REVIEW: THE GIVER
In a year where the most anticipated movie franchise is The Hunger Games, the movie coming out this weekend is The Maze Runner, and Divergent is one of its more successful films, what a wonderfully refreshing surprise it is to see The Giver, a sci-fi action(ish) movie based on a beloved young adult book. They're really changing things up here in 2014.
All joking aside, I was actually pretty excited to hear a few months ago that "The Giver" was finally getting its dues. The novel we all had to read sometime or another as tweens (for me it was fifth grade) gets the silver screen adaptation. And full disclosure, that is the last time I've read "The Giver." For me it was a complicated time, and I have memories of lying on my beanbag chair, reading that final chapter, wondering what the book was all about. It certainly wasn't "Magic Treehouse" or "The Bailey School Kids," no this was definitely a young adult book, emphasis on adult. Critics hadn't been the kindest to it so far, or audiences for that matter, but when you put my childhood onscreen, I will pay money to see how you translate it.
And the results are; pretty well! I'm a little surprised by the critical dismissal, but not all surprised by the lack of enthusiasm for audiences. This book is a tough sell to put on the screen and have it appeal to the general public, even though most of us kids born in the 90s are familiar with the text. It doesn't help having new faces come along for the ride: ask your kid if they know Brenton Thwaites, Odeya Rush or Cameron Monaghan. But all-time greats like Jeff Bridges and Meryl Streep in your movie don't hurt it either. The two legends are the second best thing about this movie, Streep playing the sorta/kinda antagonistic Chief Elder, who, in this dystopian, "peaceful" society, gives Jonas (Thwaites) the role of the Memory Receiver, to obtain memories of the past from the Giver (Jeff Bridges).
I'm simplifying it hear, because it's honestly hard to communicate to a casual viewer if they're not familiar with the book. But the visuals, especially the black and white cinematography early on in the film, are to be commended. Bicycles, drones, injectors for "medicinal" purposes, all cool aspects to this future where everyone gets assigned a job when they're young and is happy forever, or at least numb and ignorant to the world before them. But let's get to the real star here: the score. Bravo Marco Beltrami, whose work here is Oscar-worthy as he accompanies the film's more whimsical moments with an equally nostalgic, swelling score. Known for mostly horror films, Beltrami deserves some hardware here, because a movie's music hasn't hit me so much since Gravity!
Otherwise, though the story is unique in some ways, in others it couldn't be more generic, following the path of a someone who knows too much movie down to a T. The acting by Rush, Monaghan, and phew, especially Katie Holmes as the mother, is occasionally wooden, and there's at least one unintentionally funny moment where Jonas is playing with little Gabriel, who you'll see to realize is a very important part of The Giver if you're unfamiliar with it. So while it may be more up your bookish, teenage neighbor's alley, give The Giver a shot, you may just end up surprising yourself with how good it is.
Rating: 2.5/4 stars
All joking aside, I was actually pretty excited to hear a few months ago that "The Giver" was finally getting its dues. The novel we all had to read sometime or another as tweens (for me it was fifth grade) gets the silver screen adaptation. And full disclosure, that is the last time I've read "The Giver." For me it was a complicated time, and I have memories of lying on my beanbag chair, reading that final chapter, wondering what the book was all about. It certainly wasn't "Magic Treehouse" or "The Bailey School Kids," no this was definitely a young adult book, emphasis on adult. Critics hadn't been the kindest to it so far, or audiences for that matter, but when you put my childhood onscreen, I will pay money to see how you translate it.
I'm simplifying it hear, because it's honestly hard to communicate to a casual viewer if they're not familiar with the book. But the visuals, especially the black and white cinematography early on in the film, are to be commended. Bicycles, drones, injectors for "medicinal" purposes, all cool aspects to this future where everyone gets assigned a job when they're young and is happy forever, or at least numb and ignorant to the world before them. But let's get to the real star here: the score. Bravo Marco Beltrami, whose work here is Oscar-worthy as he accompanies the film's more whimsical moments with an equally nostalgic, swelling score. Known for mostly horror films, Beltrami deserves some hardware here, because a movie's music hasn't hit me so much since Gravity!
Otherwise, though the story is unique in some ways, in others it couldn't be more generic, following the path of a someone who knows too much movie down to a T. The acting by Rush, Monaghan, and phew, especially Katie Holmes as the mother, is occasionally wooden, and there's at least one unintentionally funny moment where Jonas is playing with little Gabriel, who you'll see to realize is a very important part of The Giver if you're unfamiliar with it. So while it may be more up your bookish, teenage neighbor's alley, give The Giver a shot, you may just end up surprising yourself with how good it is.
Rating: 2.5/4 stars
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