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The Lovely Bones

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Stars: Saoirse Ronan, Stanley Tucci, Mark Wahlberg, Rachel Weisz, Susan Sarandon

Director: Peter Jackson

Rated: PG-13

Showing: Liberty Theatre: Friday and Saturday 2:30/6/9pm; Sunday 2:30/5:30pm; Monday to Thursday 2:30/6pm

Runtime: 135 minutes

Drama/thriller/fantasy

Expectations are high for this fantasy-drama, based on Alice Sebold's hit novel that spent more than a year on the New York Times best-seller list.

It is the story of 14-year-old murder victim Susie Salmon (Saoirse Ronan), who becomes trapped in an "in-between" world between death and Heaven.

As she watches her family and her uncaught killer, she soon becomes torn between her desire for revenge and her desperation for her devastated family to move on.

The movie has a horrific subject matter - Susie is raped, murdered and dismembered by her neighbour, a serial killing paedophile.

But the film manages to be hopeful and there are even moments of humour.

The murder is unseen and the rape barely hinted at but Susie's death scene is disturbing without being explicit.

We know who Susie's killer is almost from the start - her loner neighbour George Harvey (Stanley Tucci).

She is walking home from school when he approaches her and coaxes her into an underground den.

He rapes, stabs and dismembers her then stuffs her body parts into a bag, which he takes home.

On the way, an elbow, the only part of Susie ever found, falls out. He disposes of the rest of her by putting them in a safe and dumping it in a sinkhole.

Tucci gives a wonderfully chilling performance as the killer, coming across as cold, sadistic and remorseless.

It's hard to believe it is the same actor who was so charming and likeable in The Devil Wears Prada.

His scenes are full of suspense - particularly one where Susie's suspicious sister breaks into his house to look for evidence he is the murderer.

Balancing out this evil is the fantastical world Susie inhabits in the afterlife.

It's a colourful wonderland reminiscent of a '70s prog-rock album cover - a flower power world of digitally created surrealism.

The special effects are as technically brilliant as you would expect from Oscar-winning Lord Of The Rings director Peter Jackson, tackling his first feature since 2005's King Kong.

But while he is a master with CGI and suspense (he made his name with the horror genre), he fails to make the movie as emotional as it should be.

Oscar nominees Rachel Weisz and Mark Wahlberg often go through the motions as Susie's anguished parents, while Oscar winner Susan Sarandon is a two dimensional caricature as Susie's boozy, brassy grandma.

Young Saoirse Ronan impresses as Susie but her performance isn't as good as her Oscar nominated turn in Atonement.

Watch if you liked: Heavenly Creatures.

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