Peter Jackson is one of the most celebrated film makers of our time making such movies as, Lord of the Rings, King Kong, and has produced one of the best sci-fi movies of this time, District 9, and with his latest outing he has changed his scope quite a bit. He goes from epic battles between the evils and goods of middle earth to an emotional story about a family losing a child and how the child and the family move past it. Just because his scope has just been shrunk down significantly doesn't mean this movie is any less significant or a poorly made movie; in fact this is Jackson's strongest movie as a director and his most important film.
This story is truly heartbreaking and very hard to watch, especially if you are a parent, so the sensitivity of this film was very important. The story begins with the introduction to the main character; Susie Salmon, she has a warming and calm voice and she begins the film with a lovely introduction. We see her life, meet her family, meet the boy of her dreams, and meet her neighbor, Mr. Harvey. Then we see Susie getting coaxed into getting into an underground shed that Mr. Harvey built and we see how much of a creep Mr. Harvey is as he takes advantage of the young girl and he eventually kills her, okay this sounds more brutal than it is because you actually don't see her being killed or anything, Jackson keeps that a mystery. This story is fantastic because it's about how Susie's life was stolen from her but she still gets the fullest out of it as her spirit lives in a world in between heaven and earth and she looks back into her life and her spirit is felt by the ones she loves. This story is really not about her death; it's about the celebration of her life, it's about how a family overcomes tragedy, and it's about how a human can't take away someone's spirit, it's a beautiful story.
Jackson takes this little story and amplifies everything; this movie is so powerful as he successfully conveys beautiful emotion out of his actors and he uses the effects so brilliantly. My favorite scene is when Susie`s father, (Mark Whalberg) , is helping Mr. Harvey (Stanley Tucci) build some sort of trap and he senses Susie's presence. This scene is so patient and so sensitive we see Mark grab a dead flower and Susie breathes onto it and it becomes alive and beautiful, then mark is teary eyed as he looks at Mr. Harvey and he knows something about this man is wrong, he knows that he killed his daughter. This was such a beautiful scene and pure, visual poetry, this is why films are made.
Jackson's Netherworld was beautiful and creative as well; the effects he used were beautiful and artistic and just really breathed a visual grandeur into the film. Susie, played brilliantly by Saoirse Ronan, carries the movie so wonderfully and every time this young actress speaks there is such a sensitivity in her voice, she is a wonderful actress and a warm and bright center of a heartbreaking story.
Overall, The Lovely Bones, is a little story about a big life and how it was stolen away by a very sick man. The camera work of this film creates some riveting suspense, beautiful moments, and moments of pure inspiration and sensitivity. Jackson uses his effects to create a world and bring emotion and life out of the characters and story; and he uses his actors to make sense at the effects. The acting is done very well by a different cast as Ronan shines and Tucci creeps wonderfully; yes this is a story about a man killing a child but it's also about how that child changed the lives of everyone she loved even after death, it's not about revenge, it's about moving on and always remembering the lovely Susie Salmon. As the movie ends we hear the lovely voice of Susie saying this, "This is the story of my life and I wish you a long, happy and prosperous life", this is the very heart of The Lovely Bones, this is a must see.
