Thursday, August 30, 2012

Movie: The Lovely Bones

Title: The Lovely Bones
Director: Peter Jackson
Notable Actors/Actresses: Saoirse Rohan (played Susie Salmon), Mark Wahlberg (played Jack)
Written by: Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens
Music: Brian Eno
Release Date: November 24, 2009 (Royal Premiere), December 11, 2009 (USA)
Running Time: 135 minutes
Rate   ☆ ★ (4/5)
Rated PG-13

Based on The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold

Review:
This movie made me cry. ;_; Susie and her dad has a really nice and touching bond. The movie knows just how to tug your heartstrings and make those goddarn tears flow. The actor for Mr. Harvey is really good. You hate him with all your might. Or maybe it's the script-writing, I don't know. The music is also extremely goosebump-inducing. Not like "THE GHOST IS GOING TO EAT YOU." but more like "The threat is here, and is waiting for it's chance to strike." Am I making sense?

I checked Wikipedia and am pleasantly surprised that the book on which the movie is based upon was written by a new author. Not so pleasantly surprised to find out Len and Susie's mother had an affair. (Did I mention that the name Len makes me feel a bit giddy and nostalgic? You don't see it much in America.) Luckily, that particular detail is left out in the movie. But why did the father suddenly go to the cornfield? I can see why he did in the novel (considering I never read it), but not as much in the movie. Oh, that's right, because of the whole "Susie still influences life in the afterlife". Strange explanation, but an explanation nonetheless.

I really like how the movie made it a bit more innocent during Susie's first kiss with Ray. It's a bit more reassuring than Wikipedia's "Susie made love with Ray" for the novel. I guess I'm just a bit old-fashioned in a more promiscuous modern world.

All in all, a touching movie. But it's not for people who aren't willing to sit through watching pools of blood on the floor and sink. (Just remembering it makes me feel creepy.)

And if you want a blunt, cold theme lacking of any consideration, you could say the moral of the movie was that "Everybody dies. If you die early, you must let go of your past. If you lost a close one, the pain will go in time. If you're a rapist, you'll die in an accident." But really, the movie has so many important emotional scenes that it almost makes up for the disappointing death of Mr. Harvey. (I really wanted him to have a more punishing punishment than falling off a cliff. Personally, I'd rather see him face life in prison where he'll be able to remember all the girls he killed and go insane. But considering he's a rather sick man, he'd probably remember all the wrong things. Yeah, I guess killing him off is better.)

Recommended to: Those who can stomach some blood scenes and are interested in an emotional movie and are not insulted by a slightly different sort of take on Heaven.

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