Movie Review: The Lovely Bones

HAVE you ever thought about what it would feel like to die? The Lovely Bones depicts Susie Salmon, a young, fourteen-year-old girl, who is murdered by a so-called friendly neighbor. Susie’s spirit leaves her body and instead of going to heaven or hell, it goes to the “in-between.” As the movie progresses, viewers follow Susie on her journey into the afterlife and how she helps her family solve her open case.

Even though Susie is dead, viewers witness her transformation. Viewers also see her learning the lessons of forgiveness, forgetting, and letting her family members move on with their lives. Susie wants the murderer, George Harvey, to be caught and convicted. Susie’s desire for his capture and conviction leads her dad into being seriously injured while in pursuit of George Harvey.

Susie sees the negative outcome of her strong hatred against the killer and she also sees that she must forgive George Harvey and move forward in her afterlife. Close to the conclusion of the movie, Susie witnesses her family’s acceptance of her being gone. Susie sees the healing of her parents’ marriage, her little sister’s first kiss and first love, and her high school crush’s finding happiness away from her.

Susie feels it is almost time to go to heaven after seeing all of these events. There is one last thing she wants to do. This reviewer won’t spoil that for you.

The moral values one can learn from The Lovely Bones are quite rewarding. The view of death and afterlife makes viewers rethink how death truly should be, an ease into a new life rather than a radical change. The movie also helps with the understanding of the importance of closure to situations in our lives.

Movie-goers also have the opportunity to see the amazing visuals as well. The cinematography is superb and the special effects are top-notch. The acting is not necessarily “award-winning,” but most critics agree that Saoirse Ronan, who plays Susie Salmon, is quite talented. Rated PG-13, this reviews gives it a 4 out of 5.