It's taken me some time to make complete coherent thoughts on one of my favourite books that recently got transferred in to the big screen... The Fault in Our Stars.
I first read the book last year. It became my bus read on my journeys to college because of that I found myself crying over this book in public (also being the first time a book has made me cry). John Green had written a witty, interesting, devastating, empowering book. And I was then encouraged to read more of his works (Looking for Alaska, Paper Towns, An Abundance of Katherine's). For anyone who follows John Green on Twitter, Instagram, tumblr or watches the VlogBrothers will know he is this films biggest supporter and rightly so. For the first time the people and world he has created is being made into a film and if your not allowed to be excited about that then I don't know what your allowed to be excited about. He is not shy to praise both cast and crew on there excellent jobs, and they did do excellent jobs then did a very honest adaptation of a well loved book. I can't wait to read more from this man.
Hazel Grace Lancaster is brought to life by Shailene Woodley and I had complete faith that she would do this character justice after previously seeing her in The Descendents and Divergent. She did not fail to live up to expectations. Hazel is not just a girl who is battling cancer she is falling in love for the first time with a boy who adores her. Shailene Woodley acts impeccably as we watch her character deal with love and disappointment with wit and heartbreak.
Ansel Elgort is not someone I had ever heard of before the casting of the fault in our stars had been announced. Then he appeared in divergent as Caleb Prior who is a very different character to Augustus Walters so I was unsure on what to expect. But from his introduction to his end he embodied Augustus Walters in the perfect combination if Arrogance, cockiness and vulnerability.
Before The Fault in Our Stars I had seen Nat Wolff in a small role in in New Year's Eve, nothing substantial enough to guess how is portrayal of Issac was going to be. But he made me cry the most in his eulogy for Augustus. Issac is also a hard role to transfer on to the screen due to the fact he and Augustus don't get much screen time together but they have been friends the longest and this has to come across to the audience. Nat and Ansel perfectly portrayed this in the time they had together.
Hazels mother Emily Lancaster is played by the fabulous Laura Dern who everybody should know from Jurassic Park (and Jurassic park 3, she's also done a lot of other stuff). In Laura Derns performance we get a brilliant portrayal of the adults perspective of the situation at hand.
The entire supporting cast gave an authentic performance and everything (setting, costume, soundtrack) added to the beauty of the film.
I was lucky enough to see this movie in an advanced screening surrounded by fans who had read the book and had waited with baited breath for the movie release (and maybe a few people who were dragged along by said fans). This is a great way to see the impact this film can have on people. As someone who is not a crier when it comes to movies ect I did expect to shed a few tears after doing so at the book I did not expect the tears to coming streaming out. Nor did I expect to hear uncontrollable sobs echo from different areas in the theatre.
This a movie that the cast and crew should be highly proud of Josh Boone did a incredible job directing. And I highly recommend everyone to go and get wrapped up in the world of Augustus Walters and Hazel Grace Lancaster.
