The Giver

Somehow this 2014 film slipped by me.  (To be honest, a lot of things have slipped by me in the past few years).  Since it got very iffy reviews I didn't put it high on the list.  That was a mistake.  In my humble opinion, it is great.  Strong cast and well directed, there is little to pick on.  The struggle, I think, is a typical one.  When you have an award-winning, classic book, people who love the book will never like the film version because a two hour movie just can't capture all the subtleties of a book.  And for those who haven't read the book (yeah, you should really read the book) you might feel a little lost.  In this shorter film there isn't a lot of time given to exposition, so the viewers have to jump right in.  It's an amazing book and there is a reason it is still being read all these years later.  The issues it deals with are complex and film isn't always the best medium for complexity.  That being said, the director (Phillip Noyce) does a good job of finding the right balance.  He incorporates modern news footage into the "memory" sequences which gives context to the messages the Giver is trying to share with Jonas but he also keeps the pace up.  For me, the film works because it honors the ideas and concepts of the book but allows the film to be a different entity and that, I think, is the best you can do when taking a book to film.  As long as you can appreciate the difference between a movie and a book, this is totally worth the time.  (PS, on a very similar note, check out the Wonder film).