Not another teen movie...
I had no idea this movie was being made. Or maybe I did, but I lost track of it in the scheme of things. But after seeing the first trailers, I kind of sighed at what they have done to this novel.
The Plot
In the distant future in a community where everyone is truly equal, young Jonas (Brenton Thwaites) discovers on his graduation day that he is given a special task. He is to be the Receiver of Memory, a special position that ensures order in the community, and have training under the current Receiver of Memory (Jeff Bridges) who becomes The Giver. Through him, Jonas discovers a world of color, emotions, history, and music that have been kept away from the community in order to ensure equality. But as Jonas begins to question if losing these traits make a better world, the community elder (Meryl Streep) grows suspicious that Jonas may bring down the order that they have strived for years to create and maintain.
Analysis
I've always wanted to see this turned into a movie ever since I was made to read it during my eighth grade English class. I knew of the book prior to being assigned to read it. That ominous black and white cover of a bearded old man looking past to some place beyond. Somehow I knew it had something to do with science fiction because the image reminded me of Galileo. And when I read it, I was exactly right. And it was my first exposure to a different kind of science fiction. The kind that really can get a child to question the world and start delving into how much free will is a part of our lives. And most importantly, it was about the relationship between a young boy and an elderly man.
It is a story that has been seen and told over and over again. But in this story, it is told with a literal passing of knowledge from the elder to the younger. A child created in a naive world learns the harsh realities of the real world from his elder. It is one of the prime stories and told excellently in novel form, becoming one of my favorites in the process. Which is why for this to finally come to the big screen, means I will have an extreme critical eye.
Review
This is a passion project for actor, Jeff Bridges. He's been wanting to adapt this book for almost two decades, yet only now can it finally be made. Why? Because of The Hunger Games. I'm being serious. The only reason why this movie can exist now, is because of the success of The Hunger Games. Which is a shame because other than a dystopian future setting, the novel that this film is based on is nothing like The Hunger Games. You can probably already tell where most of my criticism will stem from.
I usually don't mind if a movie deviates from the source material. I'm still waiting for the day a Superman movie will portray Superman as an alien monster instead of a handsome man. But for this adaptation, the changes don't seem to be in favor of the movie but rather to compete with other young adult movies. From the handsome and beautiful teenage protagonists, to the sleek futuristic technology, to the ominous presidential antagonist, even down to the color scheme and shots used to make this film mimic the look of all the other young adult movies since. It is a real shame, because this movie would've benefited by staying closer to the source material rather than changing it to fit the mold of all the other young adult movies. I would've been fine with changes, but the changes in this film are so obviously made to look like other young adult movies that it is almost insulting.
For someone who hasn't read the book, this will be a fairly good time with good performances from Brenton Thwaites and Jeff Bridges as Jonas and The Giver. Even newcomer Odeya Rush who plays Fiona does a fine job with the role she was given. Everyone else however is rather dull. The problem is, they're suppose to be dull. They're suppose to be soulless, as this is a world devoid of emotion. It is a standard dystopian future movie that shows the danger of true equality and sameness with a protagonist who breaks the mold. It is a movie about rebellion that is... (sigh)... similar to The Hunger Games, Divergent, and possibly The Maze Runner. Because of that, this movie will entertain, but will be forgotten the moment you walk out of the cinema. It isn't bad, its just you won't remember watching it. This is a bad thing to hear for someone who has read the book.
The film changes the book from a character study and interaction between a 12 year old boy (turned 16 or 18 years old in the film) and an Elderly Man into a movie about teenage romance and the need to rebel to destroy the governing society with an action packed third act. The fact that I said action packed third act should automatically tell readers that it has been changed to include some form of action. There is no intense action in the book. There is no teenage romance in the book. There is no overbearing antagonist in the book. There is no government conspiracy that keeps an eye on Jonas the entire time. All of those things are found in the movie to add more tension to a book that is really about a boy and an old man. Hell, Meryl Streep's character is never even seen in the book, only mentioned. In the movie she is an antagonistic force, while in the book no such antagonistic force exists. All these things added into the book do make for a more compelling movie had it been executed without the need to make it look like a young adult film. It could've been done better, and the changes could've enhanced it. But because of the way it looks and the forced teenage romance, it fails to be something memorable.
