Book-to-Movie Review: The Giver, and How it Kind of Surprised Me

Some of you may remember my post last week on 6 Reasons Why I'm Terrified to See the Giver Movie. You may also remember my crazy ranty-ness throughout the post and through other social media avenues the past few weeks as I re-read and reviewed The Giver and had a lot of time to think about everything. I was thoroughly convinced that I would hate every single aspect of the movie and that we'd have a repeat of Beautiful Creatures (I really should write a review on that one for reference, huh?).

I went to see the movie last Friday night with my cousin who grew up on The Giver as I did and had crazy high expectations, and my sister who recently read The Giver for the first time and didn't hold the crazy love in her heart for it like I do, and had little to no expectations. Basically, here's what happened.

THE BEGINNING: My first impressions

As I expected, the beginning started off a lot like Divergent, talking about times of great unrest or something like that. They showed this weird map of the community which I of course scoffed at. The map showed many communities, not just one, and it was this whole strange set up. It looked a bit like a floating island in the sky. That then reminded me of a book by Lauren DeStefano, Perfect Ruin, which indeed was about a floating island in the sky - and the government constantly referring to people as being "lost to the edge" or something to that effect. It was weird - out of place. They could've done anything else to reinforce the fact that the community was isolated and that once you got past the border, memories would go back to the people living there. There was no need for the floating island look with fog around the border. At all.

I was annoyed already, but it was hard to stay mad when I started getting choked up at Jonas' "graduation" ceremony (aka Ceremony of Twelve - because Jonas is like 18 in the movie). It was modern and weird and aged up, but I still couldn't stop the chills skating up my spine at hearing the community chant his name when he was selected.

THE ROMANCE: Did it really affect the story?

I will admit it distracted the crap out of me. I think the movie would have stood just fine if they had played up Jonas lusting after Fiona, developing feelings of "love" as described in the book, but I think the mistake came from making her have feelings back, making her skip her injections, making her rebel, too. Like I mentioned in my post last week, in reality, Jonas would've only had someone else's memory to go off of, and Fiona would have had nothing. Hormones maybe, but don't we think that after living life the way they did, they wouldn't just jump into a romance with ease? I mean, Fiona was freaked out, but I don't think she was freaked out enough considering how things ended up.

I stand by what I said - the actual romance should've been out. Let Jonas feel how he feels, but watching him try to make out with this chick because he had someone else's memories of love and people kissing was just too much.

ASHER WAS A PILOT?: Of all the WTF-ery!

When the kids were assigned their jobs, Fiona was assigned Nurturer. Oh, wait, you noticed something wrong with that, too? Yeah, she was not a Nurturer in the book, she was a Caretaker of the Old. This didn't bother me all that much just because the Nurturing Center played somewhat of a part in story. But Asher, our dear Asher was assigned as a Pilot who flew out of the community limits, probably to deliver things to other communities, but not outside of the real boundaries. Our irresponsible friend almost instantly turns serious, abiding by the rules that Jonas is developing a distaste for. This adds for some extra drama when - gasp - Asher has to hunt down his own friend when Jonas tries to escape. It was wayyyy overdone and not necessary. I think the near-capture scenes would've been just fine if they altered things a little and left that tidbit out. Does it effect anything all that much? No, but like I said, way overdone and it was another thing that made me roll my eyes.

WHAT I LOVED: Yes, there were actual things I enjoyed!

Even with the things I didn't enjoy, e.g., the romance and the overly modern nonsense that you can see right from the trailer, a good portion of the movie stayed marginally close to the book. Surprise, surprise.

I loved Jonas' passion for the memories, the world as he's never seen before, his passion for love and happiness and doing what is right. Brenton Thwaites really pulled this off well. In the book, Jonas' passion doesn't develop until later on, whereas in the movie it's almost instantaneous after Jonas becomes the Receiver, but it was wonderful to watch his thought process play out (even if it was on fast forward).

