Verses is where I put two mediums of the same story against each other
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First Off: the spoiler free points
I read the giver a couple years back and loved it. Somehow I was never required to read the book in school, but if I had known how great it would be I would have read it years earlier. I listened to it as an Audiobook, and was enthralled. Before the book was over, I just wound up sitting on my bed till it was over, instead of doing the packing I was supposed to be doing.
But honestly, I should have reread it before the movie because I only remembered bits and pieces of the book, so it was hard for me to reconcile the book and movie.
The Rounds: this is where I put them head to head to see who the winner is, and warning there will be spoilers
Main Character-
The first thing about the difference between the book and the movie was the age of the main characters. Best I remember Jonas and his friends were around 12 or 13 instead of 17 or so, or maybe I didn’t fully remember the book, but I pictured them younger when I read it. I liked that the movie portrayed the characters as more innocent than cold hearted, although I don’t remember how I felt about them in the book.
If you’ve ever watched any of the extras that came with the movie they talked about how the movie develops the Chief Elder whereas the book doesn’t. I’m wondering if some of that comes into play in the last three books of the series, and I’m kind of hopping it didn’t spoil the other stories for me. I think the chief Elder gives an edge to the story, as being the one who would do anything to keep the world the way it is, no matter the cost. And in Dystopians, there is always at least that one character that needs to be at that extreme to make the genera what it is.
The Visual:
I thought the movie plays with the visual qualities in a way that doesn’t come across in the books. I know the colors were a big deal in the book, but it comes across so well in the movie. And the end of the movie with the landscapes was beautiful and a great juxtaposition to where the movie started, and something that definitely doesn’t come across in the book.
The Story:
I think the story was stronger with the book. The movie keeps a lot of the big things in, but I think what the book drives home is the community. The movie makes it seem like everything is mostly normal till the baby’s life is called into question. But the book makes it clear how tight the community and expectations are and how much Jonas struggles with finding out what is right or wrong. I don’t remember how the end of the movie compares with the end of the book exactly, but I don’t remember Jonas trying to get beyond the barrier to release all the memories in the book. From what I remember, the book ended with uncertainty of what happened with Jonas and the baby, which I felt was an appropriate ending.
Over all, I think I had a stronger connection to the book than the movie. It wasn’t that the movie was terrible, I just think the way the book brought me in and made me connect with the story better. For me the book won.