Final Thoughts
If you're a fan of the book, you'll be greatly disappointed that the relationship between Jonas and The Giver has been dwindled down to just a montage instead of a bulk of the film. If you're not and just an average movie goer, then this will be a nice watch but you won't remember it exists a few days after watching it. This should be a memorable film, but because of the way it looks and the changes made to give it the young adult stamp, it becomes a forgettable film. Not a bad film. Just forgettable.
SCORE: 5/10 - You'll like it, but you won't remember it.
It is a story that has been seen and told over and over again. But in this story, it is told with a literal passing of knowledge from the elder to the younger. A child created in a naive world learns the harsh realities of the real world from his elder. It is one of the prime stories and told excellently in novel form, becoming one of my favorites in the process. Which is why for this to finally come to the big screen, means I will have an extreme critical eye.
Review
This is a passion project for actor, Jeff Bridges. He's been wanting to adapt this book for almost two decades, yet only now can it finally be made. Why? Because of The Hunger Games. I'm being serious. The only reason why this movie can exist now, is because of the success of The Hunger Games. Which is a shame because other than a dystopian future setting, the novel that this film is based on is nothing like The Hunger Games. You can probably already tell where most of my criticism will stem from.
I usually don't mind if a movie deviates from the source material. I'm still waiting for the day a Superman movie will portray Superman as an alien monster instead of a handsome man. But for this adaptation, the changes don't seem to be in favor of the movie but rather to compete with other young adult movies. From the handsome and beautiful teenage protagonists, to the sleek futuristic technology, to the ominous presidential antagonist, even down to the color scheme and shots used to make this film mimic the look of all the other young adult movies since. It is a real shame, because this movie would've benefited by staying closer to the source material rather than changing it to fit the mold of all the other young adult movies. I would've been fine with changes, but the changes in this film are so obviously made to look like other young adult movies that it is almost insulting.
For someone who hasn't read the book, this will be a fairly good time with good performances from Brenton Thwaites and Jeff Bridges as Jonas and The Giver. Even newcomer Odeya Rush who plays Fiona does a fine job with the role she was given. Everyone else however is rather dull. The problem is, they're suppose to be dull. They're suppose to be soulless, as this is a world devoid of emotion. It is a standard dystopian future movie that shows the danger of true equality and sameness with a protagonist who breaks the mold. It is a movie about rebellion that is... (sigh)... similar to The Hunger Games, Divergent, and possibly The Maze Runner. Because of that, this movie will entertain, but will be forgotten the moment you walk out of the cinema. It isn't bad, its just you won't remember watching it. This is a bad thing to hear for someone who has read the book.
The film changes the book from a character study and interaction between a 12 year old boy (turned 16 or 18 years old in the film) and an Elderly Man into a movie about teenage romance and the need to rebel to destroy the governing society with an action packed third act. The fact that I said action packed third act should automatically tell readers that it has been changed to include some form of action. There is no intense action in the book. There is no teenage romance in the book. There is no overbearing antagonist in the book. There is no government conspiracy that keeps an eye on Jonas the entire time. All of those things are found in the movie to add more tension to a book that is really about a boy and an old man. Hell, Meryl Streep's character is never even seen in the book, only mentioned. In the movie she is an antagonistic force, while in the book no such antagonistic force exists. All these things added into the book do make for a more compelling movie had it been executed without the need to make it look like a young adult film. It could've been done better, and the changes could've enhanced it. But because of the way it looks and the forced teenage romance, it fails to be something memorable.
Final Thoughts
If you're a fan of the book, you'll be greatly disappointed that the relationship between Jonas and The Giver has been dwindled down to just a montage instead of a bulk of the film. If you're not and just an average movie goer, then this will be a nice watch but you won't remember it exists a few days after watching it. This should be a memorable film, but because of the way it looks and the changes made to give it the young adult stamp, it becomes a forgettable film. Not a bad film. Just forgettable.
SCORE: 5/10 - You'll like it, but you won't remember it.
No comments:
Post a Comment