In a community where everything and everyone is free from an extreme measure of fear and worry, Jonas is picked to be "The Receiver of Memories." He meets the The Giver who is to give the memories of the past to him. Once he receives those memories, he wonders as to why things like sleds and snow and colors are nonexistent in their time. The Giver explains that the elders (the people in charge) took them away in order to be "safe." Jonas decides to do something about this. Will he succeed?
Pros-
This is an actual quote from Lois Lowry, writer of the original book this movie was based on. So, is the movie like the book? This, in most people's minds, determines as to whether it was a good film. Whether I agree with that statement or not, yes, it is, for the most part, like the book. For those of who have read the book, the story is somewhat the same. You have Jonas learning about the past, and the and The Giver making plans to release the memories and such.
There are notable changes such as their ages. In the book they are for the majority of the time around twelve-years-old. In the movie however, they are, as best as I can tell, around seventeen-years-old. I don't look to this as so much a bad thing, though some may prefer their younger selves. They also have many plot lines that were not explored too much in the book, but are explored here in great detail; which I actually really liked. As far as effects wise, this movie was kinda cool, though it looked as if it was, for lack of a better word, "copying" other movies made prior to them. For example: The room where everyone is being selected for there jobs, looks almost identical to the room in which Tris selects Dauntless in Divergent.
The color (gray) is very much how I pictured it in the book. And I appreciated it's journey from the gray to all the different colors. The acting for the most part is well done. Though, I enjoyed the child actors much more than the adult actors.
Cons-
It just was not as good as I wanted it to be. As I said, I read the book. I actually read it because I saw that this movie was coming out, and I wanted to read the book before the movie. I read the book in one day, for Pete's sake! I ran away from all the news and reviews coming off of this movie, I watched it a day after it come out. I was expecting it to be great! Especially after reading the book, which I liked. And, I suppose that was the problem. My hopes were too high. Am I saying it wasn't a good movie? No, not at all. It was a alright movie. I was just expecting a great one. As for the bad, there wasn't anything that made me just absolutely mad. They were a few changes in the story line I didn't care for. And some stuff that they changed made no sense as to why they would change it. But, it just wasn't great. It could have been a lot better. It felt as if it was trying to be like other movies in its genre like Divergent or The Hunger Games, but it paid too much attention to that, and not to making a great film. You know why The Hunger Games and Divergent work? Because they are both an experience. You watch The Hunger Games and you almost think you are inside of it. The area, Katniss, Peeta, The Capitol, it all feels real.
That's because of good story telling, and well thought out plot lines and special effect that aren't just for lookin' pretty, but for bringing you into the story. The Giver was almost just flat compared to other movies of its genre. Some may think I'm wrong to compare The Giver to The Hunger Games but wouldn't you compare The Hobbit to The Lord of the Rings? Now, I still like the movie, and I may even see it again perhaps when it comes to Redbox. But, a really bad movie in my opinion is one that misses an opportunity. The book had so much going for it, and the film just missed the train.
Final Thoughts-
If you are a fan of the genre or the book, I would probably go see it. Odds are you'll find at least one thing you like about it. Otherwise, I wouldn't be so sure.
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Story- 8/10
Though they changed some stuff, it wasn't enough to change the story completely.
Main Characters- 710
The guy that played Jonas and the girl that played Fiona were actually enjoyable, but people like The Giver wasn't as enjoyable.
Side Characters- 5/10
Nothing really special. Jonas' Mom and Dad (who I really liked in the book) I didn't like here. Again, flat.
Villain- 5/10
Again, nothing special. I expected a bit more from Meryl Streep as the Chief Elder.
Effects/Animation- 6/10
Good, but I've seen a lot better.
Songs/Score- 3/10
Did not notice it at all.
Entertainment Factor- 7/10
With all it's faults, I still enjoyed it enough for me to one day watch it again, (not soon, though).
Total Score- 58%
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