The acting was on par. In fact, it was above par. Brenton Thwaites did a lovely job as Jonas. I especially loved Odeya Rush as Fiona. Yes, I thought Fiona has too much of a part, but Rush was fantastic playing what was given to her. She got me all worked up at the end. Katie Holmes, Alexander Skarsgård, they were fantastic. TayTay (Swift), however, whom I adore because she's so adorable, was just alright playing Rosemary, a character that had no real part in the book.

I did struggle a bit with Meryl Streep. Not because of the acting - obviously Meryl Streep is a goddess and is amazing. I just struggled because she was another character who has a significantly smaller part that was played way up. It added to the drama and excitement but she was not a likeable character, so that was hard for me.

JEFF BRIDGES. Oh my heart, Jeff Bridges. He played the Giver and he was amazing. He made the movie for me. He was absolutely brilliant. He was exactly what I imagined, though maybe a tad younger and a tad more groomed than the book-Giver. He is one of the main reasons I didn't hate this movie, or why I actually kind of enjoyed it. Jeff Bridges brought the Giver's character to a new level but not like all the other characters, by adding in things about them that aren't true. He was just... perfect. He was another character who brought me to tears.

Which leads me to the main reason I actually kind of enjoyed the movie: THE MEMORIES. The most perfect parts of this movie were the parts that were actually adapted directly from the book. Watching Jonas receive memories was so fun (like his first memory of the sled, or of being on a boat in the ocean at sunset), but then the movie did this thing: it showed a montage memories, of what the world is. We see everything, people dancing, laughing, crying, praying, going to concerts and parties, having babies, dealing with heartbreak, fighting a war, EVERYTHING. Everything that makes this world beautiful and horrible all at once. Let me also point out how beautiful and appropriate it was for them to end of the montages on a picture of Nelson Mandela. Freaking brilliant. It was the one of the most moving things I've ever seen and every time they showed it, I was tearing up like a fool.

OVERALL: It got the point across

All I could think of when we left besides "I don't know what to think" (which is what a ton of people were saying when it was over) was that Lowry was right. Before I went to see the movie, the production company tweeted me a link to a video of Lois Lowry talking about the adaptation:

She mentions how true the movie stays to the book. I remember watching this clip last week before the movie and thinking, psht, how could you call that staying true to the book? Like, was she even watching the same clips that I was?

But after watching I know exactly what she meant. They changed a lot, they really did, and in my opinion some of it was so simple and it didn't even need to be changed (like the weird birthmarks in place of light-colored eyes on the ones who could see/hear Beyond). But still, she was right. I could plainly see that the movie still delivered its message: making people think about what is important, making people appreciate the world in all of its beauty and glory, realizing that we can't forget our history no matter what horrible things have happened, we need to learn from it in order to grow and be better people. If we forget the bad, we lose the good, too. We lose what makes life worth living. I may not have loved the execution but it stayed so true to Lowry's core values and message in the book that I couldn't be mad.

SHOULD YOU GO SEE IT?

Well... that's for you to decide. Like I said, they've changed a lot. If random little changes, the romance and overly-modern work and rebellion are going to bother you that much then honestly, no. I'm not saying you should pass it up entirely, I'm just saying wait for red box, rather than spending 10 bucks to go see it.

If you're more generous like me and you can see past Hollywood's need to make everything more sexy and exciting and focus on the amazing beautiful scenes between Jonas and the Giver which really made the movie for me, then I say yes. It's only 10 bucks right? And if you're as big of a fan as I am, even though some things will down right piss you off, you'll still find that it did its job. Oh and, FYI, for any changes or stupid things I didn't mention specifically, you can just assume that it wasn't important enough to make any kind of impression on me, and if you see this adaptation at all like I do, then those things won't really matter to you either.

And finally, for those of you who haven't read the book and don't plan to, GO SEE THIS MOVIE (even though I'd really love it if you read the book, too). If you have nothing to base it off of, I promise you, you will love it. The things that annoyed me will seem like nothing if you don't have anything to compare to. It's action packed, meaningful, well done as far as production and acting go, and its overall a good movie when it's totally separated from the book.

If I had a chance to re-do the movie, of course there are things I'd change - lots of things. But there are also things I'd leave exactly the same (the memories, mainly, and the wonderfulness that is Jeff Bridges). The Giver movie really, really surprised me by not being the complete disaster I was expecting. I honestly think I'll be going to see it again, to analyze a bit more.

