596. The Fault In Our Stars (2014)

Starring: Shailene Woodley, Ansel Elgort, Nat Wolff

Director: Josh Boone

Running Time: 126 mins

The Fault In Our Stars is an American film about two teenagers, Hazel and Gus, both hampered by illnesses such as terminal cancer and an amputated leg, who fall deeply in love in a beautiful story that shows them living every second of their lives as fulfillingly as possible.

Well, I was pretty stunned by this film. Having never read the book, I had no idea what to expect from the movie, but I had the perception that it would be a sappy teen romance with a few sad moments regarding the story about this girl’s struggle with cancer.

But I was wrong. Apart from one period with a bit of sappy romance, the rest of this film is intelligent, fascinating, charming and hard-hitting. In fact, it’s as heartwarming as it is heartbreaking, and that combination turns it into an amazing collection of emotions that grabs you from the start and never lets you go.

The intelligence of this story was one of the main things that surprised me. Again, expecting some generic romance story, there are some very thoughtful ideas and concepts within this story, teaching you to value everything, enjoy everything and live life as you want it.

So it’s inspiring to watch, as well as being so intelligent. The dialogue is well thought-out, but is not only deep and intriguing, but funny and emotional all at the same time, and that’s another mix that represents how real and strong this film is.

Another of this film’s most impressive aspects was its realism. From the start, it warns you that this isn’t going to be your average Hollywood story, and is going to be as truthful and realistic as possible, no matter how painful, and that really impressed me, because it not only made it a nicer, more relatable story, but almost completely changed my outlook on the teen romance genre, seeing that it can have some real, emotional depth to it.

Of course, the first half of this film isn’t nearly as strong as the second. It’s definitely a lot nicer and funnier, although there’s a short period you have to struggle through to avoid retching at the romance, but is still a captivating time where you get to know and love the characters (performed amazingly by Shailene Woodley and Ansel Elgort).

However, that final hour is stunning. It may be a horribly difficult thing to watch from an emotional perspective, but is so mind-blowing and hard-hitting that you cannot take your eyes of the screen for a single second, ending the film on a sombre, but very strong note.

Overall, this gets an 8.8, because it’s the most intelligent teen romance I’ve ever seen, filled with heartbreaking and charming emotion from start to finish.