Now Playing: The Lovely Bones

It’s almost always a bad idea to watch a movie right after you’ve finished reading the book. I mean, you’re more than likely going to be tainted by trailers while reading already; imagine, then, the impact of watching a movie that has been thoroughly spoiled. Inevitably, I spend the half hour post-movie talking about all the stuff that’s missing/changed/added, which really detracts from the movie in and of itself. Clearly, there’s a philosophical divide: to read or not to read, that is the question. Is it truer to the movie experience to forgo the book or should we doing so in order to understand the source material? In the end, something has to be sacrificed.

Just so you know, I come down on the side of the book... when I can. Thus, I put off watching The Lovely Bones, until I finished Alice Sebold’s novel. Given the amount of materials that had to be edited out and the plot changes needed to accommodate a movie format, it was very much like a movie inspired by, and not based on, the book. So, in fairness to the movie, I’m going to skip all the comparators and bite into the movie alone.

Casting: I thought it was as close to brilliant as we could get. Wahlberg as Jack Salmon may have been a bit dicey, but he pulled it off in the end; Weiss as Abigail was perfect, Tucci as George Harvey was inspired (is this really the same man I just watched in Julie & Julia?)... but it was Saoirse Ronan that simply captivated. I mean, I have always thought she was a scene-stealer; this time, she was a show-stopper. Oh, and let's not forget the jewel that is Susan Sarandon, though I felt like she was playing herself more than acting. Really, no complaints in the acting department.

I did feel like there were some plot holes that went unexplained... like, why the police couldn't track down George Harvey fast enough? What happens to Ruthie Connors? What's with the icicles? Why does Susie decide to leave? I know there's like 120 minutes in an average movie, but sometimes I wish they'd take some care to elaborate. What saved the entire thing from sinking were the details in the set and costume design - I loved that bits of Susie's real world and Susie's heaven echo each other (crashing ships, penguin hedges, silly hats).

All in all, a lovely movie. 3.5 out of 5 stars.