The Fault in Our Stars review

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So I watched the adaptation of a book I really like! Find what I think below!

Going in, I knew that this was going to be a fairly faithful adaptation, and therefore there is no way I wouldn't like it at least a little. Of course, I was absolutely right about that, and while some stuff was cut, the movie experience is very much like the experience of reading the book. As you may be able to tell, I really liked this film.

The Fault in Our Stars is based on John Green's novel of the same name, wherein terminal cancer patient Hazel Grace finds some joy in her life when she meets Augustus Waters. Hazel here is played by Shailene Woodley, and Augustus is played by Ansel Elgort. These two previously starred together in "Divergent", which I didn't watch on grounds of disliking the novel to the point of quitting early on.

Here, though, the two actors do a good job embodying Green's creations. More importantly, the emotion they show allows us to become invested in the characters, although I was of course already invested, having read the book. Green's novel is strong because of its emotional resonance, and without emotive performances at its lead the adaptation would fall apart entirely. Thankfully, these performances are likeable and funny in the lighter moments, and powerful in the sad parts.

In the book, I found it took a while to warm up to the characters, but I was invested by the first down point. Indeed, the same happens in the film. While I was already invested in the characters, the start did seem a bit like it was trying too hard to be a quirky teen comedy. It was somewhat successful, as The Fault in Our Stars is a funny book, but the tone didn't quite feel right to me. Hazel's glum misery at the beginning didn't come across particularly well, and an early moment lacks the gravity it has in the book. All that said, though, it's still effective enough because the script is still very funny.

The reputation of the book as a tearjerker is well-earned, with its sad twists working to make the reader want to see how it goes on from there. In a film, audiences can't wonder what happens in the next chapter, but the sad scenes are no less captivating, and the use of music often makes them even more powerful. I'm not ashamed to admit that I teared up. Near the end there's a tone of solemnity that's especially poignant, which has the potential of bringing entire theatres to tears. That said, given the audience that will presumably be filling your theatres, that may not be saying much.

The best part of Green's writing in the novel is how memorable some of his sentences really are. The novel is highly quotable, and many of the greatest quotes of the book are present in the film. That said, not all of the novel is present in the book. A few lesser scenes are absent, and some scenes are especially compressed. This, however, does not make the narrative move less smoothly, as the altered scenes are fit nicely back together.

Lastly, this adaptation of The Fault in Our Stars looks almost exactly like the descriptions in the book. This isn't necessarily relevant to its quality as a film, but as an adaptation this is relevant, and fans will greatly appreciate it. A lot of detail is present in the sets, and there will be many times where fans point out something that is perfectly adapted.

I was going to like this no matter what, and I will confess that the film is not surprisingly good. It's just an excellent visualization of a great novel, and really, what else can you ask for?

9/10

Extended thoughts [Warning: Spoilers]