Rated PG-13 for mature thematic material involving disturbing violent content and images, and some language.
Directed by Peter Jackson (The Lord of the Rings movies, King Kong, District 9…)
Starring Mark Wahlberg, Rachel Weisz, Susan Sarandon, Stanley Tucci)
From Lord of the Rings to King Kong to… this? What a waste of talent.
Instead of tackling a noble project like The Hobbit, director Peter Jackson took the wheel to bring the depressing novel Lovely Bones to the big screen. Think George Lucas’ Howard the Duck.
What was he thinking?
It was difficult to avoid the negative buzz about this film before I had a chance to review it. It’s hard to miss Ebert literally calling a film “deplorable.”
Some kids loved the book that inspired this film. Others found it disturbing. But the real vote was cast when the film hit the theatres. People vote with their money at the box office, and this film didn’t even break even. Some say it was because Jackson changed the story quite a bit. I think it was just boring.
The story centers on a young girl who has been murdered and watches over her family – and her killer – from heaven. She must weigh her desire for vengeance against her desire for her family to heal.
I actually really enjoyed the first 20 minutes of this film. The first 10 minutes felt like My Girl or Because of Winn Dixie, a fun tale about a little girl growing up in the innocent days of yesteryear. The visuals were beautiful. Jackson has a gift.
The following 10 minutes grew dark and chilling as we witnessed a 14-year-old girl lured into the trap of a pedophile (an amazing performance by Stanley Tucci. Wow!). My Girl segued to Silence of the Lambs. Those who like thrillers or crime shows like Criminal Minds were probably really intrigued at this point. I was glued.
And then, while the audience was on the edge of their seats, the film took a turn toward the paranormal. Silence of the Lambs became Ghost, with a touch of Alice in Wonderland. By 30 minutes into the film I had lost interest. As I longed to see the “real world” story play out, Jackson kept taking us on a mystical ride into his wishy-washy spiritual world. The crime story was trumped by teenage “drama” that seemed to target the caliber of Twilight fans. (Oh snap! I said it!) The strong performances by Mark Wahlberg and Rachel Weisz never blossomed. Instead, we bounced back and forth between reality and somewhere near the land of Oz. Even thought the cinematography was amazing…the script was just plain annoying.
Amazing talent, beautiful cinematography, likeable characters…but no cigar.
Most audiences agreed. Lovely Bones missed the mark.
SHOULD KIDS SEE IT?
I would hesitate showing it to my girls (12 and 14) for two reasons: 1.) It was incredibly dark, almost worthy of the title “horror film.” 2.) It was spiritually confusing, presenting a weird view of heaven, almost a Godless “afterlife.” Sure, many probably believe this kind of thinking and the film might be a good springboard to discussion for those who watch it. But I’d be cautious of some of the film’s subtleties: its comfort with mediums, talking to the dead, etc. I opted to have my kids skip this one.
Side Note:
We don’t recommend your kids see this film. But on the occasion that they actually have already seen it, you may want to dialogue about the film with them. These questions below may be a help to you.
Conversation Starter
Three Simple Questions (with Answers You May Be Looking for):
- What are some of the messages or themes you observed in this movie?
- How do you suppose we—as serious Christ-followers—should react to this movie?
- How can we move from healthy, Bible-based opinions about this movie to actually living out those opinions?
