Monday 23 June 2014

Movie Review: The Fault in Our Stars


Title: The Fault in Our Stars 
Based On: John Green's: 'The Fault In Our Stars'
Director: Josh Boone 
Writers: Scott Neustadter, Michael H. Weber
Stars: Shailene Woodley, Ansel Elgort, Nat Wolff

'Hazel and Gus are two teenagers who share an acerbic wit, a disdain for the conventional and a love that sweeps them on a journey. Their relationship is all the more miraculous given that Hazel's other constant companion is an oxygen tank, Gus jokes about his prosthetic leg, and they met and fell in love at a cancer support group.'

What can I tell you about this movie, other than the fact that it made me cry so many times and it left me emotionally drained by the end of it? 

This was a book-to-movie adaptation that I had been dying to watch and you have no idea how happy I am that I went to watch it. There were so many people.who said that the movie stayed true to the book and I just wanted to find out for myself if that was the case. These people were right. The movie was absolutely amazing and stuck with the book so well. 

I really don't know where to start here, there were so many scenes that I really did just fall in love with. All the scenery was everything I pictured it to be and I loved the skeleton that the kids were playing on. All of the Amsterdam scenes were just beautiful to watch. It was really nice seeing the scene where Hazel and Augustus went up to Anne Frank's Annex and how they played out the whole Van Houten scene. I hated him just as much as I did in the book and possibly more. 

There was no doubt that I though Woodley and Elgort did a fantastic but I have to say and even though he wasn't on the screen as much as the two of them, Nat Wolff was the person who I really though did an absolutely terrific job as playing Isaac. I really do think he captured the character perfectly and did an amazing job of bringing some humour to a film that can be extremely upsetting. 

That was the thing about this film, it is heart-breaking and there are times that you will be balling your eyes out, because I lost count of the times where I had tears streaming down my face, there were so many times where everyone watching the movie just burst out into laughter because you just couldn't help it. The humorous parts of the movie really just helped the atmosphere of the screening. People wanted to laugh along when the characters were laughing and cry when they were as well. 

There were some scenes which I really did wish were in the move from the book but I understand that they couldn't fit everything in there as much as they probably wanted to. It didn't take away from what was already in the movie though. There were a few lines that they put into the movie as expected and usually I feel like they never seem to fit in as well but if anything, they just added to the characters. 

As much as Augustus and Hazel's story really got to me, the scenes in the movie that really made me not stop crying were the scenes between Hazel and her parents. They seemed so realistic and it was all done in a way where you couldn't help but think about the position they were in and what they had to deal with and the fact that this is the reality for a lot of people out there. 

It was a fantastic movie though and whether you've read the book or not, if you're looking for a movie that will make you laugh and cry all within the space of two hours then this really is the movie for you. 

Rating: ★★★ 1/2

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