The Giver

In a seemingly perfect community, without war, pain, suffering, differences or choice, a young boy is chosen to learn from an elderly man about the true pain and pleasure of the "real" world.

The Giver landed with a thud among critics, who generally felt the film's polished visuals couldn't compensate for its failure to wrestle seriously with the moral and philosophical weight of Lois Lowry's beloved novel. Audiences who grew up with the book were more forgiving, but the critical verdict was that this adaptation plays it too safe to matter.