Review of The Giver (2014) by Prestonis — 18 Aug 2014

This move was visually stunning, and it did a great job with retaining the plot events, dialogues, and symbols of the novel, which is much more than most film adaptations can say. Most of the reviews I have read are from those who have not read the book, who are complaining about the unanswered ending. Lois Lowry purposely made the ending ambiguous, you cannot blame the movie for that (and there shouldn't even be any blame; ambiguous endings give the readers/viewers power to interpret and analyze for themselves). There were a few minor details removed from the movie, but I believe that they were left out to be able to be appropriate for younger audiences while maintaining the more mature audience who may have read the book. An example of this is the neglect of the "Stirrings" that Jonas experiences, which is replaced with a brief dream of Jonas kissing Fiona. An important detail left out was the House of the Old.

Some theatrical criticisms I have include the fact that the beginning of the movie was rushed, the unnecessary occurrences where the camera is blurred and feels like it has a low fps, and the moments of noticeably off acting on the part of... Jonas. In some instances, I felt that I was watching a generic young adult film adaptation (cough... Hunger Games, Divergent.... cough). Mostly, however, the actors did a great job considering the existential morals they had to convey.

Overall, I do recommend this movie. If you have read the book like me, then you might have a similar opinion about the movie. If not, you'll either love it or think it's okay (because you don't understand the ending, or other details).