The Fault in Our Stars is the fourth novel by John Green, a young adult author and internet video blogger who built his career writing about teenagers who actually feel like human beings as opposed to morality plays stuffed into human suits. The novel, which became a bestseller and won multiple literary awards, has now been turned into a film starring Shailene Woodley (The Spectacular Now and The Descendants) and Ansel Elgort (the 2013 remake of Carrie and the upcoming Divergent, also with Woodley). Today, 20th Century Fox has released the first full-length trailer.
Based on what we see here, The Fault in Our Stars looks to be a fairly faithful adaptation of Green’s book and will feature a strong performance from Woodley, who is quickly becoming one of Hollywood’s most promising young talents. The only thing I don’t like here is that the trailer’s soundtrack leans toward the overbearing, which could bring some unwanted treacle to the low-key up-and-downs that made Green’s book work so well.
Protagonist Hazel Lancaster (Woodley) has life beyond her cancer, and her navigation of that life is powerful on its own. Relying too much on an overbearing soundtrack could push The Fault in Our Stars into the realm of bloated and toxic melodrama, which would be sorely disappointing. Hopefully the full film will let Woodley and the rest of the cast (which includes Laura Dern, Mike Birbiglia and Willem Dafoe) do their work, because we all know that they’re more than capable of carrying this story.
The Fault in Our Stars hits theaters on June 6, 2014. Check out the trailer below and let us know what you think in the comments section.
