I was looking forward to this film. I only watched one trailer, and carefully avoided any more footage. I wanted to go into this film as fresh as possible, and I am pleased to say that I enjoyed it. I think it is good, but not great. It definitely has flaws, but its considerable charm and engaging narrative more than make up for its shortcomings.
Thankful For A Little Infinity
I really liked the film’s narrative. I think it tells an insightful story, and evokes perspective on the lives of the characters. I found myself as attached to the story primarily because of them. They felt very real, and complex. They were not simply one-dimensional caricatures which whom the audience could not relate to. They were immensely relatable, which only strengthened the emotion the film caused. However, one problem I did have with the narrative is that it is fairly predictable. A handful of scenes did not resinate with me because of the predictability of the film. I do believe that the filmmakers made logical choices, but I wish that they were not as obvious. Another problem is that the film feels fairly clichéd in certain parts. I found this a bit disturbing because the film even states how it will not be your ordinary film. While I certainly would not call the film “typical”, it is not as unique as it thinks it is. Many parts of the film feel very unique, but others just feel like a typical Hollywood film. Another component of the narrative is the writing, and I thought it was simply okay. There were a handful of well written pieces of dialogue, but most of it was standard. However, some of the dialogue made me cringe.
Hazel & Gus
I would like to focus on the two leads, but before that I would like to praise Laura Dern’s performance. I thought it felt very real (most of the time), and genuinely heartbreaking. The film find its highlight in the form of Gus and Hazel. These two had incredible chemistry with one another, and were quite frankly the most unique aspect of the film. Shailene Woodley was fantastic throughout, but at first I was not one-hundred percent sold on Ansel Elgort. I thought his acting was passable, and the character of Gus only moderately interesting, but the film definitely changed my perspective towards the end. He was revealed to be a far more complex and interesting character than his initial introduction.
Closing Remarks
Overall, I enjoyed The Fault In Our Stars. While it did have some faults, I was pleased with the product. It was a film that contains a meaningful message, and handles a serious subject very well.