The Lovely Bones

This movie was both scary and disgusting to me. I hate stories about death as I believe we already have too much negativity to deal with around us in the world today.

I strongly believe even a dark story that ends up about healing could have been made in a better way, but you have to absolutely enjoy stories about death as well as the bizarre to even have something positive to say about this film.

Overall, as a movie, this was too long and the ending did little to make it even memorable, for me, I’d never go this way again as long as movies are concerned, I’d try my best to keep that promise to myself.

I’m still trying to gather my thoughts on this one. ‘The Lovely Bones’ is simultaneously well-told and badly executed. It grabs you from the beginning, with Saoirse Ronan’s chilling voiceover of “I was fourteen years old when I was murdered, on December 6th, 1973.” It makes you listen; draws you in close and imparts its narrative to the audience of which attention can now be assured - yet manages to trip over itself over the course of its running time. The film is terrifying, as it should be, but this is juxtaposed with occasional flowery images of the protagonist’s afterlife which seem slightly out of place. Susie’s ‘in-between’ swiftly changes from dark and spooky to one of fantastical landscapes and beaming blue skies. It could work, but often fails to.

I believe that some of the film’s apparent flaws can be justified by the fact that Susie, whose eyes we are seeing the story through, is eternally fourteen. What is important to her is not necessarily what is important to other people; particularly older viewers. This can be most clearly seen towards the end of the film, (spoilers) when Susie has the chance to enter the living world once more. What she does with this opportunity could be seen as a waste, however it reminds us of her eternal age and what is important to her.

The tone of ‘The Lovely Bones’ is where I feel it gets let down - it doesn’t stay constant.