Too slow moving

Rating: 5/10 (18 April 2017)

The Book Thief is narrated by the Grim Reaper himself but it needs more than this gimmick to stand apart from other films that tread a similar path about people growing up in Nazi Germany during the war.
Liesel (Sophie Nélisse) is fostered by a childless older couple, Hans (Geoffrey Rush) and Rosa (Emily Watson) as her communist mother cannot look after her. Living in a small village, kindly Hans teaches her to read and Liesel acquires a love of books. While others in village are burning books, she steals them to read.
The household also hides a young Jewish lad called Max and in among a village that consists of Nazi sympathisers and bullies she develops a friendship with Rudy, both develop a hate for Nazis in a world that has become increasingly dangerous.
The film has a sad and touching finale. I do not think I am giving much away given who narrates this film. However I found the film flat and trite. It was also too long which means kids watching it would get restless.
The movie does have one great line which is delivered by the Grim Reaper. He recounts that some of the people that Liesel encountered, he met them in passing!