After having watched this movie, I was faced with a strange contradiction of opinion. Not only had I regretted having watched the film almost immediately after, but I was also strangely comforted by the notion of having witnessed something wonderful.
The Lovely Bones is Peter Jackson’s take on the book of the same name, centering around the largely post-life deliberations of a girl witnessing the aftermath and shock to her family after she is abducted and murdered as a 14 year old girl.
It’s a heartrendingly tragic tale that swings from extreme grief and discomfort, to moments of joy and warmth, taking viewers through one of the most emotional film roller coasters of recent times. Although not any scenes of extreme violence, there are tense moments of anxiety that has your ribcage positively quivering from anticipation and dread. Most notable the part where you are thrown with claustrophobic effect, into the dungeon our abductor has created, to lure and capture Susie Salmon allowing us to bask in the dawning realisation that she isn’t getting out again.
As a father of two girls, this was extremely difficult to watch, but as a film lover, I was pleased with the method Jackson employed to pull at our grief strings in ways that were left largely to our imagination.
A very good cast of strong performances, from Mark Wahlberg’s grief stricken father, to the amazingly beautiful Rachel Weisz’s mother, wracked with pain enough to send her into oblivion.
No Jackson film is complete without a heavy heap of sugar by way of gratuitous special effects. A master of talent, we’re graced with amazing depictions of the inbetween world, with a kaleidoscope of colour and texture, blending fantastical locations with the inner workings of a 14 year old girl. These moments provide both a massive respite to the overall grief of the film but also allows Jackson to crack his knuckles in allowing him to do what he does best.
As we’re taken through the film, the single thing I found myself longing for was for some form of retribution and justice. I won’t give away the end of the movie apart from saying I was mildly satisfied.
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