Clip, Poster, and Early ‘Lovely Bones’ Reviews

Published by Jeff Leins on: November 26th, 2009

The first reviews of Peter Jackson’s The Lovely Bones are starting to trickle in and, judging from the mixed reactions, this may not be the Oscar contender everyone hoped it would be.

Variety’s Todd McCarthy attacks Jackson’s “infatuation with visual effects” claiming it “undermines solid work from a good cast with show-offy celestial evocations that severely disrupt the emotional connections with the characters.”  He also calls it a “significant artistic disappointment.”

Kirk Honeycutt from the Hollywood Reporter says it doesn’t do justice to the best-selling Alice Sebold novel.  “It’s a simpler, more button-pushing tale that misses the joy and heartbreak of the original,” he wrote.  “His film might resonate more with those who have not read the book.”

Harry Knowles at Ain’t It Cool News tends to agree, writing “some of Peter’s choices in adaptation could very well be hotly debated amongst readers of the book.”  Though it should be noted his review is more glowing than most.

Total Film acknowledges the awards potential, but says its because “the Academy loves a good cry.”  Meanwhile, Screen Daily calls it uneven and the Guardian is disturbed by the lack of rape and murder of the 14-year-old protagonist.

With 9 reviews in on RottenTomatoes, the film’s score stands at a surprisingly rotten 56%.

As for his other projects, The Adventures of Tintin: Secret of the Unicorn under the direction of Steven Spielberg and the producer/effects eye of Jackson, has completed filming and editing, but will require another two years of post-production rendering before its ready for audiences.  The script for The Hobbit, the first half of the prequels to Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy (which he helped write), has been finished.  Hopefully this means confirmed casting choices from director Guillermo del Toro very soon.

Despite the lackluster consensus, I’m still eager to see The Lovely Bones, which hits theaters December 11.  Here’s a clip and you’ll find the poster below: