Based on the novel by Lois Lowry, this movie is about a boy named Jonas who lives in a world of boring sameness. No emotions, no color, no differences. A stark contrast from our world where differences are celebrated, this world exists by striving for a safe environment by eliminating things that make people individuals. Your jobs and families are chosen for you, and there is no music or love.
The concept itself is so hard to imagine. As teenagers, we live in a world of constantly changing fashion, trends, cliques, love, sadness, and who doesn’t try to mute out the world with music once in a while? Some would say not having differences is good. No bias against race, skin color, or what you look like. No rich, no poor, and no war. The Giver shows us that to live in that kind of world would not be a good thing, as Jonas discovers. Without emotion, they do not recognize what death is. They believe it is a journey to Elsewhere, where they live happily.
The movie entails a lot of The Giver transferring memories to Jonas of the world as it was before the community was created. I have to say that was the best, and sometimes worst, part of the movie. The scenes were some of the most inspiring videos of the Earths wonders all compiled into slots of time only lasting a few minutes, or even a couple of seconds. It showed places from around the world and inspiring moments, and brought tears to my eyes. It also showed some of the worlds worst moments, like death, war, and killing. At first I felt forlorn over the images of wrongs that existed in our world, but I was also reminded of the beauty it holds in everyday moments and wonders experienced only once in a lifetime.
Now this movie was based on a book, and taking from many, many, MANY past experiences of book to movie failures, I can say this movie did not completely fall short. Sure enough, it did not exactly follow the book, but that wasn’t technically a bad thing. The book by itself is wonderful, and the movie by itself is just as good. All the messages in the book were included in the movie, the movie just incorporated more visual support for the memories, more action scenes, and more perspectives from all the characters.
Brenton Thwaites stars as Jonas, the main character of the movie. This australian actor does seem to look too old for the character from the book, but I think you can forgive him once you see his acting. His character is like the bridge between two worlds and he is fighting to bring them together. His emotional transition throughout the movie was rather astonishing, as his character developed in dramatic ways.
Jeff Bridges was wonderful as The Giver, leading Jonas to discover new things about the world. His character had very deep, emotional scenes such as when we see the last Receiver of Memory choose death because of a horrible memory The Giver had shown to her. Meryl Streep played the Chief Elder, showing she is always the best antagonist. Her ability to go from a calm demeanor to harsh punishment works wonderfully with her character.
This movie was a joy to watch. If you haven’t read the book, I highly recommend it. It is a series of books so hopefully they will continue to produce the movies of the series.
4/5 Stars.
