Book vs. Movie: The Lovely Bones

I watched the movie, The Lovely Bones, this past weekend.  I had already read the book by Alice Sebold, which I loved.  As is the case with most movies based on books, this movie sucked until the last 30 minutes or so.

The book was so interesting.  You got to learn about Susie Salmon and her family.  You followed her into the underground room where she was murdered.  You followed her family as they tried to cope with her disappearnace, at first, and then her death.  And you followed her on her journey to heaven.  The place she went wasn't some fantastical place - it was simply a place of her creation made of things she dreamed about.  In the movie, you could tell Peter Jackson was having some fun with the computer stuff, because he added a lot of crap that wasn't part of the book's heaven and didn't add anything to the movie. 

And while the book is about a 13 year old girl being brutally murdered, it never felt scary.  In the movie, however, there were a number of parts that were just spooky.  For instance, in the book she finds out about the other women her killer had murdered before her.  They simply appear to her, nothing freaky.  In the movie, she goes into a house and visits their final resting places, complete with dead girls buried with a hand sticking out of the ground or a girl sinking down into some nasty water. 

If there is a stopover spot between Earth and Heaven that is your own creation, I don't think a 13 year old girl would create a scary, spooky place (although goodness knows Susie Salmon has a lot more in her history than most people).  She would create a place like in the book.  Peaceful, with a kind guide to help you move on.

Overall, on a scale of 1 to 10 (10 being the best), I would rate the book an 8 and the movie a 3.  Stick with the book, people.  And if you want to borrow my copy, just let me know.