BLU-RAY REVIEW

Lovely Bones, The

Featured In Issue 148, May/June 2010

Picture5
Sound5
WSR Score5
Basic Information on new release titles is posted as soon as titles are announced. Once reviewed, additional data is added to the database.
(Studio/Distributor):
DreamWorks Home Entertainment
(Catalog Number):
07392
(MPAA Rating):
PG-13
(Rating Reason):
Mature thematic material including disturbing violent content and images, and some language
(Retail Price):
$29.99
(Disc Type):
Single Side, Dual Layer (BD-50)
(Widescreen Edition):
Yes
(Full Screen Edition):
No
(Running Time In Minutes):
130
(Color Type):
Color
(Chaptered/Scene Access):
Yes
(Closed Captioned):
Yes
(Regional Coding):
Not Indicated
(Theatrical Year):
2009
(Theatrical Release):
Yes
(Direct-To-Video Release):
No
(Disc Release Date):
04/20/10
(THX® Digitally Mastered):
No
(Director):
Peter Jackson
(Screenplay/Written By):
(Story):
(Music):
(Director Of Photography):
(Production Designer):
(Visual Effects):
(Costume Designer):
(Editor):
(Supervising Sound Editors):
(Re-Recording Mixers):
(Executive Producers):
(Co-Producers):
(Producers):
(Academy Awards):
(Principal Photography):
(Theatrical Aspect Ratio):
(Measured Disc Aspect Ratio):
(Disc Soundtrack):
Dolby Digital 5.1, DTS HD Lossless 5.1
(Theatrical Sound):
(Theatrical Re-Issue Soundtrack):
(DTS Bit Rate):
(Dolby Digital Bit Rate):
(Additional Languages):
(French Language):
(Spanish Language):
(Chinese Language):
(Subtitles):
(Cantonese Language):
(Mandarin Language):
(Japanese Language):
(Italian Language):
(German Language):
(Portuguese Language):

"The Lovely Bones" is a story of one girl's life and everything that came after. When 14-year-old Susie Salmon (Ronan) was murdered, she left her unfinished life behind. But now from her place in a strange but beautiful in-between world, she must help her father (Wahlberg) catch her killer and protect her family before she can finally move on. Based on the novel by Alice Sebold. (Gary Reber)

Special features are contained on Disc Two and include an introduction by Director Peter Jackson and a 15-week production diary featurette "Filming The Lovely Bones" (HD 01:57:18).

The 2.35:1 1080p AVC picture quality is wonderful. Shot with both HD and film cameras, the presention is impressively cinematic. The murder scene is hauntingly eerie, with a foggyish gray character injected with color splotches of images. The "in-between" world is also haunting but depicted in a beautiful color palette and dreamy imagery. In this filtered world the imagery is imaginative and engrossing, and convincingly portrays another dimension. The "this world" exhibits a perfectly natural character, with rich and warm hues without any exaggeration. Contrast is good, with revealing shadow delineation and deep blacks. There's a fair amount of shadow rendering throughout, which communicates mystery and apprehension. Resolution is superb and revealing of fine facial features and object textures. The imagery is moody, haunting, and beautiful, all at the same time. This is an engaging visual experience with memorable imagery. (Gary Reber)

The DTS-HD Master Audio™ 5.1-channel soundtrack is nicely produced with excellent fidelity and a terrific holosonic® soundfield presence. Dialogue is convincingly integrated spatially in each scene. Susie's narration floats with a focus across the soundfield but still with an audible presence in the surrounds. While aggressive sound effects are not prominent, there is a strong low-frequency foundation spiked with deep and powerful .1 LFE bass extending to below 25 Hz. The Foley effects are quite impressive. The music is well recorded, with a wide and deep soundstage that wraps into the surrounds. At times the orchestral score is replaced by driving rock music that intensifies emotional impact. This is a great soundtrack that works well to support the intriguing storytelling. (Gary Reber)