I fell in love with Lois Lowry's book, The Giver, when I was ten years old when my 5th grade teacher read it to us. I have reread the book multiple times since then, and found that with each reread, I discovered more nuances in the story and characters.
The book is about a dystopian future where there is no color, war, pain, and almost no individuality. On your 12th birthday, or at the 12th year ceremony because no one celebrates an individual birthday, your job is appointed to you by the Elders who have watched you grow up. Jonas is picked to become the new "Giver", a job that no one has had in recent memory. He begins his training and discovers how different the world use to be before his community formed.
The making of the film adaptation has taken almost 15 years to come to fruition, and now we're getting our first look. I'm all about a good film adaptation of a book. I love the Harry Potter films for what they are, but they will never replace the books for me.
Let's see if the filmmakers can capture the heart of this story that has made the book so popular.
What the hell did I just watch?! This trailer makes the film feel like an action thriller rather than a coming-of-age story, which is really what the book is about. I don't mind that they raised the age of Jonas to look more like a high schooler than a kid, but the tone of this feels totally off. The director, Phillip Noyce, has to his credits films such as PATRIOT GAMES, THE BONE COLLECTOR, and SALT. Not the type of guy to go for subtleties.
Sigh. There goes my childhood down the drain. Not even Bridges and Streep can give me much hope.
THE GIVER will be released August 15, 2014, will be directed by Phillip Noyce, and stars Jeff Bridges, Brenton Thwaites, Meryl Streep, Katie Holmes, and Taylor Swift.
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