The Giver (2014) [Movie Review]

To start off a fairly off-topic, yet still on-topic, note. Minutes before entering my theater for the streaming of the red carpet world premiere, I had learned of Robin Williams' untimely passing. This immediately changed my attitude from extremely happy to extremely sad. Robin Williams and his movies were a big part of my childhood, and adult life. I know the same can be said for many of you who are reading this.

Before the showing of movie, there were interviews from the cast of the film, most notably Jeff Bridges. Bridges and Williams had worked together in the past and have been seemingly close friends. Only moments before his interview, he had learned of Williams' passing and he was quite emotional during his interview. His tears caused me to shed some tears as well. Even writing this right now, thinking about Robin Williams, is starting to choke me up.

All of these emotions played a massive role in my viewing of the film. The Giver is set in a utopian, dystopian, future in which everyone is more or less the same. Through daily injections, everyone is controlled. They can not lie, they can not love. They can not feel. By removing these basic human emotions, the people of The Giver live in a utopia. There is no famine, there is no war. This however leads to the important question - are these people truly living, or are they merely alive? And is the human race better off without sorrow?

Having not read the entire book, I didn't know the entire story. What I have read of the book was amazing, but I believe my lack of knowledge might have made this film even more wonderful. The writing in this film is phenomenal, but I am admittedly a sucker for a dystopian film.

Other than the overall plot of the film, what stood out the most was the wonderful cast. Not only were they all great in bringing their roles to life, but they all owned their roles perfectly. It's hard not to know most of the actors and actresses who star in this film, which makes it almost hard to believe that throughout the film you see the character, and only rarely the actor.

My only gripe, which is so minor it's almost not even worth mentioning, is that there are a few scenes that feature some odd special effects. There's a bit of a slow-motion mixed with a blurred shot that is used a couple times throughout the film that seems to add nothing to the film other than disorient the audience. However, they are only for a few seconds at a time, so are easy to look past.

If you are planning on watching a movie this weekend, I recommend making it The Giver. Even if you aren't planning on watching a movie this weekend, it wouldn't hurt to check this film out.

Rating: 91/100

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