The Fault in Our Stars : the movie
Okay,
so I have been wanting to write this on a nearly minutely basis, but I have been waiting until I could form a coherent thought in re “The Fault In Our Stars” movie.
I have now seen the movie twice and I think I'm finally ready to give my opinion.
It is an understatement if I say that I was moved. Also, I don't think it does the movie justice. I was very pleased that it respected the book very well and that it made me cry as much as the book did. Honestly, I disappeared into a puddle of tears ten minutes into the movie. And I didn't stop crying until ten minutes after the credits were done. So, needless to say, it was a very moving and emotional film.
Watching it the second time was even worse than the first time, which I did not expect.
For all of you out there who haven't seen the movie yet, you might not want to read this as it will be loaded with spoilers.
I think it's safe to say it was a very good adaptation of the book. It respected most things and had literal quotes put into it. Even though sometimes the quotes got changed a bit, which I think is sad as John Green had written such beautiful sentences. It wasn't really necessary to change them.
Of course, being the critical soul I am, some things did bother me. Starting with Gus's age. I mean, why did they have to change it? (He's 17 in the book and 18 in the movie) To me, that seems rather moronic. I mean, sure Ansel Elgort isn't 17 anymore, but does it matter? Shailene Woodley is even older than he is! Another thing that bothered me is that Nat Wolff doesn't actually fit Isaac's profile. Sure, he did a great job, but Isaac was supposed to be blond.
Another thing that bothered me, well, saddened me rather than bothered, were the missing scenes, or the scenes that got changed or cramped together. I really missed the lonely, vaguely pedophilic swingset seeking the butts of children. T
he defentition of true love. The open casket. Caroline Matters' internet page. The hospital visit after Isaac's surgery. Isaac's eulogy at the actual funeral. Don't we all love these moments? Present tense.
And even though some things weren't as good as others, let's take a second to talk about the good things. Like Shailene Woodley. She did great and I think she was true to the charachter. It all seemed very real. And I don't just say that because I love her. Let's move on to the amazing Ansel Elgort. First of all: he is cute as a button. And every single second he's on screen, you just want to hug him and never let go. You want to do even more so when you realise he is going to die. Well... Gus is. Shout out to him for never forgetting to limp. Throughout the whole movie, he limped like old prosty was actually a thing. Which brings us to the prostetic leg which was really well done. I don't get how they did it, but I don't even want to know so it's stays magical. Isaac, played by the skilled Nat Wolff was a s
urprise to me. I hadn't seen Natt Wolff in anything since "The Naked Brothers Band", which, quite frankly, was pretty terrible. But I was glad to see he has come a long way. Side note: wasn't is really ironical that he sang horrificly in tfios an is actually a singer in real life?
I do have to admit I was quite disapointed with the other actors. The mother, whom I hadn't imagined like that at all, always had this smile that seemed forced or nervous, which I could understand, but it kind of annoyed me. Sam Trammell makes me think of Sam Merlot too much and Lidewij didn't seem to have any feelings. Willem Dafoe (Peter Van Houten) did well though. He was despicable right as he should be. My friend, who hadn't read the book, was sitting next to me and I was delighted to see her annoyance with him.
If you haven't seen the movie and you're wondering how they put in all of the texts and the mails in the movie. You're in for a treat. These things do play an important role and I'm happy that they decided to keep'em. It makes it more playful and fun. Also, the best part of the phone calls, is that this time, you actually get to see what Augustus is doing while he's talking on the phone since in the book, you're just left with one big blank. Well, the makers of the movie filled it in really nicely.
Next time you watch the movie, you
might want to pay attention to all of the product placement of our very good friend: Apple. It's really just everywhere and it's okay, 'cause we do love Apple, but when you see a waitress in a restaurant carrying a tablet, it's just ludicrous.
One last thing that is definitely worth mentioning: the music. It was simply perfect. It made you cry even more when Hazel read Augustus's letter (a moment of sheer perfection and sobbing) it made it excited for the trip to Amsterdam, it was amazing.
There are many more things to say about this marvel, but I'll just let you watch the movie and decide on your own whether it was everything you wished it would be. Just be sure to bring enough tissues.
I want to know, though. Have you seen the movie or are you going to? What did you think? What are you hoping for? Did I forget to mention something? Tell me everything in the comment section below. Okay?
~Ashley
Read about the book and trailer here: The Fault In Our Stars: book and trailer