The Giver Directed by Philip Noyce: a Review

The movie The Giver, was published on August 24, 2014. The atmosphere of the community is like a dystopian community taking place in the year 2048. The people in the community have no idea what “the real world” is actually like, only what they have been taught, almost like a dictatorship. In the community only one person has the privilege to have memories, the Receiver of Memory. Phillip Noyce did a very good job directing the movie and hitting almost every aspect of the book. I thought that the movie was a pretty good copy of the book.

The movie did a pretty good job representing the book and how the society is being represented as a whole. The movie started out with a black and white almost a sepia effect. The outlook of the perspective of all of the characters except for one. The government in the community was almost like a dictatorship, keeping tabs, on everyone and everything they do. The society the people in which the people are apart of is a very censored and an abnormal community. Strict rules were placed to keep order, and “protect” them from harms way.

As far as the adaptation of characters in the movie, I thought there were some drastic changes made in a few of these characters. Odeya Rush (Fiona), Brenton Thwaites (Jonas), and Cameron Monaghan (Asher), were presented as older than they were in the book. At the age of 18, they were chosen there jobs. The receiver, drone pilot, and nurturer. Moving along with the movie, Jonas starts getting more and more stirrings about Fiona. Jonas fantasized over Fiona, his stirrings started growing stronger. Jonas eventually knew that if he could make it to the end, he would not only be helping himself, but showing everyone in the community there is more to the world then what the Chief elder is putting off, or telling them.

Some of the characters were casted very well, and did an accurate job portraying the characters from the book. Others not so much, almost as if they were awkwardly playing their part, or unsure of something. Brenton Thwaites, played the most accurate part, Jonas. Everything about his character, Thwaites portrayed in a very simple and modest version of Jonas. Odeya Rush played Fiona in a more modest, and subtle way. Keeping Fiona accurate but yet, she had a very modern twist. Jonas’ main goal was to prove to everyone there was something beyond their community. On the other hand Cameron Monaghan did not act as if he should of been casted as Asher. I feel as if Monaghan should have been casted as someone else. Everything about his character was almost in an awkward stage, but the awkward stage never left.

Keeping the book in mind when writing the movie, I thought that the movie left out some very important aspects of the book. In the book before every meal they would share a dream they had, talked about the dream, and explained about the dream. The movie also skips over the younger kids having a comfort object. Lilly’s object was what they called a “hippo” which in reality was an elephant. When watching the movie it was moving very quickly, almost too quick. Keeping in mind everything flowed right, but almost made to the point of confusion.

Overall I thought the movie was okay. Everything was portrayed in an all right way, but there could have been ways of improvement. Keeping information the same in transition from book to movie is complicated. Even though thing’s were left out, or new things were added, it gave the movie more of a dramatic effect, and keep the movie suspenseful and yet still entertaining. In the end Phillip Noyce did an alright job on the movie.