The Giver question

What trailer?
Was it an official movie trailer or just a fan made one?

The guy playing Jonas is older, but that's not unusual. They might be making Jonas a little older anyway for many reasons. One, I would guess is because it's difficult to find very good actors who are very young. Also child labor laws, etc.
And if they do make Jonas, say 16 or 17, a 24-year old actor isn't too old for the role. It's pretty common actually. In High School Musical, some of those actors were like 30.

"Hollywood needs to leave our books alone."

Most of the movies ever made have been books first. It's not a new thing by any stretch of the imagination.

Yeah- and Jonas never gets sucked up by a spaceship either. Among many other wrong things. They're trying to turn it from a thought provoking story to an action packed authority defying blockbuster. The color thing, though- it was a suprise to the readers of the book- maybe they want it to be a suprise for the viewers of the movie. I hope they'll incorporate it somehow!

Just watched the trailer.
What the heck!
What injections?
Why is Jonas so old?
The creepy holding hands thing?
Color? There isn't supposed to be color!
That spaceship....
He ran away on foot? What happened to the bike?
Who on earth was the girl? And why were they focusing on her?

This is going to be the Percy Jackson movies all over again...

I'll see see the movie :-)

Yeah, I really don't feel like it's a good trailer either. But I'm still going to try and watch the movie anyway.

The trailer looks a little too futuristic. :/ Yeah, sure maybe some of the movie is about the book, but it sure looks like a whole different story. Did you guys know that the actor who plays Jonas (age 12) is 25 in real life! So unrealistic!

Yes not accurate but because it is based on the book gives them the freedom to add to the movie so it can actually sell to those that have not read the book. The book itself was great but for it to be turned into a movie it would need to pack some action or more suspense into it. And of course it has to be in color the element of the color is a surprise in the book itself.

The trailer was so bad that I was laughing like seriously it was so bad. But they have black and white and then it transforms into color because they showed it in a featurette.

I agree the trailer looks completely different from the book. Jonas is way too old to be 12. It's suppose to be in black and white because the book said it was colorless. Also I think I saw a spaceship!!! Correct me if I'm wrong but there was defiantly not a spaceship in the book!

Is no body listening?!?! THE FILM IS IN BLACK AND WHITE! Page to premier released a featurette that the giver film released and it talked about how important it was for it to be in black and white and then slowly bring it to color! Search it on youtube and you will find the black and white featurette!

I've become a huge fan of The Giver. Here, like most book-to-film transitions, I cannot anticipate that this film will be a meticulous adaptation of the novel. While the foundations of the movie's plot may be similar to Lowry's creation, it's obvious the director chose to make this work less predictable for the audience who has read the book. It's hard to appreciate something like this as a separate work of art, but that's what it is. So why not sit back and enjoy the ride? For fans of Game of Thrones, that's precisely what we do on Sundays this time of year, because we know the producers have tweaked the paths of our beloved characters from the book series. And sometimes, admittedly, it's enjoyable not being able to entirely predict what comes next...

They got everything so wrong!!! I mean the characters are younger, there is love when there supposed to be none, and ... I am sure that us book readers could make the movie better than Hollywood could ever.

The trailer made no sense at all...freaky...
This movie is going to be so random, I am going to hate it. They got so many things wrong on so many levels.I had my heart set on this being a good movie, and I bet you that they've ruined it already. This sucks.

I'm guessing everyone on here never bothered to watch the second trailer? The one that shows that the film is in black and white?

I think that they are making this movie because movies like The Hunger Games, Ender's Game, and Divergent are doing so well. The Maze Runner is also about to come out which is another post-apocalyptic book/movie. I just read it a few weeks ago and the book was really good and from what I can see in the trailer they are taking a lot of liberties with it. He does look too old and maybe 12 is too young to get the emotional depth they're looking for. I understand changing minor details like age but there's color when there's not supposed to be and it looks like other people are aware of feelings. Which is wrong. And Rosemary seems like a more important character which is odd since we never saw her in the book she was barely even talked about. And Taylor Swift is playing her. I don't think she really has acting skills. She's a great performer but I don't think she can really act. At least not in what is supposed to be a serious film.

THE MOVIE IS IN BLACK AND WHITE WATCH THE NEW TRAILER

Mary wrote: "I decided to finally to read this book. Coincidentally, as I was researching it I found that it was part of a quartet and that there was a movie being released. After all these years. I just watche..."

i'm not too bothered by aging him up. that seems to be the trend these days and happened in enders game too, right? i'm wondering much more about the plane finding him at the end of the trailer. i'm thinking it's him dreaming because i can't imagine how the movie could include something as altering as that.

Obviously the only person that has even looked into a deeper depth of this film is the person above me, eve. This is obvious because when everyone is crying about it not being in black and white it seems like we are the only ones who decided to WATCH THE NEW TRAILER which showed it was in black and white!

