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Naomi Horn, 14, reviews the film adaptation of John Green's top selling book about young adults with cancer who find love. Naomi is no stranger to cancer: her mom is a survivor, and others in her parents have died of the disease.

You’re in a packed theater. The video ends, the credits roll, and it’s impossible to hear the closing music over the sound of everyone in the live theater sobbing. It is rare for so many to be moved so deeply, but as ‘The Fault in Our Stars’ ended in the theater where I saw it last night, there wasn't a dry eye in the accommodate.

I am a very devoted fan of the ebook, and had high expectations for the film. ‘The Fault in Our Stars’ did not disappoint me. The actors were genuine, inventive, and stayed true to their characters. The set was amazingly detailed, with countless little touches that added depth to the movie. For instance, the color blue was used a lot, alluding to the book’s distinctive cover. The script perplexed close to the book, with entire scenes that lined up nearly word-for-word with the text. Some scenes from the book were left out, but the film flowed well with those shifts. A moviegoer who has not read the book would never notice anything not often known from the plot.

The story is in regards to two kids with cancer who fall in love and experience death in a bittersweet tangle of events, but the story isn’t really about death. It's about being alive, and all the pains and joys that accompany life, but with cartoon characters who are facing much higher stakes than most of us.

The movie opens with a voiceover done by Shailene Woodley, the occasional actress who plays the terminally ill, incredibly insightful 16-year-old Hazel Grace Lancaster. The book is written in first person voice, so Woodley's narration keeps Hazel's humorous and honest anecdotes alive.

Hazel's story is one not often told. She is a three-year survivor of an incredibly aggressive form of stage IV thyroid cancer, and is living on borrowed time. Her mom decides that Hazel is depressed, and sends her to a support group lead by a guy named Patrick. Patrick is portrayed hilariously by Mike Birbiglia, who take an element of humor to the movie with his cringe-worthy speeches about his cancertastic past.

As in the book, Hazel meets her future love interest, Augustus Waters, at the support group. Augustus is played by the lovable Ansel Elgort, and the character is in absolution from osteosarcoma. He's big on metaphors and symbolism, and Elgort strikes the perfect balance between pretentious, innocent, and extremely adorable. To be honest, I was unsure how well this was cast when they first announced that he was playing Gus, but I shouldn't have doubted. I couldn't find any faults in Elgort's performance of Augustus Waters.

The film was beautiful. There were lots of close-up shots that made me feel as if I was permanent right there next to the actors. The soundtrack really tied everything together, even though some songs could barely be heard over the sound of crying in the theater (seriously!). The vibrant colors and panoramic views gave the cinema a very rich feel. Extremely devoted fans of the book might be confused or disappointed by some of the changes or omissions. In the book, Augustus is 17, but in the movie, they changed his age to 18 for no apparent reason. Additionally, supporting characters like Caroline Mathers, Kaitlyn, and Augustus's sisters were completely left out. The scene at the swingset and the gas station are shortened from the book, and much of what happens at the airport isn't included. Originally, the book’s author John Green made a cameo in the airport, but his acting was pretty terrible and the movie was running a bit long, so it was cut. Much to my dismay, the blind guy video game scene isn't consisted of at all.

Despite all this, it's still one of the most steadfast book-to-movie adaptations I have ever seen.

Some scenes were actually more potent in the film. For example, the Anne Frank scene is much more powerful in the movie because of the relevant ‘Diary of a Young Girl’ quotes that play in the background as Hazel and Gus struggle up the steep staircases. I was very glad to see that Hazel's cannula and Gus's prosthetic leg were not romanticized. In fact, the difficulties they create for the characters are more obvious in the film than in the system.

Hazel's parents are excellently pictured by Laura Dern and Sam Trammell. They have more of a presence in the film than in the book, too, which makes Hazel's fear of hurting her dads and moms feel more powerful.

I had very high expectations for TFIOS movie, and it more than existed up to them. I'm very grateful to the entire cast and crew for their proficiency to take such a sensitive book and turn it into an equally beautiful film. I recommend this movie to anyone who wants to see love, life, and loss shown in their most natural forms.

Make sure to bring lots of flesh, and if at all available, read the book first.

Get ebook : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PquzDEb1qZg