After realising Middle-earth in the Lord of the Rings saga, director Peter Jackson presents a vision of the afterlife for this contemporary fantasy. Unfortunately there's too much emphasis on visual effects, as a teenage girl (a suitably wistful Saoirse Ronan) observes from on high the aftermath of her brutal murder and sees her killer (a rather too obvious Stanley Tucci) prepare for his next strike. Alice Sebold's original novel presented an incisive examination of the changing dynamics of a family in grief, but Jackson's soft-focus approach robs the story of its power. And while Mark Wahlberg delivers a poignantly childlike performance to echo the loss of his daughter, Rachel Weisz, Susan Sarandon and Rose McIver (as mum, grandma and sister, respectively) feel superfluous. Consequently, the finale - though tense - lacks that visceral gut punch. Ultimately, Jackson spends too long in the clouds and loses touch with the real drama on ground level.

After being brutally murdered, 14-year-old Susie Salmon watches from heaven over her grief-stricken family -- and her killer. As she observes their daily lives, she must balance her thirst for revenge with her desire for her family to heal.