Should you decide not to read the book based on the film?

Today I went to see The Fault In Our Stars with my friends. This film was originally my suggestion as even though I hadn't read the book I had heard a lot about it. I knew that I wouldn't get around to reading the book before I saw the film and reasoning that the book is always better I decided that it wasn't such a problem. That is until I saw the film.

I know that it's about cancer and two teenagers falling in love and I fully expected to cry. However, I was never once moved to tears or even close. I left the cinema feeling completely devoid of emotion and not in the way that a film can leave you feeling numb because it has had such an impact on you. I just never believed in the scenario, I was never invested in the characters or the love story. 

Augustus Waters I found to be cocky and arrogant, yes, but from the outset it seemed to me that he was in fact just a scared little boy who was frightened to die. Well of course he was! That would have been fine if I didn't think that the film worked so hard to deny that. When Gus' cancer comes back with a vengeance and he loses his smart-Alec attitude I believed it. That was the moment that I was the most invested in the story, but it didn't last for very long. 

Hazel's eulogy to Gus, her original one, left me completely cold. From the first moment it seemed that Gus was determined that Hazel was going to be his girlfriend and I didn't like that. For me, it made everything that happened afterwards forced or shallow and not very organic. I can believe that they were best friends and so the grief is believable enough. I thought the eulogy that Hazel read out at the funeral was dishonest. The voice-over clearly states that she didn't believe a word and I think that's the problem with a lot of the gestures and statements made in the film: they were empty. 

The smoking 'metaphor' is also something that I just didn't get and thought was very pretentious. This coupled with all of the reasons above meant that I just didn't enjoy the film very much and was quite unmoved by it. However, that was just the film and I am sure that many fans of the book will be disappointed with the film as well. So I ask you, do I still keep this book on my mental TBR? 

Fifty Shades of Grey Trailer Discussion

Mr Grey will see you now. Oooohh, chilling. If you live in the English-speaking world and are over the age of 18 then you have probably heard something about E.L James' Fifty Shades of Grey. You know, it's those books that are naughtier than your Nan's Mills and Boon stash. I read the Fifty Shades Trilogy (Fifty Shades of Grey, Fifty Shades Darker and Fifty Shades Freed) back in the summer of 2012 and I have to say I was hooked. They had an obsessive quality about them and they launched me into the genre now called New Adult. These books got me through some pretty tough spots in my final year at uni and so hold a special place in my heart. 

E.L James' books challenged me in ways that I had never been before. The deeply patriarchal nature of her books had me pacing around my room trying to figure out what my enjoyment of them meant for me and my feminism and I have to say it is a dilemma that I haven't quite worked through yet. Romance and feminism is one hard road to navigate, but BDSM romance and feminism is just a mind-f**k! At the time of reading the books, I liked them and somewhere on a memory stick I have some writing exploring what I think which I will have to dig out and upload here, but maybe I'll wait until the film comes out.

Now to the real reason for this post. The film adaptation global trailer was released yesterday and as you would expect has caused quite a buzz. I liked it. The way that it is shot just looks stunning and from what I can gather it seems a fairly faithful interpretation. I know that a lot of people have taken issue with the two actors cast as Ana and Christian, but all I have to say to that is they've been cast for ages. It's time to accept and move on. 

I'll admit there are some moments that are cringe worthy. Erm... "Look at me" "I am". Surely those who have read the books expected this? Those moments punctuate the original narrative and they are of course there to make all the women blush and giggle in the cinema and any male partners to be confronted with the ultimate mainstream female fantasy. I'm already rolling my eyes in anticipation of these moments.

That said, I am looking forward to seeing the film. It seems like the perfect girls night out movie. After the film we can all have a few glasses of wine and talk openly about sex because Fifty Shades made it possible. If there is one thing that I like about this franchise it's that. It is that thanks to these books women felt liberated to not only talk about sex, but talk about all manner of desires and fantasies without shame or censor. I really admire that and look forward to the explosion of comment that will undoubtedly take place once the film is officially released on 14th February next year. 

If you haven't seen it already. Here is the infamous trailer: 

P.s. I love this version of Beyonce's song.