In many respects, The Giver seems to be yet another Young Adult adaptation off the conveyor belt, this one leaning more towards Divergent and its dully compliant society and character factions than the more action-orientated stylings of The Hunger Games. Yet it very quickly becomes apparent that something odd for the genre is afoot: a surprisingly heavyweight cast - Streep, Bridges, Holmes - provides some gravitas (albeit in somewhat unchallenging roles); the black-and-white/colour limited-worlds conceits from Pleasantville are used to striking effect from the outset; and some strong plot beats for a YA film present themselves, such as the on-screen killing of a baby and potential execution of a teen. In the lead, standard pretty-boy protagonist Jonas is played well by Australian Brenton Thwaites, who manages to react to his voyage of historical and emotional discovery to reasonably good effect, particularly in the early stages and even when Idiot Plot increasingly takes over in the Third Act. Whilst not a great or groundbreaking film overall, the least that The Giver achieves is to make you leave the cinema thinking about how much there is to appreciate in our mad and wonderful world.
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