The Lovely Bones - Movie Review

Based on the Alice Sebold book, this is the story of 14-year-old Susie Salmon (Ronan) who is brutally murdered by her pedophilic neighbour (Tucci).

The Lovely Bones
U/A; drama
Director: Peter Jackson
Cast: Mark Wahlberg, Rachel Weisz, Stanley Tucci, Saoirse Ronanu00a0
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What's it about: Based on theu00a0 Alice Sebold book, this is the story of 14-year-old Susie Salmon (Ronan) who is brutally murdered by her pedophilic neighbour (Tucci).

Stuck in a purgatory between afterlife and heaven, she tries to help her parents (Wahlberg and Weisz) to not just deal with her loss but also give clues about her murderer.

Neither an all-out thriller nor a family drama, it's more of a fantasy voyage undertaken to show loss and suffering.u00a0
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What's hot: Peter Jackson is still suffering from a beautiful hangover. The visual imagery of the afterlife and Susie's transition from one world to the other is striking.
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Fans of Lord Of The Rings will find similarities between Tolkien's Middle Earth and the green pastures and clear blue skies of Susie's spirit world. Despite its sluggish pace, Jackson creates moments of suspense and intrigue skillfully.

Though the end result is obvious, the events leading to their exposu00e9 are fabulous. Camerawork and art decoration creating the '70s is perfect in sync with the story.

Tucci is terrifying in his role as the crazy middle- aged man who stalks teenage girls. Without going overboard, he manages to raise a scare with his calm composure and muffled grunts.

What's not: Those expecting a tight thriller will be disappointed. It might have the elements, but it takes way too long to decide what it wants to be suspense filled family drama or a fantasy tour of heaven (remember What Dreams May Come?).
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While Jackson keeps swinging between the two, the audience loses patience early on. We watch Susie play around with the others trapped in limbo, sing songs and have a good time despite being raped and murdered. Also, the climax arrives way too late leaving no impact whatsoever.

One expects Tucci to meet a painful end which he does, but Susie's family hardly gets to enjoy their revenge. Wahlberg and Weisz are wasted in their roles, but the real horror is Susan Sarandon who gets wasted in a thankless role.

What to do: Coming from Peter Jackson whose Heavenly Creatures is one of the best teenage dramas ever, The Lovely Bones is a slight letdown. u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0 TJ

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