I was expecting a lot from a 'The Fault In Our Stars'. When a book has the ability to make you cry like a baby for the last 20 pages you wonder how that magic can be transferred onto a big screen.
The fan base for this book is a dominating force - a group of people who you really don't want to piss off which is why the anticipation surrounding this film was so intense. When the tagline for the movie came out 'It's one sick love story' people got pissy. Some many wanted loyalty to the book and not over kill that occurs with so many American movies. The story of Gus and Hazel is an unconventional romance to say the least- Hazel, who's terminally ill meets Gus in a cancer support group. Writer John Green manages to interweave cancer and romance into a love story that's so heart wrenching that at some points you will actually find your lips physically trembling. Large portions of the film however are devoted to just Gus and Hazel staring into each other eyes - so much so that occasionally you feel a bit awkward even watching them.
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If a film was rated simply on its ability to make people cry then it would be 5 stars easily. I turned halfway through the film to see my 27-year old male house mate crying like baby. Character wise the actors defiantly win you over - Gus's smile made the majority of the prepubescent girls in the cinema audibly 'awww' their way through the movie whereas Hazels eyes are so striking (and perfectly matched to her name) that you forget she's wearing an oxygen mask throughout the entire film. I don't think anyone every utters the sentence "That movie was so much better than the book" - it rarely happens. This is the case with fault in our stars however, it was a damn good attempt.
4 out of 5 stars
