"The Fault In Our Stars" (2014)

I read the book recently and absolutely loved it. I was both crying and laughing simultaneously. So of course I had to watch the film immediately after…although with a bit of apprehension as I was afraid it might ruin how I imagined the characters in the book, as some films can. But it absolutely didn’t. What I liked about it was how much it stuck with the format of the book, and how many lines it took from the book too. Very little was changed, and anything that was, was only subtle, small and completely understandable.

The casting was more than perfect. Shailene Woodley and Ansel Elgort are the embodiment of Hazel and Augustus...in my opinion! I couldn’t imagine any other playing either of them. They are exactly as I pictured the characters in the book. Perfect.

I found the scene in which Isaak is grieving after breaking up with his girlfriend and Augustus lets him smash his basketball trophies very amusing. The way they filmed it is great because you’ve got Augustus trying to talk to Hazel about Imperial Affliction (her favourite book) in the foreground of the shot and Isaak having his little moment in the background. They just keep talking over all the banging of the trophies and the way it cuts back and forth from them to Isaak...the editing is just great.

The editing as a whole is very well done actually. There’s a scene in which Hazel’s cancer flares up one night and she’s in such pain that the scene is done in slow motion as her parents are running up the stairs and she’s doubled over in bed. The music used is sort of monotonous but in being so, with no other sound throughout the scene, makes it so effective. I was on the verge of tears and banging my hands on the edge of the couch at the injustice, screaming in my head ‘no, no, no’. I mean...that’s the kind of reaction and fervour all movies should at some point be able to evoke in its audience. I guess it also just portrays the reality of what people who have cancer go through.

Incidentally there is this other scene following the above one, in which Hazel is sitting on the grass in her garden on the phone with Augustus and she’s crying. This is the only scene, the only moment in the story where Hazel actually does or allows herself to effectively curse the world for the completely unfair circumstances it is landing her with, and I think because of this, it’s actually a big enough moment that could easily go over-looked. At least, it struck me as one. Augustus asks her if she’s ok, and she doesn’t answer immediately but finally just says “no” really quietly, in a moment where she might otherwise have just said that she was. She goes on to list her reasons as to why she is not ok, including the line “I also don’t want this particular life” which I think is a very strong line, sort of heartbreaking even though the scene itself isn’t particularly heartbreaking. But she sort of transfers her despondency over her situation into talking about the sky and the old swing set she’s sitting down in front of. In a way, this is a powerful scene.

What I also liked about this film was that it didn’t feel like your typical chick-flick movie. I don’t like those movies, they’re so predictable it’s painful. But this one had a realness to it, and while the majority of it is, basically revolving around the whole love-story between Augustus and Hazel, it’s not terribly clichéd or cheesy. Well....I guess it has its moments... But it did feel that little bit more realistic...in a way. The whole cancer aspect of the story, from what I could tell was portrayed well. It’s heartbreaking and there was several moments where I was literally crying and laughing at the same time (though more so with the book) but there is that little bit of hope offered that, ok, life deals you shitty cards but it can deal you pretty good ones too. You just have to keep playing the game to see what happens. And Hazel’s character does have a very cold/blunt way of looking at the world that gives the story a more realness. It’s not all sunshine and rainbows and she never pretends it is for the sake of the readers/audience. She just says things how they are and I really like that. It’s one of the aspects which grabbed my attention reading the book, I mean, from the very first sentence in the book we’re given this quality of her personality and I really like it. As I say, Shailene Woodley plays this down to a T.

And of course Augustus’ character is sort of happy-go-lucky and speaks without the need to abbreviate his sentences while also using big words so effortlessly. I love that. “Hush, I am in the midst of a great soliloquy here”. Ansel Elgort plays him with a kind of care-free aura fantastically. And his facial expressions add so much too. I loved the moment when they’re on the plane and it’s about to take off. I loved it in the book and I love it in the movie. His facial expressions and reaction, given that he was never on a plane before, is totally priceless.

I have to say I like the dialogue in this film. As I say, it’s very similar to the book and there’s something about it which make it more every-day speaking, as opposed to movie-speaking...if that makes any sense at all. Just little things, little added words that show the characters’ personalities just a little bit more. Plus the manner in which they are delivered. The latter is particularly evident towards the beginning when Hazel is doing her voice-over but her tone is sort of sarcastic as opposed to the traditionally-toned narration. I often find in movies which involve the main character, or indeed another character, narrating the story, they seem to adopt (albeit most likely unconsciously) this similar tone in their voice. If you listen carefully you can hear it...But here its slightly different, she’s saying it how Hazel actually would say it in her head. This point made perfect sense in my head before I started typing but it might just have come out in one big jumble now....I’m sorry...

I also like the way the emails or texts Hazel reads throughout the film appear at the side of the screen for us to see them too. I felt it was a nice little feature to the film, and because I haven’t seen it done very often, gave this film an extra unique kick.

  

I love the recurring themes throughout this movie too and the way they round the story, such as Augusts’ love of metaphors, the idea of destiny and making something of yourself before you die, and the continuous references to Hazel’s favourite book, An Imperial Affliction. There’s a lot of thought provoking concepts in this story and make you sit back and reflect on the how the world is constructed and how our lives really fit into it.  This is another aspect of the story that I loved so much about the novel, and indeed, it’s brought into the film quite seamlessly.

I also like the way that the movie starts at the same point it ends. It gives it a more satisfying roundness if you will. It makes it feel more complete.

I have to admit I wasn’t anticipating to love this as much as I do...Mainly as it’s not typically my genre and it made me cry a  lot, which I knew it would...But no, I love this movie, this story. John Green has created a truly amazing tale with truly amazing characters and I don’t believe there is anything to fault in the manner with which it was brought to the screen. It’s simply brilliant.

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