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Movies / On DVD / Heavenly Creatures
Heavenly Creatures

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Heavenly Creatures (1994)

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Reviews Counted:41

Fresh:39

Rotten:2

Average Rating:8.2/10

Runtime: 1 hr 39 mins

Genre: Dramas

Synopsis: HEAVENLY CREATURES represented a departure of sorts for horror director Peter Jackson and was the first film to earn him widespread critical acclaim. Jackson both co-wrote and co-produced the... HEAVENLY CREATURES represented a departure of sorts for horror director Peter Jackson and was the first film to earn him widespread critical acclaim. Jackson both co-wrote and co-produced the picture, which is based on an actual 1954 murder case. The two protagonists, New Zealand schoolgirls Pauline Parker and Juliet Hulme, first meet when Juliet (Kate Winslet in her silver-screen debut) is introduced to Pauline's class as a new student. Pauline (Melanie Lynskey), an introvert who feels misunderstood by her family and peers, is instantly smitten with the sophisticated and self-confident newcomer, and the girls become best friends. Eventually, Pauline and Juliet begin spending more and more time together, withdrawing into a magical land of their own invention--Borovnia, a fairy-tale kingdom populated by lifesize clay figures. The girls' distraught families fear that the friendship is becoming unhealthy, and Juliet's parents decide to end things by sending their daughter away. Faced with their impending separation, the girls decide nothing will tear them apart, leading to an unexpectedly grisly denouement made even more unnerving by the ignorance of their own delusion. A harrowing story of misdirected adolescent creativity, Jackson's HEAVENLY CREATURES is chillingly unforgettable. [More]

Starring: Melanie Lynskey, Kate Winslet, Sarah Peirse, Diana Kent

Starring: Melanie Lynskey, Kate Winslet, Sarah Peirse, Diana Kent, Clive Merrison, Simon O'Connor

Director: Peter Jackson

Director: Peter Jackson

[See More Credits]

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Release:

Sep 24, 2002

[DVD Details]
 
 
  • Heavenly Creatures
  • Thrilling and provocative, HEAVENLY CREATURES is the highly acclaimed, true-life story of the shocking crime that stunned a nation! When circumstances bring together two bright and highly imaginative teenage schoolgirls, they quickly form an unwavering bond, creating a fantasy world that only they can share. But soon their parents, disturbed by the intensity of the friendship, threaten to keep them apart. In retaliation, the girls vow to stay together, devising a secret plan that leads to shocking consequences! With captivating performances and startlingly original visual effects, HEAVENLY CREATURES is gripping entertainment you won't soon forget!
  • Source: Buena Vista Home Entertainment.
  •  
     
     
     

    Reviews for Heavenly Creatures

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    1 - 20 (sorted by fresh rating)
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    A disturbing, boldly conceived story.

    Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide | comment Comment
    07/30/03
    TV Guide's Movie Guide

    The film's structure demands rational and beautiful segues from the real world into fantasia, a ballet of sensibilities that Jackson pulls off without a misstep.

    Full Review Source: Bryant Frazer's Deep Focus | comment Comment
    01/01/00
    Bryant Frazer
    Bryant Frazer
    Bryant Frazer's Deep Focus

    No review available.

    comment Comment
    02/20/04
    Carol Cling
    Carol Cling
    Las Vegas Review-Journal

    Powerful

    Full Review Source: Filmcritic.com | comment Comment
    09/27/02
    Christopher Null
    Christopher Null
    Filmcritic.com

    Jackson's unique style and uncanny ability as a director make this one of the best and most powerful films of 1994.

    Full Review Source: Filmcritic.com | comment Comment
    01/01/00
    Christopher Null
    Christopher Null
    Filmcritic.com

    Combines original vision, a drop-dead command of the medium and a successful marriage between a dazzling, kinetic techno-show and a complex, credible portrait of the out-of-control relationship between the crime's two schoolgirl perpetrators.

    Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
    02/11/08
    David Rooney
    David Rooney
    Variety

    The acting by Winslet and Lynskey is superb.

    Full Review Source: Ozus' World Movie Reviews | comment Comment
    01/01/00
    Dennis Schwartz
    Dennis Schwartz
    Ozus' World Movie Reviews

    Jackson (who wrote the script with Frances Walsh) evokes the girls’ fantasy world with scenes featuring plasticene figures, creating an eerie, metaphysical dimension to the movie.

    Full Review Source: Washington Post | comment Comment
    01/01/00
    Desson Thomson
    Desson Thomson
    Washington Post
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    A dark, astounding film from Peter Jackson, showing his mastery of blending fact and fantasy. A deserved winner of Venice Festival's Silver Lion and Toronto Fest's Critics Award. Along with Tarantino's Pulp Fiction, this is 1994's most audacious film.

    Full Review Source: EmanuelLevy.Com | comment Comment
    12/04/06
    Emanuel Levy
    Emanuel Levy
    EmanuelLevy.Com

    Reveals how pernicious fantasy can become when it is based on a deep-seated hatred of the world.

    Full Review Source: Spirituality and Practice | comment Comment
    08/26/02
    Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
    Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
    Spirituality and Practice

    Acted with conviction, and directed and written with febrile vibrancy.

    Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
    06/24/06
    Geoff Andrew
    Geoff Andrew
    Time Out

    Powerful, evocative movie.

    Full Review Source: Washington Post | comment Comment
    01/01/00
    Hal Hinson
    Hal Hinson
    Washington Post
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    Revealed in unforgettable fashion by a capable director, the events that unfold in this film are not easily forgotten.

    Full Review Source: ReelViews | comment Comment
    01/01/00
    James Berardinelli
    James Berardinelli
    ReelViews
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    Stylish and eerily compelling before it overplays its campy excesses, Heavenly Creatures does have a feverish intensity to recommend it.

    Full Review Source: New York Times | comment Comment
    05/20/03
    Janet Maslin
    Janet Maslin
    New York Times
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    Beautifully, horribly passionate.

    comment Comment
    01/27/03
    Jeffrey M. Anderson
    Jeffrey M. Anderson
    San Francisco Examiner

    This incredible film may be director Peter Jackson's masterpiece.

    Full Review Source: Combustible Celluloid | comment 1 Comment
    02/07/07
    Jeffrey M. Anderson
    Jeffrey M. Anderson
    Combustible Celluloid

    No review available.

    comment Comment
    07/07/05
    Joe Williams
    Joe Williams
    St. Louis Post-Dispatch

    ...A work of remarkable clarity and vision, as well as one of the most original pictures of this or any other year.

    Full Review Source: Austin Chronicle | comment Comment
    01/01/00
    Joey O'Bryan
    Joey O'Bryan
    Austin Chronicle

    No review available.

    comment Comment
    01/10/08
    John A. Nesbit
    John A. Nesbit
    Old School Reviews

    No review available.

    comment Comment
    06/29/05
    Jon Niccum
    Jon Niccum
    Lawrence Journal-World
     
     
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