Director: Josh Boone
Starring: Shailene Woodley, Ansel Elgort, Nat Wolff
Release Date: June 6, 2014
The Fault in Our Stars is a number-one bestselling novel by John Green that came out in January 2012. 18 months and millions of copies sold later the novel has been adapted into a film. Whenever a book is turned into a film, fans of the book always worry if the film crew will do the book justice. It's a scary thought really, these characters that you fell in love with as you turned the pages can be ruined if the film doesn't bring the characters to life the way you imagined them to be. Will Josh Boone and his crew make thousands of fans happy or will this adaptation turn sour?
Hazel Grace Lancaster (Shailene Woodley) and Augustus Waters (Ansel Elgort) are two extraordinary teenagers who are fighting the same fight - cancer. They both share an acerbic wit, a disdain for the conventional, and a love that sweeps them – and us – on an unforgettable journey. Their relationship is all the more miraculous, given that they met and fell in love at a cancer support group. The Fault in Our Stars takes us on an unforgettable journey about how it feels to be alive and in love.
If your biggest fear was that the movie adaptation won't live up to the book then take a deep breath of relief because Josh Boone stayed faithful to the book. The screenwriters even took entire passages from the book and inserted them into the script. Yes, there are scenes from the book that did not make the film but that was to be expected due to the film having a run time of 125 minutes. So if there wasn't a scene that did not contribute to getting Hazel and Augustus to Amsterdam or to the ending of the novel then it had to be left out. But even with that, you will not be disappointed.
Woodley has proven herself as an actress in past films and it is no surprise that she killed it as Hazel Grace. What I enjoyed the most was that she didn't take the easy route by evoking pity or sadness from the viewers with her terminal illness. It's easy to sympathize with any film about cancer due to it being an illness that takes the lives of many loved ones but Woodley doesn't let that happen. Instead, she uses Hazel's goodness and wit to help the audience grow a connection with her. And Elgort does the same thing with Augustus even though he did come off too cocky. The chemistry between the two actors was simply beautiful and I must admit, I fell in love for them after their first interaction in the film. Issac (
Nat Wolff) adds the only comic relief throughout the film as a patient whose cancer causes him to lose his eyes.
The greatest strength and what I appreciate the most from the film is that it does not use cancer to pull the tears from our eyes because yes, you will cry in this film. Instead, it uses love as the tearjerker because love is not always perfect and can get quite emotional. Not only does the love between Augustus and Hazel choke you up but the love between Hazel and her parents grows stronger.
"The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars,
But in ourselves, that we are underlings." - Cassius
The title of the book and the film is a play on the quote from Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar. In general, I would agree with Cassius that the faults is indeed not in our stars but in ourselves but in the case of Hazel, Augustus and everyone else with terminal illness, the fault is in their stars.
Overall, I highly recommend going to see The Fault in Our Stars when it hits theaters on June 6th. It is a perfect date film or something you can go see with your family or friends. Make sure you bring your napkins because your hands might be too buttery from eating your popcorn to wipe those tears. This film is by far one of my favorite book to movie adaptations as of
late. You'll get the same feelings from reading the book as watching the film. Note, you will shed more tears if you decide
to read the novel.
Labels: 2014, Ansel Elgort, Full Movie, Josh Boone, Movie Review, Nat Wolff, Shailene Woodley, The Fault in Our Stars
