This movie gives viewers a glimpse of a unique society that is perfect, or is it?
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I remember reading this book when I was a kid, and it was a wonderful. It had an interesting plot, and told a tale that you don’t see much these days. When I heard a film was being made, I was interested, but curious how they would make it without veering from the source material too much. I am glad to say it follows the book well, and does a good job of bringing this world to life. It has great cinematography, and it is a blast to watch from start to finish.
The film takes place in the future, after a terrible tragedy has happened. Everyone lives in this small perfect community. There is no emotion and therefore much of humanities problems have disappeared. Nobody is more or less than anyone else, and the society moves along in a fluid motion. By the age of 16, all the teenagers are given the jobs they will do for the rest of their lives. Most of these jobs are menial, but they all have a part to play in making this society work. Jonas gets an interesting one, called the Receiver of Memory. He has no idea what this job entails, let alone how he is going to do it. But luckily the last person who had this position is going to help him learn how to be a success at it. Jonas is told it won’t be easy, but he must do it, it is one of the most important jobs of all. Without it, the society may not be able to continue to grow and prosper. Why was he given this job? What will his training be like? And will he be able to do it successfully?
Newcomer Brenton Thwaites does a great job as Jonas. He was made to play this character. Jonas is a man of wonder, and someone who has a lot of courage and a big heart. He is someone who is never selfish and is a person who simply wants to accomplish his goals. Jeff Bridges is good as The Giver, an old man who is full of memories that no one else possesses. He starts off as a stoic character, but once he develops and grows it is apparent he is someone who has been through a lot and carries much pain because of it. His character helps this movie move along in many ways, and it would be tough to see anyone else play him. Meryl Streep plays the Chief Elder very well. She is someone who knows a lot more than you would think, and someone who can be evil at times. She is a person who hates change and it is amazing the extremes she tries to go to to keep things the way they are. Odeya Rush plays Fiona pretty well. She is a character who does have some fear, but she does trust Jonas and wants to be there for him. It is interesting to see just how much her character grows and develops in this film, by the end she just isn’t the same person anymore.
I am sad to say this film didn’t do that well in theaters this weekend. It got the #5 spot and made only $12.7 million in the US alone. Audiences gave this movie some good reviews, but critics were not as kind to it. It will be interesting to see how this film ends up doing in the next few weeks. If you liked the book, you should definitely go see this movie. If you are looking for a good science fiction movie, this is the film for you. It has a great soundtrack and wonderful special effects. It is a good film to see with a date or some of your closest friends.