full disclosure, i haven't read the source material
if like me you haven't read it just know the dog dies
worth watching for tom holland and daisy ridley's performances tbh
for a dystopian film (of which i have watched entirely too many) this is pretty solid and its massive budget makes it a very beautiful watch. i agree about a lot of the complaints about it being what must be a very dumbed down version of the book but like... as someone who grew up with books like the giver, i really feel like there's no way to do some sci-fi cinematic justice. like the recent dune adaptation definitely did its source material justice, but it was also extremely fucking long and my friends who aren't familiar with the source material thought it was boring as fuck, SO. trade offs, i think. and since i haven't seen the source material for this movie, i do think i was able to enjoy it more than a fan of the books might, since it was cut down under 2 hours and told an abridged version of what must be some substantial world building. i love sci-fi so i have no problem filling in the gaps left in the storytelling, personally.
Review by hannahBlockedParent2021-11-21T15:22:16Z
for a dystopian film (of which i have watched entirely too many) this is pretty solid and its massive budget makes it a very beautiful watch. i agree about a lot of the complaints about it being what must be a very dumbed down version of the book but like... as someone who grew up with books like the giver, i really feel like there's no way to do some sci-fi cinematic justice. like the recent dune adaptation definitely did its source material justice, but it was also extremely fucking long and my friends who aren't familiar with the source material thought it was boring as fuck, SO. trade offs, i think. and since i haven't seen the source material for this movie, i do think i was able to enjoy it more than a fan of the books might, since it was cut down under 2 hours and told an abridged version of what must be some substantial world building. i love sci-fi so i have no problem filling in the gaps left in the storytelling, personally.