Paper Towns movie review

After watching The Fault In Our Stars, I thought it was just any other young adult genre adaptation that will give me a heavy heart. After seeing the trailer Paper Towns, I figured it may be different. 

Like any adaptation, it is still best to read the original source. Most purists criticize any adaptation but it is really hard to do it. In a foreword written by Dan Brown in Da Vinci Code: An Illustrated Screenplay, he admits that he tried writing a screenplay for the movie but it one page took a lot of pages so he decided to leave it to the experts.

Photo courtesy of 20th Century Fox

Paper Towns begins the story of Quentin or Q narrating how it started. Although the movie focused on Q and his feelings for Margo, it also give spotlight on other characters like Q's friends who got their own personal issues.

What made this movie appealing because it got the audience/viewer see themselves in the movie. Q, Margo and their friends may mirror the viewer when they were in high school. Unlike any teen flick, there are deep insights you may agree or disagree especially on quotable quotes from Margo. But she has very good insights in life. In my case, I see myself in Q's shoes when I was in my teens. You see your struggles, the bullies you confront, your small circle of friends who stands by you and the girl who is your miracle.

The strongest character in the movie is Margo. She is unlike any girl. She is enigmatic that she herself is became the mystery which only illumined to a privilege to see through her puzzles. Without spoiling this is not the ending you expected but I can guarantee it is not as depressing as Fault In Our Stars because I left the cinema with a smile and a deep sigh of relief.

The story is universal. You don't need to wait for a local network to translate it to Tagalog to understand it. If this was a Filipino movie, it won't be far off. Paper Towns is one come-of-age movie that no one should miss.

For more movie reviews follow the Movie Buff's Reviews and like L.E.N.S. blogs on Facebook. Paper Towns opens July 22 in Philippine cinemas by 20th Century Fox and distributed by Warner Bros.