The Giver movie review

The Giver centers on Jonas, a young man who lives in a seemingly ideal, if colorless, world of conformity and contentment. Yet as he begins to spend time with The Giver, who is the sole keeper of all the community's memories, Jonas quickly begins to discover the dark and deadly truths of his community's secret past. With this newfound power of knowledge, he realizes that the stakes are higher than imagined - a matter of life and death for himself and those he loves most. At extreme odds, Jonas knows that he must escape their world to protect them all - a challenge that no one has ever succeeded at before. The Giver is based on Lois Lowry's beloved young adult novel of the same name, which was the winner of the 1994 Newbery Medal.

Details:

97 Minutes

By the Weinstein Company

Directed by Phillip Noyce

Rated: PG-13

Released: 2014

Negative Elements:

Well, first of all, I didn't realize that this was a PG-13 movie...it makes me feel a little less inclined to share it. I personally didn't have a problem with anything, but there were some elements you might find uncomfortable.

Some of my family members don't like The Giver at all. They say the plot and story-line is weird. This movie is either a completely like or dislike story, I suppose. =) We're still debating who's right.

But there are no bad words, and the main "iffy" content is violence. (spoilers in white) One character sees scenes of war, gunshots all around him, and death. Someone beside him falls dead with his eyes open, and the character looks down, not realizing what death really is. Yes, it's kinda gruesome. (just one quick scene though.) The movie also shows people shooting at a elephant. The last violent thing to mention is a quiet scene. The community has a practice of euthanizing too-small babies and older adults. One scene shows this discreetly as a man puts a needle into a baby's head (not knowing that the "sleep" is actually death). Another girl almost gets the same fate.

End of spoiler.

So yes, there is violence and death. And while I don't appreciate that part of the movie, it did help me fully realize the truth of The Giver: Despite the pain, the sorrow, and the hardness of the world we live in, life is beautiful.

My Review:

Our family has some controversy about The Giver. =) Most of us will readily agree that it's one of our favorite movies. The others say that it's just weird. So...feel free to choose where you stand. But because I'm writing this review, I give it at least 4.5 stars.

The Giver isn't a Christian movie. It doesn't mention God at all. But the theme of this movie never fails to make me at loss for the beauty God has made. Let me see if I can explain without too many spoilers.

The elders of the land have decided to make a perfect world without pain, famine, war, and jealousy. But as they took those qualities out of life, they also took emotion, beauty, color, music, and love. The world is left with a black and white land of ordinary people doing ordinary things in a world of sameness. The world is better because of these improvements...right? But as one young man begins to receive memories of the past, he sees things in a new way. For the first time, he sees the beauty in life.

After watching The Giver, I'm always amazed. I can't look at the world the same. We have color! We have music! We have emotion and love and joy and friendship! Of course pain hurts and life is difficult. But look at the gifts God has given us. Seriously. We are so very blessed. The day after watching the movie, I always see things differently. I can't help but praise God for everything. Creation displays His glory. I'm so thankful.

Although this is a very unique story-line, and some might consider it "weird", it's one of my favorite movies. It's sad and shows the real pain of life, but it reminds me of the splendor of creation. God is always good. We are so very loved.

Other Notes:

If you're considering watching The Giver, I would recommend glancing over this review. Plugged In is a great site to get honest reviews for movies. They may have mentioned some things I didn't because they didn't stand out to me. (or they weren't prominent in the movie) Because this is a PG-13 movie, be aware of the violence and negative elements.

But I do look forward to seeing it again. The Giver helped me see the beauty of life. It's not a Christian movie, but it helps me see His love more clearly.  I hope it does the same for you.