I'm not seeing this movie its gonna be a huge disappointment the jet didn't happen ,Fiona never said anything near that , Jonas is too old , they flee on bike not on foot and its just wrong . Injections im thinking are in place of the pills cuz Jonas definitely doesn't get released everyday. People are saying its Percy Jackson all over again but its worse it I am number four all over again

I feel the urgent need to chuck something across the room! I just watched both of the trailers and WHO IS HE KISSING (unless its in a dream..)? And the chief elder (I think that's her name) never was involved except at the part where he is told he is the receiver!! And am I wrong or did he never tell Fiona to skip her injections?! And I swear if the producers make Jonas tell Fiona anything I will be very angry, because he gets the rules that tell him he can lie and he cant speak of anything.

Let's stop and think about this for a moment.

The things most people are complaining about are:

1. The color
2. The spaceship

Okay, so first I am going to address the color issue. Really, you guys want the movie to be in black and white? Okay, first off, that would NOT make the movie very popular with the people who have not read the book. I understand your frustration, but the people who made this movie are thinking about SALES. Most people who see a black and white movie in the trailer would think, "Great, an old fashioned movie," and decide to not go see it.

As for the spaceship (please, fans of this book don't kill me as I say this) I think they are doing it to add some action. For the most part, this book is not very action filled and exciting. And in this day and age, with movies like Transformers or Godzilla or The Amazing Spider-man, people love to be entertained with action (cars blowing up, fight versus bad guy etc.) I think they are trying to make the movie exciting, because most of it is not very action filled. It's kind of dull, actually. I think if they followed the story line exactly it would be a pretty boring movie.
Anyone disagree?

I disagree with all the complaints about the ship. I think that if anyone goes back and rereads the book, there is evidence of advanced tech in it. This entire community takes a pill everyday that stops emotions and prevents them from seeing colours. Does that sound even remotely close to anything we are capable of?

Lowry doesn't emphasize how advanced the technology is because the book is writen from Jonas' perspective and from his perspective it isn't advanced; these things are all normal to him.

Heck, the civilization is able to pass memories from person to person as if it's some collective consciousness. Remember that when the previous receiver applied for release, the whole community absorbed the memories she had already received. Again, that's pretty advanced.

As for the ships, there are planes in the book:

"But when the planes came, he wished that he could have received the courage.

He knew they were search planes. They flew so low that they woke him with the noise of their engines, and sometimes, looking out and up fearfully from the hiding places, he could almost see the faces of the searchers."

I'm sure that if we were able to see the plane technology that is the "norm" 100 years from now, we would also be tempted to call them "spaceships." The movie's interpretation makes sense when you readjust your thinking to realize that they are living in a society that was more technological advances than we do.

Everyone is going gaga over oh-no-the-government-is hunting-people-that-are-different books.
Sooo they started messing with this one.
Im still gonna go see it, i just probably won't like it.

I am so disappointed and I haven't even seen the movie! I already see so many unnecessary changes. I really wish Hollywood would write something they thought up for once instead of ruining someone else's work. I liked all these book to movies at first but now it's like a trend. It is ruining the reputation of all these good books!

I think they're trying to make the movie mainstream. I totally agree with you guys that "Hollywood needs to leave our books alone."
There might be some significant changes in the movie, but we just have to wait and see.

The trailer is far fetched to me. I think they made it way more dramatic, so people who have not read the book get a large interest in seeing the movie. My hope is that in the movie they keep it basted on the book or the movie will not be very good. That just my opinion though..... who knows..

My chief complaint about the trailer is Meryl Streep's line about Jonas becoming dangerous. That never happened and it would not have happened because the environment between Jonas and the Giver was safe. No one would have known anything about the teachings from the Giver to Jonas. So that is clearly a manufactured story line and will take the movie in a direction that doesn't remotely resemble the book.

I agree that there may be a need to introduce new plot lines in the movie since the book is extremely short and lacks the Hollywood action component. But I was disappointed when I saw the trailer. I don't believe the book has what it takes in its purest form to make a great movie, however, I have my doubts that what's been added is going to make it a success.

that was AWFUL!!! why was he so old? That is not ANYTHING like it should be!

I know it's not new and older actors play young kids all the time. It just bugs me a little that Holylwood wants to cash in on the current Dystopian craze just like they did Twilight. Hollywood ruined Twilight

IT WAS IN COLOR.
Whyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy...
*anguish*

I have so many issues with this trailer. I don't even want to see the movie. It is all wrong. Ahhh I can't do it.

Who cares I still want to see it. I think it's exciting that they are making a movie after all this time. It's still bound to be better than the City of Ember movie, which sucked ass.

I think the girl is Rosemary. And remember the Release injections? She asked for it.

