DVD Reviews

The Lovely Bones - Blu-ray Review

By Jeff Swindoll Apr 21, 2010, 14:50 GMT

From Academy Award winning director Peter Jackson comes the extraordinary story about one girl’s life, and everything that came after. When 14-year-old Susie Salmon was murdered, she left her unfinished life behind. But now from her place in a strange but beautiful in-between world, she must help her father catch her killer and protect her family before she can finally move on. Filled with thrilling suspense, hope and the redeeming ...more

Peter Jackson, who just added “Sir” to his moniker, stepped away from the epic film to direct a different kind of project. There’s still some epic to the film, but you’ll not find any elves or orcs here.

The creatures therein are of a more sinister, human nature but the results are oddly uplifting considering the subject matter.

Pennsylvania, 1973 and Susie Salmon (Saoirse Ronan) is missing. Her parents, Jack (Mark Wahlberg) and Abigail (Rachel Weisz), are beside themselves and contact Detective Fenerman (Michael Imperioli).

Susie had her eyes set on classmate Ray Singh (Reece Ritchie) and adored him from afar. Sadly, we know exactly what has happened to Susie.

Her quietly perverse neighbor George Harvey (Stanley Tucci) lured her into seclusion and did terrible things to her. Susie finds herself between Heaven and Hell and watching events occurring in the world she just left.

She sees her lost love Ray begin a friendship with Ruth Connors (Carolyn Dando), an odd, Goth girl who has psychic abilities – she saw Susie’s spirit just after she crossed over. Her father becomes obsessed with her disappearance and begins to suspect everyone.

This leads to a rift in his marriage and his chain-smoking, hard drinking mother-in-law Lynn (Susan Sarandon) has to move in to take care of the kids as Abigail sinks further into despondency eventually ventures out on her own.

Susie’s sister also becomes suspicious of George but George also begins to notice her as well. Susie can only watch things from “in-between” as the events unfold and hope for the best.

Sir Peter Jackson is a name on every geek’s lips. He did the darn near impossible and brought The Lord of the Rings to the screen. He followed that with an epic redo of King Kong. Perhaps tiring of the large picture he went a bit more personal for this third film following LOTR, harkening back to Heavenly Creatures perhaps.

The novel by Alice Sebold is an odd one to place. Events of dizzying depression and fear are followed by uplifting ones. I’d say that is a perfect way to describe Jackson’s film.

The horror of the disappearance and murder of a child is one that sends chills down my spine, but the last strains of the film seem to offer hope from the narration of that same murdered child. That hope was still resonating when I sat down to write up that review. It was a good feeling.

Then as I reflected back on what happened before I felt a tinge of depression. It probably doesn’t help that Saoirse Ronan reminds me of my own daughter. Those conflicting emotions aside, I can agree that The Lovely Bones is a masterfully made film.

Jackson is just as adept at drama as he is in epic, horror, or comedy. The film is also masterfully played with Saoirse Ronan capturing your heart early on. Stanley Tucci steps outside of his usual role, earning him a supporting actor nod, and brings some genuine chills as he shows us that evil can be hiding right next door.

Wahlberg and Weisz bring soul to their roles as the strained parents. Susan Sarandon brings a bit of comic relief as the free spirited grandmother. It might seem a bit out of place in a film like this, but a welcome relief considering the subject matter of the main storyline.

Your emotions will go several different ways at once as the story of the life, death, and afterlife of Susie Salmon. The Lovely Bones is a fine film from a cinematic master craftsman. It might not have been the project that fans expected but it was one that was assembled with the same caring and skill.

The Lovely Bones is presented in a lovely 1080p high definition transfer (2.35:1). Special features are delegated to disc two and are in high definition. Peter Jackson provides a 1 minute introduction to the sweeping three hour look at the making of the film, even longer than the film.

Certainly there’s a lot to digest so there are three segments that are further divided down into smaller segments. It’s a fantastic look at making the film.

The Lovely Bones is a great film, although it will pull upon your emotions. Peter Jackson proves that he’s a great filmmaker no matter what the subject matter (that’s him in the camera shop in the movie for those with a keen eye). The disc also adds a comprehensive making of feature that will thrill his fans and certainly make you feel like you got your money’s worth.