Although ‘Paper Towns’ is obviously not a direct sequel to 2014’s
John Green-based hit ‘The Fault in Our Stars’, the two are so closely bound
together by their starting points that it is almost impossible to review one
without comparing it to the other. In many cases, an outstanding predecessor
could be detrimental to a film due to the obvious comparisons between the two.
But the brilliance of The Fault in Our Stars does not affect the equal quality of
Paper Towns in the slightest, which goes to show just how good it is.
Like ‘The Fault in Our Stars’, on a basic level Paper Towns benefits
massively from its source material, about a young boy following clues left by
his enigmatic next door neighbour in order to find out where she has disappeared
to. The plot itself translates brilliantly onto the silver screen, with the
characters also being brought to life effectively by talented actors, with a
surprisingly good performance from Cara Delevigne, and some not so surprisingly
outstanding performances from Natt Wolf, Justice Smith and Austin Abrams
amongst others.
What I loved most about the book were the themes and ideas
that were presented, especially the deconstruction of the ‘manic pixie dream
girl’ trope that has become so prevalent, especially in media aimed at teens. I
just love the idea that in a genre that is so frequently filled with
stereotypes, there is at least one book and film dedicated to not only delving beyond
the character types we normally see, but showing how damaging these archetypes
can be when applied to real people who in reality are more than just a ‘popular
girl’ or a ‘nerd’. The film version of Paper Towns portrays these ideas brilliantly
and as a result it feels very fresh and unique. It is also filmed very well for
the most part- having said this, sometimes the transitions between more epic moments
and smaller ones can be jarring, which becomes especially apparent during Q and
Margo’s late night revenge mission.
On the other hand, the well-done moments of the film’s
cinematography are also helped by a fantastic soundtrack, with a mixture of pop
songs and more serious score being applied almost perfectly to suit each
individual moment. Having said this, one of the film’s downfalls is what they add
in for the big screen. I already talked about how original the film is and how
it breaks down stereotypes, but the addition of, for example, the arguments that
always seem to happen in film’s third act, where the character realizes they
have messed up and then all their friends confront them about it/abandon them
brings the film back down from outstanding to simply average. This is not the
only example of an addition that is detrimental to the plot as a whole, but it
is the most prominent one.
As a whole, Paper Towns is a well-made and well-acted film
that often brilliantly portrays the themes and ideas of its source material, in
spite of a few jarring moments and slightly clichéd additions to the plot.
