[Movie Review] The Book Thief (2013)

Posted on November 8, 2013 by thegrandshuckett in Movie Reviews // 0 Comments

Plot Summary: While subjected to the horrors of WWII Germany, young Liesel finds solace by stealing books and sharing them with others. Under the stairs in her home, a Jewish refuge is being sheltered by her adoptive parents.

Director: Brian Percival

Writers: Markus Zusak (novel), Michael Petroni (adaptation)

Runtime: 131 min

Main Cast:

Geoffrey Rush as Hans Hubermann
Emily Watson as Rosa Hubermann
Sophie Nélisse as Liesel Meminger
Ben Schnetzer as Max Vandenburg
Mico Liersch as Rudy Steiner

Review: by Anthony and Lee

As you could tell from the book review, I (Lee) read the novel and greatly enjoyed it, so I absolutely insisted on seeing the movie adaptation, not that Anthony put up much of a fight. The book was so sensational that I was extra excited to see it and knew I would be devastated if it did not do the book justice.

What We Liked:

The Book Thief was extraordinary. The director and writer came together to create a beautiful, heart warming adaptations that brought us both to tears in the last 25 minutes. Of course, I cried throughout the entire film because of the beauty and angst I already knew would take place.

The characters were well developed, even with slight changes from the novel, and they were portrayed splendidly. The characters personalities and motives were laid out well, and the relationships were solidly built. Geoffrey Rush’s portrayal of Has Hubermann was nothing short of amazing. His open and caring heart was on full display and made him one of our favorite characters. My favorite character, Rudy, was downplayed a bit but still had a few of his shining moments, like being Jesse Owens.

The subject matter was unique. Normally, a movie set in Germany during World War II focuses on the Nazi soldiers and Hitler, but The Book Thief really recreated many of the visuals that would have been the norm for that time and set the tone of the movie. It was strange, for example, seeing kids in school singing praise to Germany and their military, swastika banners everywhere, and SS badges on everything, but that was the reality of the times. It was great to see that even in the midst of systematically taught hatred there were those who looked pass the religious and political beliefs and cared for one another, embracing humanity and good will.

What We Didn’t Like:

Anthony could not think of a single thing that he did not like about the movie, and the only things I could think of would be changes from the book; however, the changes did not affect the overarching theme or message of the film, so I won’t bother to discuss them.