First Image From The Lovely Bones

Saoirse Ronan in The Lovely Bones
(Image credit: DreamWorks)

Have you ever wondered what heaven looks like? This image from Empire Online may give us a glimpse of what Peter Jackson’s heaven looks like in his upcoming film The Lovely Bones.

I never understood how people could enjoy reading a book more than seeing the movie version. After an entire school career without reading one book for pleasure, I’ve picked up a new hobby: only reading books that are being adapted into film. Due to my new activity, I’ve seen a number of my favorite novels on the big screen and now recognize how important it is to read a book before it hits the big screen. Alice Sebold’s The Lovely Bones is the epitome of a book that must be read before seeing it on film.

The book is about a young girl named Susie (Saorise Ronan) who is raped and murdered by her neighbor. The rest of the story is told from her perspective in heaven. While Susie is safe and sound in her heaven, she is frustrated by her inability to connect with her family and help them cope with her death.

This is going to be an extremely difficult story to portray on film. If it is not done with the utmost care, this compelling story could become laughable. This first image is stimulating, but it doesn’t tell us much about what Susie’s heaven will look like. I’m very anxious to see the rest of Empire’s image collection when their 20th birthday issue hits stands on Thursday.

Perri Nemiroff

Staff Writer for CinemaBlend.