Feel like stealing and reading the book it's based on

Rating: 8/10 (3 April 2014)

Quickie Review:
Set in the period of WWII, The Book Thief tells the story of a young girl seeking comfort in the books she learns to read. The setting is merely a backdrop to show how relationships can enrich one's life while knowing full well that death is inevitable. The highpoint was the acting by the veterans Emily Watson and Geoffrey Rush that brought the story to life. Even the child actors Sophie Nélisse and Nico Liersch hold their own against such great talents. It is not a movie without fault however, as the final act felt rushed and anticlimactic. Yet this is truly an incredible film that is not to be missed.
Full Review:
The Book Thief, is about a young girl called Liesel (Sophie Nélisse) who is taken into foster care by the Hubermanns (Georffrey Rush and Emily Watson) during the escalating events of WWII. The Hubermanns also find themselves having to hide a young Jewish man named Max (Ben Schnetzer), from being taken away to the concentration camps. Amidst the chaos and horrors of the war, Liesel finds refuge in the written words and shares the stories she learns with the people she comes to love.
The highlight of this film is the chemistry between the characters. This can only be achieved through sheer acting talent, and there is plenty of that to be seen. The child actors Sophie Nélisse and Nico Liersch, playing Liesel's neighbor Rudy, are no acting thespians. Still they both play their parts well and the friendship between them is believable. Nélisse especially brings some genuine innocence and wonderment in her scenes, which contrasts well with the dreariness of the setting. Academy nominated actress Emily Watson plays the role of the foster mother and to no surprise is wonderful in her role. She is supposed to be a cold and strict mother, but when she shows her caring side, Watson makes that transition seem very natural. However, the man that steals all the scenes that he is in, is none other than Geoffrey Rush playing the foster father. This man can do no wrong. He is the polar opposite of Watson's character, being a more nurturing and understanding father to Liesel. He is so charismatic that even in the most distressing moments he livens up the scene. Most of all the relationship between his character and Liesel is sweet and heart- warming.
The few flaws that are there has mostly to do with the third act. I felt that the ending was a bit rushed. Much of the movie spends time on developing the relationships of the characters. While that's perfectly fine because it is done beautifully, it left little time to progress to the final climax. So instead it felt anticlimactic, and there was no satisfactory closure.
I actually never read the book this movie is based on. The only exposure I had was the one trailer in the cinemas and one of my friends telling me how great the book is. So I went in with mediocre expectations and I ended up loving it. There are some flaws, but as a whole I had a great experience. I'd highly recommend giving it a watch if you can. Geoffrey Rush's charm alone is reason enough to watch this movie. The Book Thief will definitely pull at your heart strings.