Movie Review: The Book Thief

Movie: The Book Thief
Genre: Historical Fiction
Starring: Geoffrey Rush, Emily Watson, Sophie Nelisse
Rating: PG 13
My Rating: Two thumbs up!

Even though I had every reason to believe they would do this movie right, I was still pretty nervous about seeing it. Finally seeing it! It didn't come to our area until about two weeks after it was officially released, which was a massive bummer, but when it did finally come, we (me and a handful of bookish friends and family) were there!

I'm just going to assume you all know the story. If you don't, please please please go read the book. Then let's talk! :)

The look and feel of this movie was spot on. Death did narrate, just like in the book, but not overly much. Just enough for you to know he was there and watching. The casting was perfect. Geoffrey Rush was just right for Hans. Sophie just right for Liesel. And Niko was just right for Rudy. Ah, man, what a cutie. Emily Watson, who played Rosa, was a little different than I pictured her, but she was awesome too. They toned down her character a bit, but that was okay. You got the feel for the roughness of Rosa.

And Max. I loved him. Perfect. Totally perfect. Sigh.

Everything went quite inline with the book. My only complaint is that they had to leave so much out! So so much! I guess that's how many book to movie things go, but since this one was so fresh in my mind, I really noticed it. It makes me wonder what goes into deciding what stays and what goes. There was a scene that I thought was so pivotal to the book, and it wasn't there! Why?

A few other things were changed. There was one thing toward the end that had us all going... wait, what? You'll know what I'm talking about when you see it....and I want to know what you think. It was a strange change, but I guess made things more intense...maybe.

And that's another thing, the emotional intensity was still much stronger in the book. Guys, basically, the movie was awesome and they did a great job... but the book is still so so so much better. The words, the powerful full-of-imagery words that make this book so amazing... it's missing in the movie. There's just no way to portray that. They tried a few times, and I was like.. YES! But it was just a smattering.

So, with all that, it may seem like I was disappointed. But no, I was not. They did an awesome job. It's a beautiful movie with a beautiful message. You should go see it!

But, read the book first!

Here's the trailer in case you missed it: