It’s hard to find a good movie adaptation of any book these days. Too many times, source material is not upheld like it should and old fans are left with a bad taste in their mouths when they leave their theater seats. With John Green, The Fault In Our Stars author, having a direct hand in the making of the movie, I went into the theater with high hopes and expectations and I can definitely say that these were met with almost perfection

The Fault In Our Stars is a very fresh love story that will have you in complete laughter just as often as tears. Shailene Woodley, well known for her role in the less-enjoyed Divergent movie, brings the story to a peak with a fantastic performance. Woodley plays Hazel Grace Lancaster, a 17-year-old girl with thyroid cancer, whose cynical outlook and sass characterize her as much as the oxygen tank she drags around. Her performance brings the character of Hazel Grace to life and shows that she has a very promising career in front of her. The activity Hazel Grace hates the most is her cancer support group. That is, until she meets Augustus Waters played by Ansel Elgort, an extremely charming 18-year-old boy who has been in remission since the removal of his leg due to osteosarcoma. The typical star-crossed lovers story follows, but with enough new material to make it very distinct.

There is also a great supporting cast such as their friend Issac, played by Nat Wolf who, during the movie, loses his only good eye left due to his cancer and provides constant comic relief when on camera. Without any spoilers, Willam Defoe gives a great performance as Hazel’s favorite author Peter Van Houten.

The story and transformation is as heartwarming as it is wrenching and has once again reminded me of the power of the movie screen. Quite different than most, I did not cry when reading The Fault In Our Stars, but I came extremely close during perhaps the most emotional moment in both mediums. It goes to show that some emotion can only be truly understood through art. While The Fault In Our Stars is an incredible story with an amazing cast, it did have some differences from the novel that ranged from cutting out parts to changing the final line. While they weren’t critical to the story, they were still enjoyable parts that had no reason to be cut from the movie. The film does also delight previous readers throughout the movie with direct quotes to the iconic light blue color of the book being cleverly placed throughout the movie.

The Fault In Our Stars is by far one of the best page-to-screen transitions I’ve seen of any novel. The comic nature of it all is realized without losing any of the tragedy involved. With nice nods to readers and an all-around amazing cast, The Fault In Our Stars will no doubt be at the top of the list of many summer blockbuster favorites. While some of the source material is left out, it tells the story John Green wanted to tell elegantly and succeeds on an emotional level that can only be delivered through a movie screen. No matter who you are there is one constant about this movie, it gets to you.