It's always daunting going into a movie knowing there's really no happy ending, but even then it's nice to be surprised to discover there is, in fact, life after death. The story itself is fairly simple and is outlined clearly in all the trailers. Suzie Salmon is murdered at age 14 and most of the movie follows the people she loves and her murderer over the next two years or so, while Suzie herself watches from the in-between, the space between earth and heaven. There's more, but I am reluctant to give anything else away. I will say that Suzie's ending provided a pleasant surprise, in that it isn't what I would have expected from a typical Hollywood movie. There was no graphic violence and the viewer is left to guess about the details of young Suzie's final moments. I understand the book goes into a lot more detail, but I was happy to not have to experience that. Instead of loading up on the gruesomeness of the killing, we instead ride an emotional rollercoaster along with the Salmon family, narrated by Suzie as she watches what they are going through. I found it poignant and it kept me close to tears for a large part of the film. Assuming you know what you're getting into and you are in the mood for something shy of a thriller, more like a walk through the emotional journey a family facing tragedy deals with... then I think you'll enjoy The Lovely Bones just fine. Going back to what I said early on, about life after death, I'm not speaking about Suzie's in-between place, it's more about how a family copes and moves on with a serious tragedy. That is life after death.
