Review: The Lovely Bones

Let's start this review by tackling the age old book vs. movie argument. It's always said "the book is better than the movie." Well of course it is! Reading a book is like producing or directing a movie in your own head. As a matter of fact, I usually approach reading books in a very cinematical way, imagining it as a movie. When I read "The DaVinci Code" I read it as a movie. I visualize the book as it were a film. So when I see the movie, of course it will disappoint because my movie was my own creation and thus much better than anything Ron Howard could've done. Please. Even the Harry Potter books - books I adore, and even though I enjoy the movies, the movies pale in comparison to how I feel about the book. And it goes the other way too, once you've seen a movie based on book, it will forever change your vision of that book should you ever re-read it or read a sequel or something. It's just the way these things go.

Now I've heard and read people who have read "The Lovely Bones" thought the movie was awful and horrendous and blame director Peter Jackson for destroying this beautiful novel. As someone who has not read the book, I thought the movie was pretty good! So what if it lacked any real character development and was just a study on grief and the afterlife, but isn't that a good enough topic for a movie? I thought afterlife explored by the main character, Susie Salmon, played by Saoirse Ronan, was pretty cool to look at despite being overtly CG. And the whodunnit mystery of who killed Susie Salmon is thrilling. Oh please, her death is not even a spoiler alert. You find out within the first two minutes she's dead and within the first five who killed her. Nay - you find out the answer to both of those questions in the trailer for the movie.

The movie was creepy and terrifying and intensely cringeworthy at points. It covers some horrific events in the life and death of this little girl, and Best Supporting Actor nominated Stanley Tucci is Kreepy with a capital K. I think that was probably his character's name. Kreepy McKreeperson. I even didn't hate Mark Wahlberg as Susie's grieving father. I mean remember when he was Marky Mark? And now he's acting in Oscar nominated movies? He's come a long way.

Patrick Approval Rating: 7/10

The Lovely Bones @ imdb