The Giver

Based on Lois Lowry’s acclaimed novel, The Giver transpires in a futuristic landscape that’s been drained of individuality and free will – with the narrative following a young man (Brenton Thwaites’ Jonas) as he forms a life-changing relationship with a man known only as the Giver (Jeff Bridges). Filmmaker Phillip Noyce, working from a script by Michael Mitnick and Robert B. Weide, does an impressive job of capturing the feel and tone of Lowry’s book at the movie’s outset, with the director’s decision to initially suffuse the proceedings in black-and-white cinematography effectively capturing the drab, colorless atmosphere inhabited by the characters. It’s worth noting, too, that the film benefits substantially from the efforts of a thoroughly capable cast, with Bridges’ perpetually mesmerizing turn as the title figure matched by a roster of periphery performers that includes Alexander Skarsgård, Katie Holmes, and Meryl Streep. Noyce’s use of languid pacing ensures that The Giver struggles to retain the viewer’s attention through the movie’s midsection, although it’s clear that the film doesn’t completely go off the rails until it enters its action-packed final stretch – with this portion of the proceedings bearing few similarities to the source material. The incongruous third act, which ultimately feels somewhat endless, confirms The Giver‘s place as an underwhelming adaptation that could (and should) have been so much better, which is especially disappointing, surely, given the strength of the performances and the film’s first half.

** out of ****