The storyline of The Lovely Bones is extremely chilling. The acting is stellar, and the direction very good for the most part, but  the pacing --  especially during Jackson’s surreal scenes -- slows the film to a crawl at times.  Even though I enjoyed the film for the content, I found myself getting antsy waiting for a resolve.

The plot centers on Susie Salmon (Ronan), a teenager who gets murdered by a serial killer (Tucci), and sets her parents Jack (Wahlberg) and Abigail (Weisz), in a downward spiral trying to cope with the huge loss.  Obsessed with looking for the despicable killer, Jack becomes a thorn in the side of Detective Len Fenerman (Michael Imperioli), because he accuses most  everyone in town. This has become a strain on the marriage, and that then starts to deteriorate.

In the meantime, Susie has reached the midway point between Earth and Heaven, and tries to cope with her death while attempting to admonish the killer. She sees the development of the case from above, and starts to meet others who are in the same predicament who have been killed by the murderer.

The acting in The Lovely Bones is notable, especially Saoirse Ronan (nominated for an Oscar for Atonement), who brings the unfortunate teen to life. Controlling her character so as not to be overly morose in light of the reprehensible act committed by the killer, she is able to show a semblance of what it may be like to be marooned between her Earthly self and Heaven.  

In support, newcomer Rose McIver gives the performance of a veteran as Susie’s sister Lindsey, who tries to make sense of  what has happened while coping with her crumbling family.  I loved Susan Sarandon in the role of Jack’s mother. She is a ‘trip’ as a woman of the 60s -- smoking, drinking and trying to control her son’s dysfunctional family.  The top dog in this film is Stanley Tucci, who plays the despicable serial killer George Harvey, with aplomb. The abhorrence for the character he is able to depict becomes realistically unsettling, surely an award-winning performance in my book.

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the excellent make-up and sets in The Lovely Bones. The teamwork between the two created a youthful looking Sarandon, a sinister Tucci, and transported the audience to an accurate 60’s era.

When I think of Peter Jackson, what comes to mind is Lord of the Rings or even King Kong, but he shows his other side with The Lovely Bones.  Getting some excellent performances from his fine cast, great cinematography, and a fair interpretation of the book by Alice Sebold, Jackson should be commended for his direction of this film.

However, I was not totally entertained as he slows down the story with too many surreal shots of the in-between Heaven sequences. His pacing in the beginning is pinpoint, but after the dastardly murder he takes a turn at sci-fi that, in my estimation, brings his film to a crawl, right up to the predictable ending.  

The film is rated PG-13 for mature thematic material involving disturbing violent content and images, and some language.  I  will also mention that the scene of abduction, resulting aftermath and corpses intermittently throughout may be psychologically damaging to the immature.

FINAL ANALYSIS:  A chiller that could have been a thriller.

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