[Al_The_Strange]

Originally Posted by iam1bearcat

THE LOVELY BONES (122 minutes)

[Show spoiler]
Film #13

Year: 2010
Director: Peter Jackson
Starring: Saoirse Ronan, Rachel Weisz, Mark Wahlberg,
Genre: Drama, Fantasy & Thriller

What Made Me Want to See This? Nothing, for the longest time. But heard great things about it.

What a weird little film this is!

I don’t really feel like writing a huge review, so here are some thoughts I had on the film.

POSITIVES
+ the score. It was awesome and amazing. It fit perfectly. There were two odd moments near the end that I was a bit puzzled by, but overall it fit the film incredibly well

+ the directing. Even though I may not be a big fan of Jackson’s films, his directing has always been terrific. And The Lovely Bones is no different. The man knows how to direct and make - on a technical level - great films.

+ the atmosphere. Incredible! I love it.

+ the imagination! I don’t know if this is based off of a book or what, but Jackson always has a quirky, visual flare for what we see. And the imagination in The Lovely Bones is just oozing off the screen. Have to respect and appreciate that since it seems no one else does and few directors have the imagination that Jackson seems to have.

+ the visuals. These go hand in hand with the atmosphere and really make the film feel special. Same goes with the color palette that Jackson shows us. In particular of course, is

[Show spoiler]the “waiting area” where Susie is

for most of the film.

NEGATIVES
- way too bloated. At 122 minutes it felt like Jackson adds way too much, way too much unnecessary scenes just for the sake of it. He may feel they’re necessary, I however, did not. Whereas Jackson is a great director that is shown in all his films, all his films also feel a bit bloated and longer than need be. He certainly likes taking his time…

- what am I supposed to take away from the film? is it teaching you how to move on and let things go? Is it showing us what Jackson believes happens after we die? Overall I wasn’t sure what I was supposed to feel or take away from the film. Didn’t hurt the enjoyment of the film, but seemed to be missing something that was suppose to strike a chord in me. Or maybe I missed it. Who knows. But it did seem like something was just a tad “off” or missing.

- wasn’t real happy with the ending of the film for one character’s story. Felt very cheap, clichéd, obvious, boring and just wrong because of what we’d gone through the last two hours. Very disappointed by it.

ODDS AND ENDS
Much darker and creepier than I ever anticipated. This of course, I think, is awesome and loved it. A few cringe worthy moments where we don’t see what happens, but if anyone knows the way the world works these days, when you put two certain individuals together in a isolated area, squirming is gonna happen because most are gonna assume the worst. Of course the character, score and mood also tell us something bad is around the corner.

The PQ on this BD are phenomenal!

It’s not a film I would watch very often, I know that. But I will probably be a purchase from me once I can pick it up around $10 or less. Jackson is a great director, just wish he could get over his knack for making overly long films, but his imagination and attention to detail is great.

Recommendation: Medium. Worth a rental if the story interests you.

PQ: 5/5
AQ: 4.5/5

Technical Score: 4/5
Enjoyment Level Score: 3.75/5 “really liked it”

Final Verdict: 4/5

Accura...no, I mean, accepta...no, wait! I mean...

Ah heck, good review. I agree; the visuals and photography are the highlights here.