The Fault in Our Stars - Review

The Fault in Our Stars is a film, based on a book by John Green about two teenagers with cancer. If you’ve seen the trailers, you probably think this film is just a teen romance film, and, if you read the book, you would be proven wrong. The film however, is not much more. The Fault in Our Stars for me was your average teen romance film, bookended by tragedy.

I loved the book by John Green. However, I had a few minute problems with it. Unfortunately, these problems were amplified upon their arrival to the big screen. The most prevalent issue was the characterisation of the film’s two main characters, Hazel and Gus. Neither character felt as if they had their own individual voices, instead, they both seemed to be vessels for John Green to be existential. The film deals with some very interesting ideas through Hazel and Gus’ conversations, but for the most part, these discussions feel like one person having a deep, meaningful chat with them self. This really took me out of the experience and removed a great deal of the emotion from the film.

Hazel and Gus

Another major problem with the Fault in our Stars is the lack of decent actors. Aside from the fantastic performances from Shailene Woodley (Hazel), Nat Wolff (Isaac) and Willem Dafoe (Peter Van Houten), the majority of the acting in the film was either bland or over the top. The most disappointing of these performances was that of Ansel Elgort as Gus. Whilst in the book this character is immediately likeable and funny, Elgort’s portrayal was rather pretentious. This made potentially charming scenes annoying and, in some cases, pretty creepy. Thankfully, Woodley’s acting ability was able to partially rectify the situation. Since Woodley played a likeable and sympathetic Hazel, it was easier to share her affection for Gus, despite his lack of charm.

The presentation of the film was also quite unpleasant. The opening scene felt out of place at the beginning of a high profile film such as this. The scene was a quick montage of some of the happier moments that would follow in the story, accompanied by music very similar to that in the trailer. Usually, montages at the beginning of films are pretty enjoyable, but due to the footage they used for it, it felt like a trailer. Furthermore, the majority of the music used in the soundtrack felt like an afterthought. The soundtrack was comprised of songs that did not fit the scenes they were accompanying and often cheapened them.

This is not to say that the film was all bad. The plot remained faithful to the book meaning that it was well thought out and full of moments that will probably make you laugh, and will most certainly make you cry. The final segment of the film is particularly heart wrenching and is probably the most enjoyable. Unfortunately, in order to get to it, you have to sit through a lot of cringe worthy and boring scenes. There is something to be said for the atmosphere in a room full of people when watching The Fault in Our Stars. When everyone around you is crying at the same time and for the same reasons, the experience is definitely enhanced.

Ultimately, The Fault in Our Stars is a great story with bad presentation that is unquestionably a better experience when read. If you are determined to see this film, make sure that you are in a room full of people when you do.

5.8/10