Karry Best movie of this year hands down!

VeteranLight I don't have all the words right now but this film is a work of art.

Baseshment I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

BelSports This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

shereen_mady I havent read the book, however I was very moved by the movie! Seldom have I been captivated by a story about war before but this is different. Liesle, hans and rudy specifically are unbelievably real. I think its an undertrates movie

ishan-pec 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.

bimablelux I'm so disappointed. I've read the book and I knew that they will change something but I wasnt ready to see what I saw. Usually I try not to complain the book and the movie but now I'm literally in schock. Absolutely beautiful story was maden in to usual movie story which also includes some cliche. This story was so unique and told wonderfully but when I say a movie I didn't feel anything and the storytelling was so bad. Once more, usually I'm feeling okay if something is changed in a movie or even includes something that the book doesn't have. But this is absolutely bad work. My rate is 3 only because some actors played really nice. P.S. Max is so cute.

Mihai Toma Before the second world war, after meeting her adoptive family and learning how to read and write, a girl falls in love with books which happen to become banned by the Nazi. While struggling in her new life, poverty being very common, she makes new and unexpected friends, one of them being a Jew hidden in her family's basement, and starts "borrowing" books from a wealthy family which had a full library of them.The girl's life is presented in a dramatic manner with her strong emotions, her adventures, her losses and gains. It's tense in a lot of situations due to its harsh conditions, generated mainly by the upcoming war, but it manages to maintain suspense until the end. It's hard to explain in a few words what happens but I can guarantee that it's worth your time especially if you enjoy such movies with kids, which by the way, play some great roles!