The Fault in Our Stars (Movie Review)

Title: The Fault in Our Stars

Director: Josh Boone

Starring: Shailene Woodley (Hazel Grace Lancaster) and Ansel Elgort (Augustus Waters)

Production Company: Temple Hill Entertainment

Release Date: June 5^th, 2014 (New Zealand), June 6^th, 2014 (USA)

Length: 125 minutes

Genre: Drama/Romance

Summary from IMDb: [This will be spoiler free, but the actual review below will not]. Hazel and Augustus 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. They meet and fall in love at a cancer support group.

Review: [Reminder: Spoilers]. This is one of the hardest reviews to write for me because The Fault in Our Stars really was one of my favourite books in the world, and I absolutely adored the film so it’s hard to think rationally about it, but I’ll try my best.

I think where this movie really excels compared to most other YA releases this year is the on-screen chemistry Shailene and Ansel have. Their romance is believable in every way, and it makes the film so beautiful. The actors bring every character to life and it’s wonderful to watch.

Let’s begin with Shailene Woodley, shall we? Shailene is undeniably one of my favourite actresses, and in terms of personal taste, I do place her above Jennifer Lawrence (which is not to say Jennifer isn’t perfect for the role of Katniss; no one can dispute that). Shailene has this calm and fragile aura about her which just works for the role of Hazel. Woodley isn’t afraid to make herself vulnerable and soft, which works for her advantage because that’s exactly what this role requires. Hazel isn’t a tough character; at her core she is a young girl dealing with a tough situation. Shailene just amplifies Hazel’s feelings of not being able to stop her inevitable death, but does it in a way that isn’t too depressing. Shailene’s Hazel is light-hearted and gigglish when appropriate, but when things take a turn for the worst (major spoiler: Augustus’ death) she lets her fragility through, and it just fits. Hazel is a strong character, but not tough, and Shailene portrays this brilliantly. Shailene’s acting really made this movie an instant favourite, and a pleasure to watch.

And now we move onto Ansel Elgort. I remember back when casting calls were announced, there was a lot of scepticism about Ansel and how he hadn’t starred in a movie up until then. I had faith in John though, who assured that Shailene and Ansel had perfect chemistry for the roles of Hazel and Gus, and he was so right. Ansel pulls off the metaphors that would look so pretentious and irritating if anyone else attempted to, which really emphasises that fact that he is indeed the perfect Gus. Ansel is an incredibly charismatic being, and he pulls off the charming personality Gus has beautifully.

A quick mention of Nat Wolfe, who was insanely amazing as Isaac. One of the most emotional parts in the book for me is Isaac’s eulogy, and the way Nat delivers it is heartbreaking yet endearing. He fits the role of best friend without imposing too much on Hazel and Gus’ relationship, and often provides the humour so desperately needed to make audiences laugh while they nearly drown themselves in tears.

Overall, this movie was insanely good, and is in my top three YA releases in the past year, and probably top three in general too. It’s not a movie for cynics, but rather for people looking for a teen-romance that will make you laugh, cry and repeat for 2 hours straight.

Final Rating: A. I had extremely high expectations for this film, and it met every single one of them. As the target demographic for the film, I think it is well within my rights to say every single one of you should be planning on seeing this movie soon. While it’s being regarded as a date night film, you don’t have to treat it as such; watching it with a group of friends will be just as satisfactory. I fell in love with the movie adaptation of the book, and I’m confident that it’s going to do amazing in the box office.