Today, Empire Online released a first-look photo of a scene from Peter Jacksons’ upcoming adaptation of The Lovely Bones, Alice Sebold’s novel about a murdered 14-year-old that narrates her family and killer’s goings-ons from heaven. The verdict? Meh. In the past, Jackson has proven himself to be so skillful a director, he can make a poo-on-a-stick look awe-inspiring on screen (and I am so big a fan that I would see an entire three-hour saga about poo-on-a-stick if Jackson were directing it). But this photo makes his take on heaven look a bit underwhelming and clichéd, especially when you consider that we saw the exact same version of the otherworldly locale in nearly every other film concerning the afterlife (1978′s Heaven Can Wait, for example). Of course, I’m being picky here, and yes, so far we only have this one photo to go on. But how can I not be a bit disappointed after seeing heaven’s awesome possibilities in Bill and Ted’s Bogus Journey?
Thoughts, PopWatchers? Are you as underwhelmed as I am?
Looks more like a movie poster-style shot, and a beautiful one at that.
youre dubm for underestimating Peter Jackson
I don’t care about a picture. I love the book and I’m dying to see this movie.
Well, considering that heaven in the book looks nothing like this – it’s basically your earthly surroundings, just, you know, in heaven – it’s a little disappointing, and strange that they would choose this as their first promotional shot. Maybe it’s just a poster, but it’s not doing a good job of capturing the rather mundane experience of heaven – I mean, that’s one of the big parts of the book, that the character isn’t in some happy peaceful pretty place just enjoying eternity.
Unless they are being nowhere near faithful to the book, this is probably just the entrance — considering the only interesting thing about that thinly-disguised self-help book was that heaven turned out to be very pedestrian-looking, not beautiful or sky-ish at all, but instead an amalgamation of all things in life that were loved by the deceased.
Oops! Looks like Sara was making the same point just as I was posting…
Wow, way to judge a movie based on one picture. What a pointless article.
It would take a lot more than that to curb my excitement for this movie. Cmon, it’s Peter Jackson. Have a little faith.
If it’s, say, the entrance TO her heaven, I can accept it. If that’s it, though, I’ll be annoyed. I thought that was one of the nicer things about the book, how heaven was what they chose it to be.
Peter Jackson has already explained that the heaven in this movie is not going to be like lord of the rings-type awesome. He wants it to be sort of simple.
Taken from the film’s wikipedia entry:
Jackson chose to depict the afterlife as depending on Susie’s emotions. “Whenever Susie feels happy, Heaven is sunny and there’s birds and everything. Whenever it’s not so great, it’s raining or she’s in the middle of an ocean.”
I kind of imagined that heaven should look like her backyard. It seemed the only way it could work, maybe I am always pretty underwhelmed by how heaven is supposed to look that I’ve kept it simple.
this might just be for the poster, not an actual scene from the movie.
If they stay true to the book this picture is only a “fishing hook”. Peter Jackson should make a wonderful movie of this book as long as he stays true to the book. That, after all, is why the book was so fantastic. Lets all repost after we have seen the movie and see what we think then! I loved the book and thought it a great way to represent what heaven truly is – what we want it to be!
It’s just a poster…..relax.