Movie Review: Paper Towns

Movie Description: 

Adapted from the bestselling novel by author John Green ("The Fault in Our Stars"), PAPER TOWNS is a coming-of-age story centering on Quentin and his enigmatic neighbor Margo, who loved mysteries so much she became one. After taking him on an all-night adventure through their hometown, Margo suddenly disappears--leaving behind cryptic clues for Quentin to decipher. The search leads Quentin and his quick-witted friends on an exhilarating adventure that is equal parts hilarious and moving. Ultimately, to track down Margo, Quentin must find a deeper understanding of true friendship--and true love. 

Release Date : 2015-07-24
Casts : Hannah Alligood, Cara Delevingne, Justice Smith, Drew Matthews, Nat Wolff, Cara Buono, Jaz Sinclair, Jim R. Coleman, Austin Abrams, Caitlin Carver, Meg Crosbie, Griffin Freeman, Halston Sage
Duration : 109 minutes runtime

There is only one way for me to describe this movie that is TEEN AWKWARDNESS AT ITS FINEST! 

This is the first book to movie I watch this year. I am really a fan of watching in a cinema but cause this is something I was anticipating I was willing to drag myself to the cinema and was not disappointing by!

Also this is a book to movie adaptation I'll suggest if you have yet to read to book, go ahead and watch the movie first as the movie cut out some unnecessary I was not a fan of in the book.
 

Book vs Movie???

Can I just say I LOVE THE MOVIE more tHan the boOK???

I meant this is how I want my books to movie adaptations to be. It was faithful to the plot of the book but they change things up (and yes guys change is good if done right) to make the story better and more satisfying.

So its kinda obvious I favor the movie over the book. They improved the plot of the story and characters (which I got annoyed with some) and changed up a lot of the scene I assume for visual and timing reason but it all works well.

I also like how they gave a bit more attention to some of the side characters like Radar, Lacey and Angela and even developed a cute side story for Radar and Angela's relationship.

The Story

In the book it mainly focuses on Q's obsession on looking for Margo which if I recall after a while I kinda got bored of Q going on and on about looking for Margo like a broken record.

The movie changes up a lot of stuff that Q missed out on in the book like parties, prom and graduation and mainly focuses on his friendship with Ben and Radar as well as Q discovery of self confident, taking risks and enjoying the last of high school before the all go away for college.

Also the most important part of the story was the road trips and they were done perfectly! I was smiling like an idiot during Q and Margo's midnight joyride and actually was on the edge on my seats during some of the scenes!

Also the 'main roadtrip' was my favorite part of the book so I was excited to see how I pictured it but more! In fact TFIOS fans might want to keep your eyes peal as there is a cameo (that is not John Green unfortunately) that made the whole cinema yelp of excitement (including me and the middle age couple next to me).

So Gus reincarnated to the dude with the dragon tattoo... GUSSSSS!!! Wait Gus??? The dude's dead (oops spoiler for TFIOS) still *fangirl scream and swoon in the corner!!!*

So Gus reincarnated to the dude with the dragon tattoo... GUSSSSS!!! Wait Gus??? Dude's dead (oops spoiler for TFIOS) still *fangirl scream!!!*

Mostly what I like about the movie was how they wrap up the story. If you were to read the book and felt not so satisfied with it, I promise they improved the ending, warping Q, Margo and the gang's story nicely with a satisfying but bittersweet bow. Mostly what I like about the ending was how Q's character move on with his life ending the story in an optimistic note.

Writing/Look/Sound

While the writing was at times cheesy and cringe worthy, its still forgivable as like I mention this movie has teenage awkwardness at its finest. I kid you not I actually facepalm at some of the awkward moments in the movie as I too might have said/did something similar to them.

The pacing of the movie was fast pace and while I did like the pacing I wish that it was slightly longer. 

The it has same look and feel to TFIOS which should not be a surprise since its coming from the same team ( and author). I also love the transitioning scenes especially that final shot.

I love the soundtrack to the movie and like TFIOS I'm definitely getting the soundtrack. In TFIOS I was hoping that Nat Wolf will sing for the soundtrack so I was excited that Nat & Alex had a song in the soundtrack for the movie. 

 Characters

Quentin or 'Q' played by Nat Wolf was exactly how I pictured in my head (actually that's how I picture all the main guy character in John Green books). I really like how his character is portrayed from this shy outcast guy to being more confident by doing things he'll never do for the sake of finding Margo. I love his acting in TFIOS as Issac, I'll admit I was not  fan of Nat Wolf as I hated that Nickelodeon show he was on as a kid but I'll admit, he has improved over the years. Looking forward to seeing what's next for him.

I love the way Cara Delevingne's portray Margo! It reminds me of a tone down version of Effy from Skins. I'll admit I was one of them who didn't think she'll be able to live up to the role but she did better than I expected. While I occasionally hear a slip of her accent I still like the way she talk and carry herself as like Margo in the book she gave this air of mysteriousness. With this being her breakthrough/debut role I'm looking forward to seeing more of her on the big screen.

Coming out of the cinema, my friend Puj (who has yet to read the book) went on about how Ben's her favorite character. I freaking love Ben in the book and was looking forward to his character in the movie. While sadly the number of times Ben say the word 'Honey Bunny' can be count on one hand (yes i counted), his character in the movie is my favorite and is freaking hilarious and adorkrable.

Radar was another fun character to watch and was looking forward to him shouting 'ITS NOT MY FAULT MY PARENTS OWN A COLLECTION OF BLACK SANTA'.

The bromance between Q, Ben and Radar were some of the best moments in the movie! This is 'squad goals'. I crack up every time the guys did something goofy and feel for them when something awkward happened to them.

I really like how they Lacey and Angela's characters were more in the story, making me care for their characters more.

Overall

Paper Town is a hilarious and smart movie with a hint of teen romance along with a good ol road trip. The movie improved not only the book but elements that I felt off with TFIOS and to be honest I actually preferred this over TFIOS. 

You'll see me snooping around JB-HIFI for the dvd when it comes out and while I still am not a fan of the poster, I still highly recommend watching Paper Towns Movie and watching this with a your friends.

Check out Paper Towns if you are a fan of High School drama and friendship, a fan of John Green's stories and random yet fun road trips.

To describe my feeling when I walked out of the cinema, I was smiling like an idiot, feeling happy and satisfied with the story and how it wrapped up.