The Fault in Our Stars

Ratings: 7.8/10

Film Class: B

Genre: Romantic Drama

Both the leads' performances were commendable. But it was Shailene Woodley who really shined in this romantic drama about a teenage girl stricken with cancer but struck by love. It's the love story of Hazel and Augustus, a boy she met at a cancer support group who's overly optimistic about life. Their chemistry was undeniable, and while the plot wasn't exactly "Imba", that one pre-eulogy scene about little infinities was, with a lack of a better description, mind blowing. 

*major spoilers ahead* I have heard of Zeno's Paradoxes (though I only found the exact term of it by googling just) from a series of youtube videos by Numberphile (and possibly Vsauce), especially the Achilles and the Tortoise Paradox, and I'm no stranger to romantic movies loaded with unfamiliar "aww" touching lines, but I have to say this movie packs one of the best. It was so sweet and uncliched-like that instead of experiencing goosebumps, I felt euphoric. I know it's untypical, I should be feeling sad, but the "sugar high" I experienced was a feeling like no other. "Wow" was the word that had eluded me for a long long time... but it finally came back at that one scene. 

Quite frankly, I didn't like the movie that much. Aggravated by the lack of explanation of the title (Yes, I'm extremely anal about this), however it was salvaged by great acting and great scripting. Though credit has to go to the author who actually wrote the novel on which it is based on. From a layman's point of view, I had thought "the fault in our stars" refers to how unfair life was for Hazel and Augustus, individuals who cherished life and were happy to be alive despite being diagnosed with cancer. Cos there was a particular scene when Hazel made such a remark. 

However, it was thanks to my wife who had read the novel beforehand, who told me that it was made in reference to a quote in one of Shakespeare's works. "The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, But in ourselves, that we are underlings." In the book, it was brought up in an email correspondence between Augustus and an author by the name of Van Houten, whom Hazel adores. As to the meaning of its references, I guess you'll have to check it out yourself it you really want to know the answer because I'm not too sure myself to even comment on it. 

I'm going out on a limb here to say that there's an "infinite" number of movies out there to be watched, and there can only be a "finite" number on your to-watch list - The Fault in Our Stars, should be one of them.