The Lovely Bones

Peter Jackson has come a long way from his low-budget horror roots, really entering into the public consciousness courtesy of his big-budget powerhouse adaptations of Lord of the Rings, as well as his remake of King Kong. His latest endeavor, an adaptation of the novel The Lovely Bones, is a departure from a lot of Jackson's work - a more personal drama of a little dead girl and her family. Unfortunately, it's the effects that prove notable in Jackson's adaptation, with a movie that somehow misses everything that made the novel so remarkable.

The story of Susie Salmon (Saoirse Ronan) sounds like it's laden with spoilers, but it's really not. At fourteen years old, the girl is murdered by her neighbor, Mr. Harvey (Stanley Tucci). As Susie watches her family from the "in-between" (her own personal version of heaven where she resides until she's ready to move on to the real place), Susie has to come to terms with no longer living, just as her family has to cope with the loss of a loved one and figure out how to move on as well. With Susie's murder unsolved, moving on proves a bit more difficult, as Susie's father (Mark Wahlberg) becomes obsessed with finding justice for his loss.

Adapting The Lovely Bones couldn't have been an easy task. As someone who read the novel (I ran out and picked it up the second it was announced Jackson would be making an adaptation of it), I can't even imagine where to begin such an arduous journey. The novel holds a lot of complexities, dealing with loss and desires of revenge, while ultimately trying to be a story about closure and forgiveness. Somehow, with their adaptation, Jackson and partners Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens, the same team who created three phenomenal Lord of the Rings movies, completely miss every element that made the novel stand out. The resulting adaptation is a movie that shares the frame and characters of Alice Sebold's novel, but lacks the emotional complexities and message behind the original novel.

The novel of The Lovely Bones kept the story as told completely from the perspective of Susie. As she looked down upon her family (and even interacted with them in some ways), the girl helped base the story in a pervasive sense of loss. Susie herself had to deal with aspects of life she would never have, while her family suddenly had a giant hole in it. Jackson's film leaps around in perspective, focusing at times on Susie, her family, her would-be boyfriend, and even her murderer. Unfortunately, despite Susie's narration, one doesn't get the sense that we are with Susie as we get glimpses of these people. Instead of fragments brought together by Susie's observations, the story feels disconnected and choppy. Even the reactions to Susie's death by those closest to her, her family, don't feel connected, especially as Susie's mother (Rachel Weisz) abandons the rest of the Salmons in her effort to cope.

Adapting a work for the screen means there have to be changes to the original work, and it's unfair to completely judge the product based on the original. To that end, there are some really interesting things Jackson brings to his creation. Susie's post-living world, the "in-between," is particularly curious, a mix of the ethereal and surreal. It's of the same material Jackson created in his Heavenly Creatures, and fans of that movie will find a lot to like here. Visually, The Lovely Bones is incredibly stunning at times, and I found myself getting drawn into the in-between sequences just taking note of the level of detail and subtlety inherent in some of the visuals. A compelling score from Brian Eno attempts to add depth to the movie as well, and builds a lot of the film's emotional base, weak as it may be. Unfortunately, the creative imagery and powerful soundtrack just makes the empty emotional base all that more apparent.

While some performers in the movie feel wasted (Weisz barely has enough screen time, let alone any opportunity to develop her mourning mother figure), there are a few standout roles worth mentioning. Stanley Tucci, off the heels of the supportive and understanding Paul Child (Julie & Julia), is excellent as the creepy Mr. Harvey here. It's hard to believe anyone would consider him a safe neighbor for a second, his performance is that solid. Meanwhile, Susan Sarandon manages to steal scenes as the Salmon's alcoholic Grandmother Lynn, a bit of comic relief that would have been more poignant had the story carried the pervasive sorrow it should have had. Still, it's an outstanding performance, as is that of Rose McIver, who plays Susie's surviving sister, Lindsay.

I know adapting The Lovely Bones couldn't have been an easy challenge, and I'm not about to begin weeping about moments that were cut or included. I'm just not that type of critic. What is lacking, however, is the emotional core of the story, which is a hard thing to tell this story without. While Jackson may present a beautiful picture at times, the atmosphere just isn't enough. A story like this needs a much deeper emotional center, and in that area Jackson misses the mark entirely. But hey, every great director is entitled to the occasional miss. I just wish Jackson's had been something other than The Lovely Bones.

- Rafe Telsch