Did you go see the Giver movie yet? What did you think - and were you a fan of the book first? If you haven't seen it, what do think about the trailers and other reviews? Do you think you will go see it or are you staunchly against this adaptation? I can't wait to hear what you thought!

A.

6 Reasons Why I'm Terrified to See The Giver Movie

It feels like I've been waiting centuries for this movie to come out. I remember being a teenager and hearing rumors (over 10 years ago) about a possible adaptation "coming soon" and I remember freaking out and fan girling (though I don't think fan girling was a term) like crazy. I also remember being severely disappointed when year after year passed and nothing came of it. I held out hope though. I had faith.

Then BAM. Last year I found out that The Giver really was becoming a movie and I just about pooped my pants. I'm trying to remember when I saw the first Giver trailer. I was definitely at the premier for another movie - possibly Hunger Games? Or maybe it wasn't until TFIOS, I don't remember, but anyway - I was so excited because it was the freaking Giver.... yet I felt a twinge of wariness in the pit of my stomach. It annoyed me a bit, too, because I was busy trying to love the shit out of that trailer but I could tell that something was off - it was too different from what I'd pictured.

Let me clear the air first - I am incredibly generous when it comes to reviewing book-to-movie adaptations. I am used to changes, I am fine with cutting out unimportant things or things having to be moved around for the transition to the big screen. I take every adaptation with a grain of salt and with the understanding that things aren't going to look and play out the exact way they did in my head. Need proof? Dude, I liked Vampire Academy. Enough said.

Maybe I'm being irrational and holding on to my childhood/teenage ideals as far as what The Giver movie should undoubtedly be rather than accepting what it is, and maybe I am this close to throwing a massive book-related tantrum, but it's The Giver. THE GIVER!! You know as well as I do that this movie is going to blow and HARD. Here's why:

1.    Too modern: I understand and appreciate that the adaptation needs to speak  to the now and speak to its target audience, rather than to the young adults (by that I mean actual young adults such as my self, in their 20s) and middle aged readers who read this back when the book was written, but it's not even staying remotely true to the book! With hovercrafts and sleek buildings, unnecessary techologies, injections (rather than pills) - it's all just too modern. Have we forsaken the simplicity and bleakness and "innocence" that is The Giver? I guess the writers/directors figured that since they made part of the movie in black and white, that was all they needed to capture the concept of Sameness but no. It's just all wrong.

Why are they on a poster together?! Fiona doesn't
even frickin' matter!!!!!!!!

2.     A Romance!?: Am I suffering delusions right now or are there scenes with Jonas and Fiona frickin' kissing?!?! Just ...no. For the love of all that is holy - whyyy!? I get that Jonas is older in the movie because no one is interested in a twelve year old playing this role and I've accepted that but adding in the element of romance and a connection that is barely even thought of in the book does it a huge injustice. Even if book-Jonas had more than just some fleeting thoughts about Fiona, he wouldn't have even begun to know how to have any kind of romance or probably even want one. Because no one had those feelings or types of relationships in their community! It would've been all new to him except through memories given to him from the Giver! Not to mention that there are so many more important things going on in this book that, other than the fact that love and other feelings are suppressed by the society (which, yes, is a pretty important aspect), romance just cannot be. It can't exist in the context of what is important in the story.

3.    A Rebellion!?: The few scenes I've had the opportunity to watch make Jonas seem... rebellious. There's Jonas telling Fiona to skip her morning injections (because he's secretly been doing the same, but WTF because in the book Jonas is told to skip his pills), and Streep declares that Jonas is dangerous, when again WTF because no. He isn't looking to incite rebellion! He just wants to make things right, and he doesn't even come to that conclusion until right before the end!

