"The Lovely Bones" is lovely but plotless
Storyline gets lost in Jackson's focus on special effects
Michael Knaak
Issue date: 1/28/10 Section: Arts & Entertainment
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It was necessary to search online after returning home as to whether Susie had actually been raped or not, as it was unclear in the movie. This lack of clarity was typical of the entire flick, as too much focus was put on special effects and the serial killer's actions. Commonly, a movie differs significantly from the book which it was based off of, and the director of "The Lovely Bones" seemed to lose all touch with the author Sebold's intent of conveying the victim's family's struggle to cope with their loss.
Director Peter Jackson's ("King Kong," "The Lord of the Rings") intense focus on the "in-between," a surreal world existing between Earth and Heaven, did a great job of tearing the audience away from the plot of the story. Instead of focusing on the unimaginable sadness, drama, and subsequent rebuilding of the Salmon family, Jackson instead invested many valuable (and distracting) minutes on the CGI-laden "in-between" world. CGI stands for computer-generated imagery, a process in which the makers of a movie use computer software to create animation, as made popular by Pixar when used in movies like "Toy Story" and "Up".
It was very disappointing to see a respectable cast made up of Mark Wahlberg, Rachel Weisz, Susan Sarandon, and Steven Tucci seriously downplayed by excessive editing and a lack of development for each of them. Jackson's obsession over visual effects prevented an understanding as to why Susie's mother (Weisz) was absent for most of the movie, as was the case with Grandma Lynn (Sarandon). Instead of focusing on the trials of the family, Jackson instead concentrated on the killer far too much, and he didn't even reveal why the serial killer, Mr. Harvey, was killing these seemingly random girls.
Also missing from the movie was a solid, flowing plot. It was easy to get lost in the extended scenes of the "in-between," with the audience left to feel like they're watching Skittles advertisements amongst the various dramatic scenes focusing on Susie's family. With a lack of emphasis put on the plot and, therefore, the characters' development, it was difficult to follow what was happening in the movie, as well as why it was happening.
After having seen the trailer for "The Lovely Bones" a few weeks before attending the movie, I certainly walked into Sheboygan's theatre with a positive attitude towards the film. However, a distasteful barrage of CGI and a sorely lacking flow of the film's plot left me feeling excited to be able to stand up and forget about the last 135 minutes. The movie's overall impression was eloquently summarized about halfway through the showing, when the girl sitting behind me said, "This movie is so confusing."
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