Wednesday 2 July 2014

Movie Review : The Fault In Our Stars (2014)

 Movie Review : The Fault In Our Stars (2014)


Plot: 

-“Life doesn’t have to be perfect for love to be extraordinary.”

The Fault in Our Stars is a 2014 American romantic comedy-drama film directed by Josh Boone, based on the novel of the same name by John Green. The film stars Shailene Woodley, Ansel Elgort, and Nat Wolff, with Laura Dern, Sam Trammell, and Willem Dafoe in supporting roles. Woodley plays Hazel Grace Lancaster, a sixteen-year-old cancer patient who is forced by her parents to attend a support group, where she subsequently meets and falls in love with Augustus Waters, portrayed by Ansel Elgort.



Movie Review:

Note: If you think this is another chick-flick, a stupid perverted rom-com or a depressing story about cancer, ATTENTION: IT ISN’T.


Being a true fan of John Green’s ‘The Fault’, I was looking forward to its movie adaptation with great anticipation. And this movie is just spot on. Josh Boone was successful to bring out the essence of the book on the big screen in the right manner. The actors portraying the characters were utterly perfect and had a great understanding about their roles. I’ll start by talking about the rising enigma i.e. Shailene Woodley (known for her lead role in “Divergent”). She plays the terminally-ill Hazel Grace like no one else could have & makes me see Hazel in a new light. I greatly appreciate the qualities Hazel possesses of empathy, kindness, wit and no-nonsense attitude. I laughed with her, I cried with her & most of all, I understood her. That is what a protagonist is supposed to make you feel like and she did her job well. 

“The world is not a wish-granting factory.”



Now, my favorite character i.e. Augustus Waters, who is portrayed by the new and talented actor Ansel Elgort (seen in “Carrie” and “Divergent”). I am just biased when it comes to him. First of all, I am irrevocably in love with Augustus Waters; secondly, Ansel is just so cute and charming like a peacock in this role..that I cannot even describe it to the best of my capabilities. He’s just adorable. *Sigh* He came in Hazel’s life and changed it forever, likewise he changed mine too.

“You don't get to choose if you get hurt in this world...but you do have some say in who hurts you. I like my choices.”

 Here’s a fun fact:
Ansel Elgort who played Shailene’s brother in Divergent is her “Epic love” in this movie. Yes, that’s right! Believe me, this movie isn’t awkward at all but seeing them as siblings in Divergent definitely was.

So I was talking about Ansel/Gus. He did his role of a pretentious ,dramatic ,metaphor-believing witty, and funny Augustus with utmost perfection. But when it came to cute, vulnerable, loving, caring , and emotional Augustus, he broke all the dams that were holding my tears back. I literally cried. I won’t give any spoilers though. Those who have read the book know what I am talking about and those who haven’t should a) READ IT! What are you waiting for? It’s a thin book with a roller coaster of emotions. & b) after reading the book, watch the movie! Because this is among the best book adaptations ever.

“I fell in love the way you fall asleep: slowly, and then all at once.”



Then the cute/blind best friend Isaac is played by Natt Wolff. He is a great comic-relief in this movie. I loved how naturally he said all his lines like a normal person does, but I wish he had more scenes just like in the book. He was great though.& so was Hazel’s mom, played by Laura Dern .She reminded me of my own mom. Hazel’s father, Patrick from support-group & last and the least (pun intended) Peter van Houten were all like a fragmentation of my imagination put into reality.

“It's a metaphor, see: You put the killing thing right between your teeth, but you don't give it the power to do its killing.”-Augustus

The soundtrack of this movie is equally entertaining and is on repeat on my playlist. ‘All of the Stars’ by Ed Sheeran captures the soul of the entire movie. “All I Want” by Kodaline with its beautiful lyrics capture the tragic element and if you are looking for a peppy-teen number, listen to ‘Boom Clap’ by Charli XCX. ‘Let Me In’ by Grouplove is another good one.

Thank you John Green for bestowing the world with your acerbic wit in the form of Fault and thank you Josh Boone for making it soo perfect.
In a nutshell, this movie is worth every smile, every tear, every laugh. Watch it with your bffs or alone and have the time of your life. Okay? Okay.

“Oh, I wouldn't mind, Hazel Grace. It would be a privilege to have my heart broken by you.”
-Augustus

This movie is worth all the hype it is creating and is already my favourite romantic movie. I’ll rate it with: 
*****

Reviewed by Fouzia Umer


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