4.     Seems like a sequel to Divergent: It seems as if every YA dystopian adaptation starts with a reference to "Before" but Jonas doesn't even learn about Before until mid-book and no one, I repeat, no one understands the concept of Before or even cares. It's not part of the book until Jonas learns about it from the Giver which he then passes on to no one but an infant, and to add it into the movie as though it is the motto of the community, blah blah blah a Time of Great Suffering and there was a Solution, communities and no choices, blah-blah-blahdy-blah, is not only blasphemous, but sounds exactly like the opening lines to Divergent and that little video they play at the reaping in Hunger Games. Not to mention when Meryl Streep says something like "When people have the freedom to choose, they choose wrong." Much like the concept of the test in Divergent that divides people into their factions. Add in all the rebellion and the romance and it just seems like The Giver is trying to cash in on the success of Divergent and other YA dystopians that are so popular right now. That'd be wonderful except for the fact that they are cashing in on something that doesnt exist in the book! At least Divergent and The Hunger Games stayed true to their cores and what the books are actually about.

Let me say again before I continue, in case you think I'm being nitpicky and irrational and freaking out because "movies are not like books" - I am okay with changes in book-to-movie adaptations that make it easier for books to be transitioned to the big screen. I am not okay with movies that change the fundamental ideas of a book to make more money off of it.

5.     It's (practically) all made up: I was watching PLL last night and there was a "special sneak peek" or whatever it's called of The Giver movie showing the scene where Jonas tries to convince Fiona not to take her injections. I mentioned this above but my outrage now is over the fact that the scene they showed, along with some of the things Jonas mentions (like sneakily skipping his injections) don't happen in the book at all. Actually, that conversation never even remotely happens! How about Jonas and Fiona kissing? I mentioned that before too and it's not even a little true. It's made up. Oh, how about when they show Jonas being captured - scooped up by a hovercraft/plane thingy (just like in Catching Fire!), because um WHAT? Ohhh and how about when the elders (Meryl Streep, etc.) freaking have the nerve to question the Giver himself and tell him he "should have known better"? Once again, we're losing the entire point of the book, we're losing the concept of Sameness and how clueless the community, including its Elders, really are. No one is looking to start a revolution here! NONE OF THIS HAPPENS! IT'S ALL MADE UP!!

6.     My Childhood will be Ruined: Not only do I hate a bad adaptation (ahem Beautiful Creatures, I'm lookin' at you) which is bad enough all on its own, but I grew up on this book. 7th grade English class was never the same after I read this book. This was the one and only book I was ever assigned in middle and high school that I went out and bought myself (I liked my elementary school reads), went back and re-read on my own. This was the first book I ever really loved, and now it's being butchered in the public eye and made out to be just like everything else when it is not. What upsets me more is that the people who tend to get into certain books or become part of fandoms because of the movie releases (bandwagoners, yes, but I can't be mad due to the fact that they are actually reading or enjoying the stories I've loved for so long) will see this movie, will think "oh no, not another Divergent/Hunger Games/YA dystopian book-to-movie" and will be missing out on one of the best books I've ever been blessed enough to read. DAMN YOU HOLLYWOOD!

Why don't you see for yourselves:

I think my tantrum and the trailer were enough to show you what I mean, yes? Basically, if you want to like this movie, don't read the book. But if you want something better than what's already out there, better than just another money-making copy of all the popular YA books/movies, read The Giver. If you don't, you'll be missing out, I can promise you that. And, no, I'm not going to say "then don't see the movie". Obviously I can't tell the future. Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe this will be the biggest, baddest adaptation to ever grace the screen. Unfortunately, evidence points to the opposite, but in either event, I am going to see The Giver this Friday when it comes out, (1) because I am a HUGE fan of the book/series and Lois Lowry and loyalty dictates that I see this movie no matter what, (2) my job as a blogger means I must enjoy the good, suffer the bad and grit my teeth and bear it through the ugly for you, my loyal readers, who obviously depend on me to inform you about this adaptation and whether this movie is worth $10+ bucks and almost 2 hours of your time.

Well what do you think about the trailers? Please don't tell me you think it's going to be awesome? Kidding. Actually, if you think that, I'd love to hear why. I want to like the movie, so maybe there's something you can say to change my perspective a little? Or you can just rant with me about this nonsense and we can cry together when our favorite childhood book is ripped to pieces.

Let's talk!

A.