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107Trust Points
MJ5K's Review
Summary - Pretty Bad 1.5
Tsk, tsk. I guess its true that with every risk comes the possibility of failure. Every director is allowed at least one bad movie. And considering that before this came out, Lord of the Rings and King Kong helmer Peter Jackson had a perfect track record, this is indeed a sad moment for such a talented filmmaker. I had been looking forward to The Lovely Bones for quite a while. I was hoping this was going to be one of the 10 films to receive a nomination for best picture. What I got instead was an uneven cluster of darkness and sweetness.
The story focuses on Susie Salmon, and I swear if one more reviewer says “like the fish” I’ll…..um….ah, forget it. Susie is a 15 year old girl growing up in the late 70s when she is murdered. Instead of going to heaven, she winds up in this place called “the in-between”, which is, clearly, a mystical land located between heaven and hell. She watches as her family try to solve her murder and cope with their loss.
Peter Jackson is a brilliant filmmaker. Lord of the Rings remains, at least in my opinion, the best film of the last decade and the Star Wars of our generation. King Kong is easily the greatest remake as it pays tribute to and respects the original film that it is based on. Both films respect their source material. And though I haven’t read the original novel that this film is based on, from what I can gather fans of the book have not been pleased and non-fans are equally unsatisfied. Nothing more than a jumbled mess.
Acting - Good 3.0
The acting is actually pretty strong. Mark Wahlberg is quite good at playing the father and Rachel Weisz gives an equally impressive performance as the grieving mother. Although I will admit it was hard for me to appreciate the acting as I really didn’t care for/ didn’t like a good majority of the characters. Case in point, the grandmother played by Susan Sarandon. Sarandon was O.K., I guess, but her character was annoying which made her come off as annoying. Many will say that Stanley Tucci was amazing in his Oscar nominated performance as Susie’s murderer. As far as I’m concerned, he was WAY over the top. He came off as a creepy combination of Jimmy Stewart and Matt Damon’s character in The Informant.
Male Stars - Good 3.0
Female Stars - Good 3.0
Female Costars - Good 3.0
Male Costars - Good 3.0
Film - Pretty Bad 1.5
sigh*** Oh boy…
Direction - Pretty Bad 1.5
Peter, you are a great filmmaker. But this was just one big "no". The direction you took the film and the actors in just didn't work. I know you tried, but this just did not work. If there's anything he did do a good job with on this one its the suspense. Which, for the most part, had me at the edge of my seat.Dialogue - Pretty Bad 1.5
The dialogue is absolutely awkward and just so weird.Music - Bad 1.0
Oh dear lord, do NOT get me started on the music. The music felt so out of place. I understand they were trying to recreate the 70s and make a soundtrack that fit the era, but this was just dreadful to listen to.Visuals - OK 2.5
The visuals were alright, but they really fit somewhere between amazing and something you would see in a shampoo commercial. The cinematography, however, was very impressive.Edge - Sordid 2.7
Pretty heavy for a PG-13.
Sex Titillating 2.0
Violence Brutal 3.0
Rudeness Profane 3.0
Reality - Fantasy 5.0
Circumstantial - Fantasy 5.0
Biological - Fantasy 5.0
Physical - Fantasy 5.0
12 Comments
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BrianSez May 22, 2011 2:36PM
yeah – should have listened! lol
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Wick May 22, 2011 2:31PM
Told ya it was just OK
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MJ5K Jun 24, 2010 12:07AM
Haha, thank you.
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Wick Jun 23, 2010 10:37PM
Regarding MetalJunky5000’s Review
Tucci “came off as a creepy combination of Jimmy Stewart and Matt Damon’s character in The Informant.” – Great line MJ! -
BrianSez Jun 23, 2010 8:14PM
Regarding Wick’s Review
Wow Wick – a tough week for movie reviews! Thanks again for allowing me to save my time with this one! -
Demona Jun 23, 2010 1:14AM
I did happen to think that the film had a bit of a “What Dreams May Come” feel to it.. but how it was executed was a bit off. I can’t say that the film was BAD but it could’ve been a LOT better. The ending made me feel that though “justice” was served, SHE didn’t get the ending that she deserved, being that she was a 15 yr old girl murdered and dumped. It just didn’t seem right. But that’s just me.
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MJ5K Jun 20, 2010 1:16PM
Regarding Wick’s Review
I’m gonna have to agree with you, Wick. I sadly endured this movie a couple months ago and I absolutely loathed it. However, I am yet to review it. I agree with most of the review except for the part about Susan Sarandon. Her character just annoyed me so I guess it wasn’t entirely her fault. -
MJ5K Feb 17, 2010 8:15PM
Regarding izzio’s Review
True. Good review, izzio. I guess this won’t be up there with some of Mr. Jackson’s best like LOTR or King Kong. -
Wick Jan 18, 2010 9:58AM
Regarding izzio’s Review
Now that I’ve read Izzio’s review, looks like Gosling was wise to get out while the getting was good. -
MJ5K Jan 8, 2010 8:16PM
Oh yeah, Gosling dropped out because of “artistic difference”
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Wick Jan 7, 2010 10:54PM
Good catch MJ. That poster looks like it was an early preview. Perhaps Gosling was originally attached and then dropped out. In any case, I’ve updated to the current poster.
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MJ5K Jan 7, 2010 9:36PM
Haha Wick you may wanna change that poster. Ryan Gosling isn’t in Lovely Bones!