We the injections are probably the serums that they use for release and to keep you healthy and stuff.
The red-headed girl is Fiona because you know that time when he saw the pop of color? It was Fiona's hair.
The age difference, I guess I'd understand even though I would like the actors to be the same age, be around the same age, or look the same age as the people in the books. And no if they make the movie like that, it wouldn't be like the Percy Jackson series (that had a lot more things wrong with it.)
The spaceships are probably the airplanes that were searching for Jonah towards the end.
I do think the movie should be in black, white, and gray until Jonah starts to see in color.

All in all though I think the movie will be ok, pretty similar to the book. I will probably go and see it, but only after I see the trailer again and decide whether it is worth my time.

I was really confused watching the trailer. Jonas character is portrayed as being younger in the book, but he looks to be about 16 or 17 in the movie. That's not too unusual for Hollywood though. The whole spaceship thing confused me. I don't think I can bring myself to watch the movie, I'm afraid I'd be too disappointed.

In the book, Jonas always knew he was different. It wasn't all about the ability to feel pain but the bubble of a world he lived in had no color as well!! He was strange because of his greyish blue eyes, and being antisocial enough to view the other kids in such a way. The book talks of the other kids riding their bikes until the govt. took them at a certain age. It seems like the books when to great lengths to show the boy's youth. Sadly making my assumptions from a trailer hardly seems fair, but the distopia that is being portayed looks VERY similar to The Hunger Games.
I don't mind movies having their own interpretation of books, in-fact I encourage it most of the time (us readers need people to talk to sometimes lol), but The Giver is a classic. I would prefer they stick to the text first, then when the dozens of remakes are being made, cause they will be undoubtedly, then they can add their spaceships and Tron. Do it right the first time!

It bothers me that the movie is in color. It completely takes away a HUGE plot point and it was such a cowardly thing to do on the part of the filmmakers.

I don't like the trailer. They tried to make it look to modern.

* spoilers*


Okay. To all the people thinking the movie should not be in color:

1. I understand you want the movie to be accurate, but you must understand that the movie producers have to use color if they want to sell tickets.

2. Making the movie black and white wouldn't actually be loyal to the books at all. Think back. There was still color in the world, it's just that people had been programmed not to see it. The world would only be black and white when looking through someone's eyes. We know this because Jonah starts to see color when the Giver reprograms him. It was always there. Also, the Giver said "hair like Fiona's really bothers them." Since the movie is filmed from a third person perspective, it makes sense to use color.


I do agree that the movie will probably be a disappointment for some other reasons, though. It's hard to make a good movie for a classic like The Giver.

The trailer looks amazing. If you read the full quartet of the Giver books, the community Jonas is from is hi-tech, compared to others that have been founded.

And it's a movie - it needs to appeal to people who haven't read the books too. Some change is ok, as long as the core message stays the same.

This was my all time favourite book as a child, I can't wait to see how it has been adapted into a movie. It's supposed to be different to the book. I am ok with that.

And Divergent was a way better movie than book :) But then, that wasn't a hard bar to exceed.

I did not like the trailer!!! The Giver was in no way The Hunger Games! All this is is a knock off of the Hunger Games in order to cash in on the post apocalyptic world that gets saved by love hungry teenagers. Jonah was a 12 year old boy in the novel, not some hunky 20 something pretending to be a teenager. No way. As always, I will stick with the books.

I don't like taylor swift as rosemary. I'm concerned that this movie is not going to be as good as the book.

Who is he kissing? Is it Fiona? I'm excited for the movie but also biting my fingers because I don't want them to change too much

I have to admit that I wanted to read this book because I saw the trailer and I thought it looked great..
well... then I read the book.
I thought the book was amazing. I loved it. It was just a great book. After reading the book and rewatching the movie trailer, I was disappointed. The movie is practically a stand alone. The movie looks like its changed way to much. I mean why did pills have to be changed to injections?
this movie adaptation could have been great but they changed it and made it into something typical like everything else. Its a real disappointment.
Im not really looking forward to seeing this film, but Ill give it a try and hope for the best.

Seeing how the reactions are, I do not wish to see the trailer. Haha.

The movie looked like it didn't follow the book at all. It really just looked like they were trying to recreate Hunger Games. And why did they have to make it seem super futuristic?

The trailer doesn't even seem like its for The Giver..

While I agree with a lot of the concerns in this thread, I think it's important to remember that The Giver is a very, very short book. It doesn't surprise me that some things need to be added or expanded upon to turn it into a feature length movie.

This is most certainly a cash grab on the dystopian future craze, but that doesn't necessarily mean it'll be bad. I had a lot of the same initial reactions as you guys, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed and my hopes up!

The trailer was terrible. But guess we will find out if the movie is good or not when it comes out. But honestly I don't even feel like watching that movie anymore