Movie Review: The Giver


Before you even ask: yes, I've read The Giver, but it was a while ago, probably in elementary or middle school; it's standard on most curriculums. The book was written 20+ years ago by Lois Lowry, and I'd classify it as dystopian, which is now extremely popular, so I'm guessing that's why it was now made into a movie. The film moves effortlessly between black and white to color scenes, and it's definitely unique compared to other dystopian films I have seen.

Jonas (Brenton Thwaites) lives in a world without color - though he doesn't even know what color is - and without emotions. His world also has no war and no conflict, and everyone lives peacefully in the community, which is led by a board of Elders. Jonas has just turned eighteen, which means his childhood is over and he will be assigned a work assignment. He's given an unusual job, however: he will be the new Receiver of Memory, and will be trained by the current Receiver (Jeff Bridges), who asks him to now call him The Giver. Once Jonas's training begins, he starts to realize how limited his worldview is, and he wants to change it as well as the view of the others in the community, specifically his friend Fiona (Odeya Rush), with whom he starts to fall in love.

I haven't seen Thwaites in anything else except Maleficent, also this year, but he does a great job here as Jonas. Katie Holmes and Alexander Skarsgard play his parents, or at least the two people selected to raise him in their family unit, and Cameron Monaghan plays Asher, another of Jonas's friend. The other standout performances here are Meryl Streep as the Chief Elder, and Jeff Bridges as The Giver; Taylor Swift also has a very small role as The Giver's daughter, who was "released to Elsewhere" after she failed to perform well in her new duties as the Receiver of Memory, ten years prior to Jonas receiving that role.

Yes, see this film. I was initially thinking of giving it 4.5/5 stars, but the ending was more abrupt than I would have liked it to be. I'll need to reread the book at some point now too, to compare, but purely from a movie standpoint, it's a "thinking man's movie" - it kept me intrigued throughout most of its runtime, and it's not your typical fluff film; I'd classify it as sci-fi, and specifically, dystopian. I'm hoping this film does well at the box office, too, so that more dystopian films will be made, as it's one of my favorite film, and also, book, genres.

The Giver is in theaters today, August 15th, and is rated PG-13 with a runtime of 94 minutes. 4 stars out of 5.

Comments

  1. DetroitDuchessAugust 15, 2014 at 11:10 AM

    This reminds me a lot of The Host by Stephanie Meyer. I've never read the Giver before so I will have to check it out.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Liz ParkerAugust 15, 2014 at 11:11 AM

      Yes and no, they're both dystopian but The Host has to do with "alien" hosts, and these are just regular humans, mostly.

      Delete
  2. brokenteepeeAugust 15, 2014 at 11:33 AM

    I am not a big fan of this dystopian genre. Perhaps 'cause I am old. I like period pieces.

    ReplyDelete
  3. UnknownAugust 15, 2014 at 12:51 PM

    I love dystopian books and films! I would like to see this. Haven't read the book, but it sounds interesting.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Shelley Zurek -- Still Blonde after all these YEARSAugust 15, 2014 at 3:13 PM

    I have not read this book but apparently it's quite epic so making a good movie from it, especially given the current appeal of dystopian movies, seems like it should have been easy. Glad to hear they didn't screw it up.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Lena BAugust 15, 2014 at 3:45 PM

    That is very interesting. I don't get out much and might wait for the DVD, but will want to watch it

    ReplyDelete
  6. UnknownAugust 15, 2014 at 3:59 PM

    Always love your point of view of films!

    ReplyDelete
  7. UnknownAugust 15, 2014 at 4:23 PM

    I am seeing this tomorrow night. Can't wait!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Liz ParkerAugust 15, 2014 at 5:29 PM

      Let me know what you think about it! (have you read the book, too?)

      Delete
  8. Gwendolyn M. August 15, 2014 at 6:57 PM

    This looks very interesting and makes me want to see it but I think I will wait for it to come out on DVD. Thanks for sharing the review.

    ReplyDelete
  9. GeekDad248August 15, 2014 at 7:47 PM

    I hadn't seen any publicity promoting this film before seeing your post...thanks for the information about the film

    ReplyDelete
  10. AnonymousAugust 15, 2014 at 8:01 PM

    I never read the book, but I'd like to see the movie - I pretty much like anything with Jeff Bridges in it & my hubby likes sci-fi!

    ReplyDelete
  11. UnknownAugust 15, 2014 at 9:07 PM

    I will go see this one... I absolutely loved the series. I read "The Giver" in one of my education classes, and went on to read all the other books. I would love to see it one the big screen.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Elyssa EveAugust 18, 2014 at 2:19 PM

    It is interesting to think of Katie Holmes playing a parental type character. She, like us, is getting older. :) The film sounds good.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Liz ParkerAugust 18, 2014 at 2:32 PM

      Yes, although the parents in the Giver's society are randomly assigned (they are not the birth mother, because that is another job in their society). The film is definitely worth checking out, IMO.

      Delete
  13. Electricblue717August 20, 2014 at 3:15 PM

    Having not read the book, I had no expectations for this movie. I saw a futuristic idealized lifestyle only due to the ignorance of the population. This movie makes you appreciate the freedoms we have and yet get a glimpse of what a world peace would be like under a very controlling government.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Liz ParkerAugust 20, 2014 at 3:18 PM

      You should check out the book at some point, too! I remember it being good - we read it in school.

      Delete

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