The Fault In Our Stars (2014) review

The Fault in Our Stars a.k.a TFIOS is a movie based on a young adult novel with the same title written by John Green. I FINALLY HAD THE CHANCE TO WATCH IT. It's romance, which is not my usual favorite type of movie/book, but this one is special, I guess.

I will start with the book first, okay? Okay. (See what I did here?)

I read TFIOS a while ago simply because it's very popular on the internet. And it turns out that I really like it. Yes, the plot is kind of typical romance, but not as cheesy as Nicholas Sparks' books. But what I really like is John Green's writing style. Especially I like his choices of words and quotes. How to describe it huh? Powerful? Idk, but they stuck with you even after you finished reading it. In my opinion, the plot is not that strong, but the characters and the wordings are awesome.

So, with great novel comes great expectations for the movie, right? Yeah I was excited about TFIOS movie. But to be honest, after I watched it, I don't feel the strength of the story, the appeal, as much as when I read the book. Maybe, maybe, it's because, again, the plot is basically standard. Maybe that's what made the movie feel kinda flat, boring, with no intense peak, except perhaps at the twist. 

As for the quotes, thank you writers for putting most of the great quotes in the movie. However, to me there's a difference between reading them and hearing them being said. You see, when the characters said the quotes in the movie, it's like those words just passed through you. But when you read it, it's like you can process it in your brain and you can find the beauty of it. For example, one of my most favorite line in the book, 

“The world," he said, "is not a wish-granting factory.” 

Gus said it after he told Hazel about his cancer returning. That's some painful bitter truth right there but it didn't get enough appreciation because, well, it only took maybe 2 seconds to say that line. 

Really, read the novel. Way more beautiful than the movie. 

Enough about the things I don't like. I love some aspects of TFIOS movie. One, the way Ansel Elgort portrayed Augustus Waters. He got it. He totally got it. He understood that Gus was one cocky, pretentious dude and Ansel did it justice. Gus always wanted to be a hero, to leave something important so everyone will remember him after he died, and Hazel knocked some sense into him that being important for one other person is enough. 

I didn't expect to enjoy Shailene Woodley's portrayal of Hazel Grace, but I did. The cynical, realist girl with cancer, who found happiness in her bitter life from Gus. I like the way she portrayed the love Hazel felt for Gus. It's not over the top like usual teenagers movie. It fits perfectly with the characterization of Hazel Grace. Well done, you two.

Fun things I'd like to add. It's pretty clear since the beginning about Gus' fate. It's obvious that he's gonna die at the end. Some clues:

• Gus insisted to call Hazel with her long name, Hazel Grace. Maybe this is some kind of a "powerful" metaphor to him. You see, Gus likes metaphors and symbols and stuffs. When Hazel started calling him Gus instead of Augustus, there's a quote in the book where he said “You used," he said, and then took a sharp breath, "to call me Augustus.” 

• Gus said “I’m on a roller coaster that only goes up, my friend.” We all know there's no such thing as a roller coaster that only goes up. At some point, it'll go down. And for Gus, it went down the day he discovered that his cancer is coming back and he "lit up like a christmas tree".

• Anne Frank's house is the set where Gus and Hazel kissed for the first time. Anne Frank died not long before the war ended. She was so close to surviving the war but she didn't make it. It's almost the same with Gus, he survived without cancer for months, but then things go unplanned. Damn you John Green. 

One more thing I like is the music. It fits the movie tone really well and it's beautiful.

I give The Fault in Our Stars movie 3.5/5 noise. I love that it stays true to the book, the quotes, the characters and everything. But perhaps for those who haven't read the book, plot-wise it's flat. Also I don't really enjoy the camera work, but I honestly can't pinpoint why. But still, thank you John Green for a beautiful pain that is TFIOS.