"The Giver" (2014) REVIEW

As a fan of the book of the same name by Lois Lowry, I went to the theater with hopes that The Giver would be an alternate version of the book that works better as a movie than it would if it followed the book word for word. I was not disappointed.

Jonas (Brenton Thwaites) lives in the community, the perfect place to live. There is no such thing as pain, suffering, or color and everyone does their job they are assigned to. Jonas, however, is not assigned a career like everyone else, but selected. He is now the new Receiver of Memories, being trained by a man who makes himself only known as the Giver (Jeff Bridges). As the Giver trains Jonas for this special role, he also shows Jonas that there is more to his world than the community. There's history to it, both good and bad, and secrets.

As a movie and book adaption, The Giver is artistically well done, transitioning from black and white to full color as the story progresses. Some changes are made from its source material but it is for the better as a motion picture adaption. In fact, the ending was so much better to the point that I actually like the movie more than the book! The only downside to the movie, though minor, is the beginning. Whether you have read the book or not, the beginning of the film is rushed, but it slows down to a much better pace after ten minutes.

A smart adaption and a great film on its own, The Giver's messages ring clear and true. It's well-acted, well written, and thoroughly thought out, making it, in my opinion, the best on-screen story of young adult dystopia!

4.5/5 Stars
5/5 Stars as an adaption

You can pre-order your copy from Amazon here!

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