Review of The Giver (2014) by Lcb10 — 06 Feb 2015

I think the huge disparity in reception this film has earned from critics and audience may come down to a confusion just about the audience which, it seems to be, the film must be for.

The film seems to be marketed broadly as a typical mid-teen to adult sci-fi film, which perhaps some children younger than 14 may enjoy also.

Unfortunately, I also presumed this is what the film was all about, and had forgotten about the 1990s childrens' book which the film is an adaptation of.

Now, I know better. While the book seems to have been aimed at, roughly, 9 to 14 year olds (so still below the mid-teen + typical sci-fi range), this film clearly, clearly, to me is a film for a completely different audience. Yes, perhaps some 9 to 12 year olds will enjoy it.

However, everything about this very, very simple film says 5 to 9 year olds to me.

I can't give this film more than 6 out of 10 (2 out of 10 for adults, 8 out of 10 for 5-8 year olds), because the studio and promoters seem to have refrained totally from targeting this young children's film as a young children's film in the way they not only ought to have, but really need to have done. In a sense, it's quite a funny phenomenon seeing hoards of adults being surprised and appalled by such a simple, clichéd movie, but this could all have been avoided, and kids could be able to enjoy what really is for them much more easily. I think it's all got to do with money and more people watching the film. (While if I were to be even more cynical and also 2010s-topical, it could be suggested this is exactly how the Illuminati in the theories would act - mis-categorising even a film about such social control for issues to prevent society from working smoothly.).

For that young audience, I think this should come across as a rather good film, and I'd recommend it as one of the simplest treatments of certain, important social issues which a child should, for sure, become familiar with. However, even children within that age group should need a discussion not long afterwards about that things in real life are, just about always, more complex than this film can suggest, and it is a particular type of over-simplification in order to treat the issues it does.

For anyone older, this may not be for you.

For adults, just forget it completely, you'd find it utterly patronising and the worst kind of cliché and a terrible waste of time, unless you particularly appreciate really, really simple films for the under 9s.