Critics just hate everything YA so they are predisposed to dislike.
Specially dystopia. Hunger games got good reviews because it was the first Young adult dystopia since Lord of the flies and battle royale but critics are lazy and since THG they have based their reviews of other movies in the YA genre in silly comparisons.
If they must compare then they should compare to brave new world or Fahrenheit 451 instead of throwing everything YA in the same bag. The plots of Divergent, THG and the giver couldn't be more different but for the critics they are all the same. But if they applied the same standard (Art shouldn't repeat itself) to romances, and especially comic book based movies, no marvel adaptation nor DC for that matter would get a fresh rating.
Why the double standard?
Peter Travis, the rolling stone critic, in his review of the giver was clear. He wants the YA dystopia trend to stop. So he probably will do anything in his power to stop that trend by discouraging people to watch a movie.
The current onslaught of movies excreted from dystopian teen fiction would make any YA yak. So far, The Hunger Games franchise is working. But catch Divergent, The Host, Ender's Game, and The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones and see if you don't hear yourself scream: Make. It. Stop.
I wouldn't trust a guy who says Mortal instruments is a dystopian movie.But a lot of other people do.
I've realized a lot of people have started to distrust the rotten tomatoes ratings. That's just good.
The giver has flaws in editing and script but overall the acting and the story was compelling and good. If critics have applied the same standards to review the giver to the ones they use to judge comic movies the movie would've been a certified fresh.
Don't believe them nor me. Go and see yourselves. share