Movie Review: The Lovely Bones

I have been waiting for the screen version of The Lovely Bones for YEARS.  I read the book about three years ago, I think, and the film had already been announced and I think most of the cast members had been chosen.  The original release date for it was a year ago, I believe -- then they kept pushing it back.  Finally, finally it came out in theatres en masse as of January 15th.  Friday night I was able to convince (didn't take much) Steph2 to accompany me to finally see it myself.

Sometimes when I see a film adaptation of a favourite book, I'm disappointed.  Sometimes greatly disappointed, to the point of needing to offer suggetions to filmmakers.  With The Lovely Bones, I'm so happy to report, this was not the case for me.

Were there changes from the plot?  Yes.  There were.  Some things happened out-of-order, some things were left out completely.  A few main characters became minor, a few characters were non-existent.  However, I don't think it detracted from the story.  I think the story was told on screen in a way that did still stay true to the story in the book.

***Minor Spoiler Warning: Plot Spoilers Follow***

The main thrust of The Lovely Bones is of Susie's family coping with their loss of Susie, especially her father and sister, Lindsey.  It is also mostly about Susie in the 'in-between' as she tries to stay connected to her family back on Earth and help her killer be caught.  This is what the movie held true to; Susie and the 'in-between', Susie's father's struggle. 

The special effects in the 'in-between' were stunning.  I don't think they were too much -- it was supposed to be a fantastical place, Susie's own perfect world -- and at 14, her idea of perfect might be over-the-top.  The acting was also great -- I think they cast each character very well, especially Saoirse Ronan as Susie Salmon.  Some of the best moments were when Susie is speaking lines directly from Alice Sebold's novel; it was exactly as I imagined Susie speaking it when reading the pages myself.  Also, some of the 'missing moments' from the book (especially more about Lindsey as a character, for example) are filled in via Mr. Harvey looking at news clippings.

What I found most pleased me was the overall feeling I got as I watched the film.  Sometimes when I was a film adaptation of a novel I've enjoyed, I have a sort of "empty" feeling inside -- I can really feel those missing parts, and I don't connect to the characters/story as well as I think I should.  With this film, I didn't have that feeling.  I was engaged throughout the entire movie, and felt it told its story in a very full way, even if slightly differently from the original story (it's really not that different, as per usual some of the details are left out, but not enough to ruin it as a film).

I've read that some people were not fans of this film, but I found it to be an excellent adaptation, and no less than I would have expected from Peter Jackson -- the man certainly knows how to adapt books into movies; and I'm not even much of a Lord of the Rings fan.

So I recommend The Lovely Bones, but with a word of caution: although I did enjoy it a lot, I have heard from others who did not like it.  I think it is a film you should judge for yourself.  I definitely recommend this novel to those who have not read it (although it is deeply sad at times, and I think parents would definitely find it a hard read -- it is beautifully written nontheless).