Thoughts on The Fault in Our Stars..
Okay.
I understand why people say The Fault in Our Stars is overrated. It is overrated when you haven’t read the book, or when you have no idea what makes it special at all. What were you expecting? That you’d cry because Augustus Waters died? Because of a love lost? Because it was tragic that they have cancer and you’ll expect one of them dying in the end?
Of course you knew that someone was going to die. They’ve got cancer (SPOILER!)! But you don’t cry because Augustus Waters died, or because of a love lost due to illness. I didn’t even shed buckets of tears when I saw the film. But let’s be honest, I did in fact cry a tear or two during the pre-funeral and the night Gus died.
You don’t cry because of the tragedy of Gus’s death. You cry because it is beautiful. You cry because Gus and Hazel are two amazing, smart people and the world needs more of them. You weep because they’re paper people and you realize that it’s only a story but their sickness isn’t. You cry because you hear the lines you have memorized so well. You cry because the soundtrack is spot on. You cry because you’re a nerd.
You weep because Hazel Grace Lancaster use lines such as “What is this life?!” and you get to see Amsterdam and you’re reminded of how John Green was in Amsterdam when he was writing it. You cry because you share John Green’s happiness. You cry because you know that majority of the people who are watching the movie are Nerdfighters and because secretly you are a Nerdfighter and Nerdfighters made this a thing and you knew that this is one big movie because Nerdfighters made it so.
You cry because you know John Green and Hank Green and you’re obliged to cry. You weep buckets of tears because you’ve been there from the start when John Green was in Amsterdam writing this darned novel until he finished writing it and you had it pre-ordered on Amazon because pre-ordered books are signed. From there you never expected this darned book would soon be a movie. That’s where all the hype came from.
You see, you just don’t cry because it’s sad. You cry because it IS sad and wonderful and you’re happy all at the same time. You’re happy and content with what you’ve seen in the movie. You’ve been here before. Harry Potter anyone? You know that this will end soon and you have nothing else to look forward to in the coming years, book or movie. You knew it would be like that and just like with Harry Potter, you weep because it has finally come to fruition. It is bittersweet.
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