Here we go again… While Jeff Bridges may have been on the ball with “The Giver,” developing the adaptation of Lois Lowry’s award-winning book for well over a decade, the film is entering an arena littered with carcasses of similar, but failed efforts (“The Host,” “Beautiful Creatures,” “The Mortal Instruments: City Of Bones” etc). So can this one rise above the pack?
From a story perspective, this all seems very familiar, with the tale set in a futuristic, dystopian world (duh) where society has eradicated memories and emotion, the responsibility of remembering the past is left to a single person, the Receiver. The hero, Jonas (Brenton Thwaites), is selected to be the new Receiver, but while being trained by the titular Giver (Bridges), a previous Receiver, he finds himself struggling with the duties he bears. But on the other hand, this does have Meryl Streep, so that’s something.
Guess we’ll see if this has the right stuff or not when the Phillip Noyce directed flick opens on August 15th. Watch below.
