Review Roundup: THE BOOK THIEF - Will It Steal Our Hearts?

Based on the beloved bestselling book, The Book Thief tells the inspirational story of a spirited and courageous young girl who transforms the lives of everyone around her when she is sent to live with a new family in World War II Germany. With a mysterious man living below the stair and the support of a new family she becomes literate and begins to make a world all her own. (c) 20th Century Fox

Let's see what the critics have to say...

Stephen Holden, NY Times: "Speaking in the honeyed, insinuating tone of the Wolf cajoling Little Red Riding Hood to do his bidding, the narrator of The Book Thief is none other than Death himself (Roger Allam), although he coyly refuses to disclose his identity. This irritating know-it-all regularly interrupts the story of Liesel (Sophie Nélisse), a bright-eyed girl living with foster parents in a fictional German town during World War II, to comment obliquely on human nature and mortality.

Peter Travers, Rolling Stone: "The simplicity of Michael Petroni's script seems a drawback at first. But skilled director Brian Percival (Downton Abbey) slowly, effectively tightens the vise as evil intrudes into the life of this child. Rush, an actor of unerring grace and grit, gives a touching, vital performance. He doesn't shout. Neither does the film. Its grieving heart is never in question."

Jordan Hoffman, Film.com: "Much cred, though, goes to Geoffrey Rush, who plays Hans less like Life Is Beautiful and more like a toned-down Teutonic Zorba. He's very sympathetic. Indeed, it's hard to hate this movie too much. It's syrupy as all hell, and John Williams' music - very nice on an island, I'm sure - is an embarrassing gut-punch of unfiltered schmaltz, but its sympathy for the devil-style humanism is well-meaning."

Dennis Harvey, Variety: "It's to the credit of Percival (best known for helming several Downton Abbey episodes) and Petroni (The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, Possession) that they refuse to artificially inflate the story's key points for melodramatic or tear-jerking purposes. By the same token, such intelligent restraint may strike some as too even-tempered and slow-paced, touching our emotions without heightening them in the way that often gets more attention come Oscar time."

Adam Markovitz, Entertainment Weekly: "The Liesel we see is spotless; she has adorable pin curls and radiates klieg-light levels of wholesomeness. As she comes of age during wartime, the terrors of the Third Reich are bathed in a cozy, Thomas Kinkade-style glow that makes even swastika flags seem like festive holiday decorations, and any plot point that wouldn't pair with a swell of violins has been neatly excised. It would make for a pretty ghastly pageant if not for smart, understated turns by Watson and Geoffrey Rush as the charmingly Teutonic couple who rescue both Liesel and a stranded Jew (Ben Schnezter) - not to mention the movie itself - with honorable matter-of-factness."

Stephen Farber, Hollywood Reporter: "When it comes to the filmmaking, however, The Book Thief sometimes falls flat. Scenes dealing with Nazis searching for Jews in hiding should generate more suspense than Percival is able to muster. (Watch the opening scene of Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds to see what's missing here.) On the whole, the film unfolds too deliberately, without the needed sense of urgency and tension. Some of this may be attributable to the source material, an episodic tale without tremendous narrative drive. But the screenplay by Michael Petroni is overly expository, and Percival's pacing is too languid. "

Joshua Rothkopf, Time Out New York: "Where the book had a kernel of intellectual irony to it-words betray a nation-this drama goes shamelessly for the heart. Viewers can do better when it comes to child's-eye perspectives (the recent Lore, about a Hitler Youth left to fend for herself, is breathtakingly bold), and both Zusak and the filmmakers grab at a randomly downbeat conclusion that feels incidental to the evil of the time."

Stephanie Zacharek, The Villiage Voice: "The hopeful message of The Book Thief is that words have the power to triumph over everything, even Hitler. That may be true if we're talking about, say, the diaries of Victor Klemperer or Anne Frank. But yelling "I hate Hitler" across a river? You can sum up the power of those words using just two: no dice."

For more info about The Book Thief click here.

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