'The Fault in Our Stars' review

Young adult books have had a huge wave of film adaptions coming their way the past few years after audiences needed something to scratch their itch once the Harry Potter franchise was on its final legs. Some have been good, some have been....'Twilight'.

These films have been huge draws at the box office for our age demographic. But these films usually consist of one thing: EXCITEMENT! Each of the movies have a bit of something for everyone. If you like romance, it's there. If you want cool action sequences, you got 'em! These movies have things that all people can enjoy.

This is what makes the early box office success of 'The Fault in Our Stars' so interesting. The new film by Josh Boone, adapted from Author (and avid youtuber) John Green, is a romance. Usually that would limit the amount of viewers, since if you aren't interested in romances or romantic comedies, you'll be best advised to stay at home. But, due to the book's popularity and probably a bunch of girlfriends forcing their boyfriends, the movie turned out to be a pretty big hit in its opening week. That's kind of cool for a small movie like this to be having such an impact at the box office during such a bloated summer. But does the film deserve the attention?

Well, let's start off with the premise for those who don't know. The story features around a young girl named Hazel Grace (played by Shailene Woodley). She is struck with terminal cancer that was discovered when she was thirteen. She seems to think she is going nowhere for the remainder of her life, until she meets a young man, Augustus Waters (Ansel Elgort). He's a free spirit who loves to have fun, and really lets Hazel come out of her shell. The two click immediately and not long after, they fall in love. Their romance takes them from a lush park behind Hazel's house, all the way to Amsterdam. But soon the illness will catch up to one of them, and both musn't let the disease destroy the love they have for each other.

There are a lot of good things in 'Fault', but the one GREAT thing is Shailene Woodley. Ever since I saw her in 2011's The Descendants and last year's The Spectacular Now, I found her beautiful and mesmerizing to watch. This is no exception. She sells the feeling of falling in love so perfectly. And just the emotion she's able to convey with her eyes are enough to earn her an oscar nomination. It's superb work.

Laura Dern also gives in one of her best performances in years as Hazel's loving, yet cautious mother. Even Ansel Elgort (who I hated in last year'sCarrie) gives a decent performance as the cancer stricken Augustus. He has a very cool quality to him, almost like if James Dean was younger and had a metal leg.

I also really like the writing. It may seem a bit too sappy, but it's a good kind of sap. Like the one that comes off maple trees, it's just sweet as all hell. Each actor really delivers the dialogue in a convincing way.

Sadly, this is where the majority of my praise ends. Most of my problems with 'The Fault in Our Stars' lies with its direction. The cast is so exuberant and the script so colorful, that the overall look of the movie is just so bland. There isn't that much color, and no memorable shots. The movie also feels like it must rely on gimmicks to get an emotion out of you. Unnecessary flashbacks are shown when someone is telling a story that could have just as easily been told by dialogue. The alternative rock music kicks up to eleven, trying to literally tell you every goddamn emotion your supposed to feel, without discovering it for yourself. And the constant overdramatic slow motion shots, really took me out of it.

Plus, whenever there is an artistic/weird quirky thing, like text bubble popping up on the screen, it feels out of place, because the director hasn't done anything artistic in the first place. If this movie was put into the hands of someone like Jason Reitman or Marc Webb, I feel like they could've done so much more with it.

Also, one nitpick I have is a certain sequence inside Anne Frank's house, I found it so needless and disrespectful. I understand that the film was leading up to a moment like this, but it REALLY should've happened in a different setting.

Now, I don't want the reader to think that I didn't like 'The Fault in Our Stars', because I really don't think it was a bad movie, I just found it to be a bit of wasted potential. If a better director had been chosen, it had been shortened, and there wasn't something ALWAYS telling you what to feel, I would've liked it a lot more.

But the movie is still good. It gets a bit higher than decent thanks to wonderful performances, a good script, and a real tear jerking scene here and there. So, if you haven't seen it already: I still recommend this movie.

Okay?

Grade: B-

Review by Josh McCormack