The Fault In Our Stars- Book and Film.

Amsterdam, metaphor, An Imperial Affliction and the heart of Jesus can only mean one thing, but in this case two things, John Green’s The Fault In Our Stars and it’s movie adaptation.

The Fault In Our Stars is a young adult novel by John Green (Will Grayson Will Grayson, An Abundance Of Katherines and Looking For Alaska) that was published in 2012. It has sold multi million copies worldwide and has a legion of adoring fans both young and old so is it any wonder why there is a film adaptation? The film has an all-star cast that includes Shailene Woodley (Hazel Grace), Ansel Elgort (Augusts Waters), Nat Wolff (Isaac) and Willem Dafoe (Peter Van Houten)

So what’s it about? The Fault In Our Stars follows Hazel Grace a teenager who has cancer and all that entails. Hazel’s days consist of binge watching reality TV and rereading An Imperial Affliction (AIA), so her mother thinks that she is depressed and forces her to go to a cancer support group. After a few visits, Hazel meets a boy, Augustus Waters (Gus) who is a cancer survivor. They strike up a friendship or ‘friendship’ if you prefer, sharing their likes which then become neutral likes such as AIA, (which is a fictional story by Peter Van Houten) that ends in the middle of the story and due to this Hazel has several questions that she would like answered. The problem is that Peter Van Houten has become a recluse living in Amsterdam and has never replied to her fan mail. So will Hazel Grace ever get the answers she seeks? Can Augustus Waters help her? Will Hazel Grace survive? To find out the answers you have to read the book or watch the film.

So what happens if you commit the cardinal sin of watching the film and then reading the book, as I (Jordan) did? For starters, you do not know what is going to happen as you watch the film and so you are not waiting for a particular line or part in hope that it made it into the film. But what happens to your opinions about the film and the book? [This part contains SPOILERS so if you do not wish to know what is different from the book to the film then read no further].

A big point that you will notice, and I do not think it makes much of a difference if you watch the film first or read the book, but you notice that the film encapsulates the feel of the book completely, the tone is there, the main characters are the same, there’s still an edginess, the comic styling is still there (scene with Isaac and the trophies for instance) and the jokes are included. Therefore the film adaption is a brilliant way to become engulfed into the story (bring in new fans) and please old fans alike. But what are the main differences?

In the book Hazel Grace thinks that she is like a grenade that could explode at any time, causing damage to those around her. The reason about how she comes to think of herself this way is drastically different in the film from the book. In the film, Hazel Grace has an epiphany of this but in the book it is from learning about Augustus’ ex-girlfriend Caroline who died of brain cancer that she sees herself this way. So does this change make much of a difference? To the hard-core fan, yes but to someone who saw the film first, no as it is addressed in a way that you would not guess that it is different from the book.

Another difference is the way in which Hazel receives the eulogy for her by Augustus. In the book Hazel Grace finds out that Augustus was writing something for her but she cannot find the piece. So after some hard core thinking she realises that the piece must be with Lidewij, Peter Van Houten’s assistant.  Where as in the film, when Peter Van Houten gets into Hazel Grace’s car after Augusts’ funeral he hands her a piece of paper and tells her that she will want to read it. However Hazel Grace does not realise what the piece is until slighter later in the film. So is this a big difference? Quite simply yes, as Peter Van Houten went to Augusts funeral in the book and so the film adaptation makes it easier for Hazel Grace to find the eulogy and it makes Peter Van Houten’s visit more dramatic in a sense as it somewhat redeems him slightly for his pervious actions, whereas the book does not do this in the same sense.

So can you enjoy the book after seeing the film? Yes, although the main story is the same there are a few surprising differences that will give you the chance to look at the story in a different light.

Should you read the book if you saw the film? Yes, as John Green is a master of voice, comedy and heart felt moments and should not be missed.

If you haven’t seen the film should you? Another Yes, as Shailene Woodley and Ansel Elgort give outstanding performances that encapsulate the book whilst offering their unique acting talents. Also Willem Dafoe is brilliant as the not so Mr nice guy Peter Van Houten.

Overall both the book and the film are incredible and should not be missed, whilst both have aspects that are unique to them and so work swimmingly together.

Book available in all good retail stores and film has just left the cinema.

So what do you guys think?

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Jordan