The Giver (2014) Review

The Giver

The Giver is based on the famous 1993 novel written by Lois Lowry. The Giver takes place in a utopian/dystopian future where the memories of the past have been erased from history and every citizen’s feelings are suppressed. I read the book a couple years ago, but I never got into it like some other hardcore fans. You know, like the people that build shrines praising the book and who sacrifice goats and other domesticated animals in its name because it’s the best book of all time?

That isn’t me.

Actually, I’m really getting tired of the whole dystopian future theme that has been smothering the movie industry recently. There are so many movies out there that aren’t “based” on books, but steal multiple aspects from several books in order to create a genuinely interesting and somewhat original film.

The best example of this I can think of is the movie Equilibrium. Starring Christian Bale (a.k.a. Batman), Equilibrium is like a cross between Fahrenheit 451, The Matrix, and, of course, The Giver. The film didn’t receive good ratings because it “stole” ideas, but I find that it takes the best qualities from each source, and has become one of my favorite movies of all time.

*Sigh* But I digress. Let’s get back to the review.

Plot

Main character Jonas “Last Name Here” is a young boy who has always know that there is “something more” and when he assigned to be the new “receiver of memories” of his community. He then becomes the padawan for the current owner of memories/ the giver: Jeff Bridges. After discovering how unfair and oppressive the government is being, Jonas steals a baby, and trek through some of the harshest climates in the surrounding area in order to somehow return all the memories to the citizens of the community.

The movie actually follows the book pretty well, with the exception of something called a Boundary of Memory, which, if passed by a receiver of memory, will return all the memories to common populace. This mechanic’s sole purpose is to give Jonas a goal as he travels across the wilderness with a baby. That he stole!

The biggest problem I had with the film was the definitive ending. In the novel, the reader is left with a Inception sort of ending, left to decide for themselves what really happened. This movie absolutely destroys that notion by basically saying, “This is definitely how it happened and there is no other interpretation.” By prohibiting each viewer from having a different experience, The Giver goes against its own theme of individuality, along with ruining what made the book so special.

Acting/Dialogue

The Giver introduces some new talent in the form of young actors. Besides Jeff Bridges, Meryl Streep, and a few other big names, the film mostly features unknown youth. I’m sure some of these young and talented will go on to do great things, because they all demonstrate their skill in this film.

I thought the dialogue was a bit rushed. There are some great lines delivered by Bridges, but overall the movie was very to the point.

SFX/Action

The community and scenery of the movie look great. The movie starts in black and white, but as Jonas unlocks the ability to see color, the world brightens up and becomes quite beautiful.

A couple of the CGI aircrafts look kind of crappy, and the film lacks any action or fight scenes whatsoever. Actually, there is one scene where some guards storm Jeff Bridges’ house, but he doesn’t put up much of a fight and ends up flopping on the ground after being tased.

Award Time!

Best Performance: Jeff Bridges for his role as The Giver.

Best Character: The Giver

Best Baby: Saige Fernandes for his/her performance as Gabriel at 6 months.

Conclusion

As a novel, there is no doubt that the The Giver has influenced the sci-fi genre today. But as a film, The Giver just doesn’t live up to expectations. I ironically give The Giver a 7.5/10. It was good, but not great.