A beautiful little infinity

Rating: 7/10 (6 June 2014)

I was thoroughly amazed by this movie. I read the book a few months ago, knowing that a movie was being made, and fell in love with the characters. After reading the book and loving it so dearly, I couldn't wait to see how they put the movie together. When Shailene Woodley was cast, I don't deny that I was a little iffy about that decision. Her looks are perfect for the role of Hazel, but Shailene is seemingly too "cutesy" to play such an old soul. But I can admit that I was wrong about Shailene. She played Hazel almost perfectly.
There are two things I would criticize in this film. The first is minor, which was the way Hazel and Augustus met. They never bumped into each other in the book, but having to explain why Augustus stared at her for such a long time in the Literal Heart of Jesus would have taken more time and more money to film, so I understand their reasoning with that one. The second criticism I have is that Hazel was much too happy throughout the majority of the movie. Her eyes glimmered too much and she smiled much more than she had in the book. Her attitude was too positive for the role of the Hazel Grace I grew to love within the novel. Though the aspect of Augustus cheering her up as they fell in love with each other could have made her happier, it wasn't like that originally. I wanted a darker Hazel than I got.
Other than that, I don't have a single negative thing to say. Ansel Elgort is a dreamy one-legged Augustus and he played the part perfectly. The gas station scene was the hardest scene to watch, as he realizes that he can no longer do normal things. Watching him realize that he's dying is heartbreaking, especially after you grew to love him so deeply over the course of the film. I was in awe of the beauty of this movie and will gladly watch it again and again.