Storyline
In a seemingly perfect community, without war, pain, suffering, differences or choice, a young boy is chosen to learn from an elderly man about the true pain and pleasure of the "real" world.
Directors
Cast
Meryl Streep, Katie Holmes, Alexander Skarsgård, Jeff Bridges, Cameron Monaghan, Taylor Swift, Odeya Rush, Emma Tremblay, Brenton Thwaites, Katharina Damm, Alexander Jillings, James Jillings, Jordan Nicholas Smal, Saige Fernandes, Renate Stuurman, Vanessa Cooke, John Whiteley, Kira Wilkinson, Meganne Young, Thabo Rametsi, Vaughn Lucas, Jaime Coue, Jefferson Mays
Trailer
Reviews
75
In its own way, the movie version — handsomely directed by Phillip Noyce and featuring an appealing, sure-footed cast of emerging and veteran actors — aptly reflects The Giver’s pride of place as the one that started it all, or at least the latest wave.
67
In spite of grand, world-building special effects and a stellar cast, the film falters under giant leaps of faith that land it just outside of the typical audience's threshold of suspension of disbelief.
67
The film begins to get a bit lost as the story develops and pushes toward a wobbly climax and conclusion. And what to make of that sled, which is the first bit of knowledge Jonas receives. Rosebud, anyone?
63
The Giver is at its best when Bridges expounds on civilization’s lost beauty and savagery; at other times, it’s strewn with implausibility: For a totalitarian society in which everyone is monitored constantly, our hero is able to sneak around an awful lot.
63
While The Giver scores points for being smarter and deeper than “The Hunger Games” or its inferior photo-copy (“Divergent”), coming after all those other versions of this plot does neither it, nor us, any favors. The Giver has nothing new to offer.
