Film Review.

Literally, fifteen to twenty minutes I got into my house and it is 00:12 as I write this on Tuesday morning. However, I have to write this blog so that I don't forget anything but the film is crammed into my head, all the visual effects, the sounds. Everything!

I admit, it felt a little long and a friend of mine suggested that the Heaven parts were a tad long. I agree on some part, however the montage of the scenes where Susie and Holly are playing on the Earth made of grass and sledging through ice and snow and pretending to be on a fashion shoot were cleverly done with music to match. The music matched the magical portrayal of Susie's 'inbetween'. A sanctuary for her when she was at her happiest just before Heaven. Moreover, the darkness of Susie's thoughts and dreams in Heaven were also significant to the fact that Harvey still played a huge role in her life although she was dead. When the concrete crumbled which was cross cutted with the mental breakdown of her father illustrated that as he crumbled, so did Susie's world. This was one of the greatest aspects of the film: the intertwining of real life on Earth and Susie's bubble in Heaven.

The narrative was a slow start compared to the book, however, the changes made could be seen as immense ones that Peter Jackson, director of the film made. It was magical in the way that images in Heaven forshadowed events to come and admittedly, I jumped at most three times in this 12a movie due to Mr Harvey being a very scary character! Even after studying the book for English Literature and knowing what was to come, I jumped thanks to the music played and the quick movement juxtaposed with the slow movement before it.

I have to write about what I thought was the pinnacle of the movie and the most emotional. For me, it was when Susie finally met all of the previous victims of George Harvey. When she saw them dead in their various places I almost thought of the film having elements of the horror genre of which the dead women would jumped out or turn their heads towards Susie. This did not happen. Instead, the scene afterwards at the tree of flying birds it seemed, created an emotional response from me as a viewer in the audience. When the women came towards Susie, skipping, hand in hand, throwing a ball, it displayed that idiomatic phrase of 'every cloud has a silver lining'. It showed that the girls had moved on from their 'inbetween' and were ready to take Susie to Heaven. And when the six year old ran to Susie to give her a hug and then take her hand caught my throat. It showed such innocence of a small child and the truth that this very issue has happened before again and again and it will continue in the future. That little girl represented many who have been hurt and vandalised in a way that would destroy them.

Overall, an amazing story with brilliant cast and some time must be spared after watching in order to take it all in and actually think about the characters of the story and who they represent in our society. A must see.

Four stars.