The rest of the film takes place in two worlds: (Susie’s personal heaven) and the real world, where her father (Mark Wahlberg) obsessively hunts for the killer while her mother (Rachel Weisz) retreats into grief. The Visual Feast (And Confusion) Let’s address the elephant in the room: Peter Jackson is the director of The Lord of the Rings . He loves grand scale, golden light, and digital effects. Consequently, Susie’s heaven is a CGI explosion of lollipop fields, giant ship-in-a-bottles, and melting clocks (Salvador Dali meets a perfume commercial).

Some critics hated this. They argued that a story about child abduction should feel gritty and real, not like a fantasy video game.

★★★☆☆ (3.5/5) Watch it for Saoirse Ronan’s eyes and Stanley Tucci’s quiet terror. Bring tissues. Have you seen the Vietnamese dub or sub of The Lovely Bones ? Does the visual beauty translate, or does it distract from the story? Let me know in the comments below.

Her neighbor, George Harvey (Stanley Tucci), lures her into an underground den. In a flash, Susie is gone.