more like a horror film with one supernatural element (running through fog and purportedly teleporting further into what looks like a ghost town) thrown into the mix and therefore makes this film more of a let-down as the imagery detracts the audience’s attention from the action and, just as a warning to those of you who are squeamish out there: there is blood involved.
‘supernatural thriller drama film’…more like a horror film with one supernatural element thrown into the mix…
Now, onto the soundtrack, which has been composed by musical luminary and stalwart on the ambient music scene, Brian Eno. The soundtrack adds both a sinister and carefree, ‘she’ll be right’ tone to the visuals of the film but at the same time the ethereal tones Eno is known for accompany running through marshlands and landscapes strikingly similar to the New Zealand bush, as well as otherworldly landscapes created through the magic of visual effects.
The soundtrack is satisfactory, even though it mainly comprises piano keys and does sound overly poignant at times, similar to the haunting backing track of the coronavirus advertisements urging the people of the United Kingdom to stay home and save lives, although other instrumentals like electric guitar are used later on in the film, and even a jaunty jazz ditty features in the end credits, and dare I say it, one of the few things that doesn’t make The Lovely Bones a disappointment.
On that note, it is now opportune time to move onto the visual effects, taken care of by animation powerhouse and institution of the New Zealand film industry Weta Digital, of course headed by the multitalented Peter Jackson, who also directed this feature.
The visual effects are flawless and definitely one of the few strong points of this film, reflecting the ethereal nature of this film as well as the fact that the film transcends boundaries through the representation of heaven and what is referred to as ‘the in-between’, although I do feel that the New Zealand influence is going somewhat too far in the depiction of these alternate dimensions as the landscapes look strikingly similar to places like the Canterbury high country or even those taken from fellow New Zealand film Hunt for the Wilderpeople, produced seven years after this one, which is a bit underwhelming and makes it overly obvious that this was partly made in Aotearoa.
Throughout the film, the visual effects show an immaculate transcension of boundaries and transition between the different dimensions through images of flowers coming into bloom, or accompanying flashbacks in a sepia tone that reflected happier times, and a raw take on familial struggles, with some parts being filmed on location throughout the state of Pennsylvania in addition to studios in New Zealand, as well as at times blurring the division between the real world and the in-between by duplicating events and adding hints of pathetic fallacy when things get more sinister. Kudos to Peter Jackson for making the visual effects flawless and at times, gritty.
Later on in the film, however, the visual effects do cause the film to suffer somewhat of an identity crisis as these sinister parts add imagery to what is more like a horror film than a supernatural thriller, so this could be construed as a let-down to otherwise perfect visual effects.
Now, it is time to move onto the two most fundamental parts of the film, which are the acting and directing respectively. First up, the acting, which sees Saoirse Ronan play the main protagonist alongside the likes of Stanley Tucci, Mark Wahlberg and Rachel Weisz, to name a few, as well as household name Susan Sarandon, whose character is self-proclaimed ‘comic relief’.
The acting is accolade-worthy, and has won a Critics’ Choice award and a Saturn Award, both from Ronan and from Tucci, who was nominated for an Academy Award, clearly reflecting the fact that he put the mahi in (that’s hard yakka for those of you across the ditch), but not forgetting the rest of the cast and mainstays of the New Zealand big and small screen Rose McIver and Carolyn Dando, both of whom have starred at some point in Shortland Street (yes, that soap opera set in a hospital which has aired on TVNZ 2 for seven thousand episodes and over twenty-eight years and counting), who also put in equally accolade-worthy performances that lay bare the struggles felt by a family in the moments after tragedy strikes.
Finally, onto the directing, which proves that Peter Jackson is a veteran of the big screen, giving a unique depiction of the afterlife but also of the struggles faced following family tragedies, however post-Lord of the Rings, I feel that he could have done better, also bearing in mind that Steven Spielberg executive produced this flick and for me, I feel that this was sub-par in comparison to Jackson’s other masterpieces.
Last Word
Overall, I feel that The Lovely Bones is a satisfactory foray into the afterlife and an exploration into life after death as well as a unique insight into familial struggles when tragedy strikes, although I do feel that Peter Jackson has not done as well as he could have regarding this film which is suffering somewhat of an identity crisis as it transcends between ‘supernatural thriller’ and horror, and the confusing plot does nothing to alleviate this.
The Addendum
Ratings – Acting: 4/5, Soundtrack: 3/5, Visual Effects: 4/5, Plot: 1/5, Directing: 3/5
Overall rating: 15/25 (equates to 3 stars overall using Sweet As? star rating calculations criteria)
Sweet as or not? – Some parts of this film are sweet as, like the soundtrack, for example, although whether this is a horror film or ‘supernatural thriller drama film’ as this is purported to be is unclear, and Peter Jackson fills most of the film with unnecessary filler material, amongst other things. Overall, this film would be a yeah, nah.
Watch or skip? – Watch it later if you want to, as some parts like the soundtrack and the acting are sweet as, however this is of lower quality compared to Peter Jackson’s other post-LOTR films and somewhat sub-par for a film which even screen luminary Steven Spielberg executive produced.
How can I watch this film?
The Lovely Bones is available on various optical disc formats and possibly some streaming services. A number of television networks also air this film in a periodic manner.
Sweet As? 