The Book Thief (2013)

Firstly, let me state at the onset that I have read the book and loved it. Movies based on books often start with an inherent handicap with viewers like me and movies which have done a better job than the source material can be counted on a single hand with fingers to spare. So my observations are definitely coloured from that perspective. Well, the movie is overall good and largely stays very close to the source material. It has high production value, the cast look their part and acting is largely good. However, the movie seems to lack a soul, and therein lies my problem.Firstly, I believe the source material is a warm story in a dark setting. With its brightly lit sets, immaculate and dare I say fashionable dresses, and generally well-off surroundings, the characters never come off as indigent or suffering. It was difficult to understand why Leisel's mom was calling her dirty when she first meets her. The coat she was wearing could have easily come from a Ralph Lauren store. Overall, the movie could have done better with a cheaper wardrobe and set design.Next, Rudy and Leisel in the book are extremely energetic and passionate. Rudy, especially, came across as someone destined to conquer the world by his sheer confidence and charm. In the movie, they are both much more reserved and the movie is lesser for it. It is the juxtaposition of the spirit of the kids with their extremely harsh surroundings that lent the book its gravity. And both are toned down to a large extent in the movie. For example, in the book, Rudy is constantly hungry which makes Liesel and Rudy steal food alongwith a bunch of other kids. A single apple makes for a good day! The gravity of their situation is never felt in the movie.Similarly, the character development while decent could have been much better and that is the most apparent in the case of Rosa Hubermann, Liesel's adopted mom. Also, the commentary by death which was brilliant in the book just came across as tacky in the movie without lending any value. Lastly, the editing at a few places was shoddy, especially in the last scene which was devastating in the book but was fairly average in the movie. I would recommend watching the movie and people who have not read the book would definitely enjoy it more.

This book is my favorite that has been written. The characters are lovable and sweet, and the story really makes you feel for them. But this movie falls short for a number of reasons. For one thing, most of the people in this movie have very stale acting. I think the only 2 that were very good was Max and Death, as they actually came off very well. However, while the book uses Death as the narrator to give a feeling of sadness and burden to the plot, here he's probably here for like, a minute. This really should have been two movies, simply to be able to flesh out the plot of the story enough. Just do yourself a favor and read the book. It may be long, but it's a lot better than this.

This is so amazing. This contains how war can lead you to. How bad it is. You needs to watch the movie carefully to now what happens or read the book. It is a one In a million films that I have watched that show and tell you the story about what happens if you take one step and it is wrong.

"The Book Thief" has good intentions but over-all I found it muddled. There were too many things going on – Liesel's relationship with her surrogate parents and with Rudy. Then there was hiding a Jewish person in the family household – and then Liesel's relationship with him. One could add other themes like the growing Nazism of the towns-folk, the Allied bombings, Liesel stealing books...The film just tries too hard when making any emotional statement. Aside from our central character I never felt any emotional connection to the others. Liesel's surrogate mother was a caricature.Although well-filmed and colourful cinematically it was bothersome to hear German accents and words popping up constantly (Ja, Nien...). The bodies of Liesel's surrogate parents and Rudy after the bombing raid look so pristine beside the ruined homes – giving additional phoniness to this film.Also that over-narration of Dr. Death added to the cloyingness.Overall the story held some interest, but I never felt much of a main focal point.