“The Lovely Bones” provides skeletal plot

One would think that the book named “Book of the Year’ by the American Bookseller’s Association would be interesting enough that it would not be completely changed in the movie, but apparently director Peter Jackson did not think so.

Fans of Sebold’s touching story “The Lovely Bones” will be disappointed by the lack of accuracy that Jackson’s film presents.

In the story, Susie Salmon (Saoirse Ronan) is an average teenager living in the ‘70s with her loving family, in her not-so-safe neighborhood. She dreams of one day becoming a wildlife photographer and has a huge crush on her classmate Ray Singh (Reece Ritchie).

When Susie saves the life of her brother Buckley’s (Christian Thomas Ashdale) her Grandma Lynn (Susan Sarandon) tells her that she will enjoy a long life because she has saved someone else.

She is wrong.

George Harvey (Stanley Tucci) neighbor who everyone thinks is a bit odd, but certainly not dangerous, murders Susie while she is walking home from school.

Throughout the novel and film, Susie adjusts to her new home in Heaven and watches her family grieve and cope the best way they can. She also watches her friends and her killer, Mr. Harvey.

At the start of the film only a few slight changes occur, like Ray Singh’s age or that Susie’s sister, Lindsey took their dog for a walk instead of her father Jack. However, as the movie progresses, chunks of the story that some may consider important, start to get mixed up or may not even appear at all.

Also, some of the characters that take a major part in the book only appear once or twice throughout the movie. It would upset any fan on the book to know that Samuel (Andrew James Allen), Lindsey’s boyfriend who is an important character in the book, only appears twice. And Buckley, who grows to be twelve in the novel, stays a little boy throughout the whole movie due to compressed time.

However inaccurate it may be, those who have not read the book before seeing “The Lovely Bones” may enjoy the film. The viewer really gets to know the main characters as Susie becomes like an omniscient narrator, watching everyone from her heaven and revealing all their thoughts and feelings.

While all of the actors are pretty convincing in their roles, the most convincing comes from Rose Mclver, who plays Susie’s younger sister Lindsey Salmon. Viewers fall in love with her when she breaks into Mr. Harvey’s house (and almost gets caught) to find proof that he murdered Susie.

Jackson hooks the viewer’s attention with the right amount of suspense and humor to make sure the film does not turn into a complete tear-jerker.

So, “The Lovely Bones” did the book justice.
Almost.
Not quite.