The Lovely Bones

by Peter Jackson

many would argue that "The Lovely Bones" is not a thriller, this may be because it does not contain all of the thriller genre conventions or maybe because it was based on a novel. However this film would be a sub genre of thriller in the form of a, crime thriller.

Throughout the film the typical puzzle aspect of a crime thriller was obvious. constantly the proletariat's father was searching for clues within his daughters pictures. Although the police and investigators start to prioritise other cases, the girls father NEVER gives up, even when it lands him hospitalized. As with many crime thrillers, they come close to finding the murderer and fall inches apart.

This novel based film also contained certain gruesome or heart wrenching scenes, this is also typical in these types of films. An example of this is where the murderer is lying in a bath tub, and the young girl realises what has happened, at this moment the girl screams and fades out. After this there is an extreme close up on the girls charm bracelet hanging from the tap.

The weather and lighting could also reflect the thriller genre, as when the girl is lured into the underground den, the weather seems cold and windy. Typically it is late in the afternoon, when the sun is and almost has set.

Tension is made during the film as the audience wait a substantial amount of time before we realise that the girl didn't manage to get away until the very moment the girl her self finds out. this produces tension as the audience grow eager to find out what has happened.

As with many thriller films a Mc Guffin was put in place. this was in the from of the poem of which the girl chases into the hands of the murderer. this is a Mc Guffin as the poem let her to the main event of the film. If this had not occurred it would have been possible for the sequence not to even have occurred. This was also an example of dramatic irony, as the poem was from someone who seemed to care for the girl.

In conclusion The Lovely Bones is a key example of a crime thriller.