When they adapted for the screen one of the most beloved novel series of all time, “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy, director Peter Jackson and screenwriting collaborators Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens hit paydirt.

Naturally, hopes were high that they’d find a way to work the same magic with Alice Sebold’s haunting story, “The Lovely Bones.” This time out, they misfire.

Jackson’s heavy-handed visuals nearly suffocate this heart-wrenching story of a 14-year-old girl who is raped and murdered and then watches over her parents and killer from heaven.

Young Saoirse Ronan (“Atonement”) plays Susie Salmon, a sweet-natured teenager living in a small suburb of Philadelphia in 1973.

One day, while taking a shortcut home though a cornfield, she runs into a neighbor, Mr. Harvey (Stanley Tucci from “Julie & Julia”). He talks her into entering an underground den he’s constructed. There, he rapes, murders and dismembers her and disposes of the remains.

Because he is adept at covering his tracks, Harvey manages to get away with the crime.

As Susie’s spirit enters heaven, she looks back and observes how her family deals with the grief that her brutal death has dealt them. She also watches Mr. Harvey and takes grudging pity on him.

The toll on her doting father (Mark Wahlberg from “Max Payne”) is particularly hard. Her mother (Rachel Weisz from “The Brothers Bloom”), unable to cope, leaves the family altogether.

One can’t help but wonder what influence that Thornton Wilder’s classic play “Our Town” may have had on the author. Certainly, there are strong similarities as a protagonist looks back on a world she’s no longer a part of.

But one of the things that made “Our Town” profound was that we were forced to imagine the afterlife…and its implications…for ourselves. In this film, Jackson and the special effects wizards at Weta Digital have created a phantasmagorical netherworld that essentially suffocates the film.

These over-the-top images draw us out of Susie’s story. We should be focused on her as she reacts to events on Earth. Instead, we marvel at the beautiful and bizarre graphics and simply tune Susie out.

This is a shame because the story is compelling and young Ronan gives a beguiling performance. Tucci is equally good, creating a believably menacing presence behind a mundane exterior.

Plus, Jackson can’t establish a consistent tone as its’ artifice saps the narrative of its emotional power.

It’s a disappointment, no bones about it. (PG-13) Rating: **1/2

* Avoid at all costs
** Only if you're bored
*** Good movie
**** Well worth your time
***** Be sure to see it