Peter Jackson was sadly the wrong person to direct this film. He is a director who works good against a broad setting yet fails in bringing the heartbreaking realism needed to make this film have what it lacks - authenticity. The film is a multi layered and a large problem is that many of the levels that need to work in order for the film to be a success - don't. Part of the problem stressed by many are the overlong and overwrought heaven scenes. Jackson seems to desperately be trying to imitate Terry Gilliam in a film that doesn't need that visual quality. I'm not sure whether he is incapable of having a film without experimenting with visual effects but this left me repulsed. The next problem is linked to the first. Because we spend so much time in this CGI heaven we miss out a lot of the best thing about the film which are the quiet moments where the family deal with their grief. Because the heaven scenes get in the way whenever we return it feel like something happened that the audience missed which gives that part of the story a jolted feel. Another is Mark Wahlberg who is a good actor but he is not good enough to handle a role of such emotional depth like this. The next is Stanley Tucci. Tucci is a brilliant actor and is genuinely creepy. He gives the best performance but because of the weakness of the script it seems more like a character study than a real character. Because it does feel like a character study it feels awkwardly mixed in with the rest of the film like it doesn't belong there. One other things is the wretched music score. I beg of Peter Jackson to stick with Howard Shore! If there are strengths then they would be this. Rachel Weisz is good an unlike other people I did sympathize with her character. Susan Sarandon is decent and so is the cinematography, that's it!
Review of The Lovely Bones
