Technical Assessment: 3
Moral Assessment: 2.5 stars
MTRCB Rating: PG13
CINEMA Rating: V14
Nerdy
Quentin (Wolff) has been obsessed with his next door mysterious childhood friend
Margo (Delevigne) but they have slowly drifted apart because of their opposite
personalities. One night, Margo appears at Q’s – Margo’s pet name for Quentin –
bedroom window and convinces him to help her take revenge on her cheating
boyfriend and her bestfriend. Since Q still has feelings for her, he agrees and
discovers the rush and thrills of breaking the rules and spending time with his
long time crush. However, Margo disappears the following day. Q and his
friends, believing Margo left for them clues to find her, follow a series of
leads until New York. On the road trip, Q and friends discover certain aspects
of Margo’s personality. After a while, Q’s friends head back to Florida to make
it in time for their high school prom, while Q remains to search for Margo and
when he finally bumps into her, he discovers that the image he had of her was
as unreal as the paper towns in maps.
Paper Towns is
an adaptation of John Green’s bestselling novel intended as a coming of age
romance but ended on the big screen as story about friendship, thanks to the
enigmatic chemistry of the supporting actors playing Q’s friends who deliver
their lines with power and hilarity to create several quotable quotes. The
pacing is a little slow for comfort and music is used to fill the emotional
gaps which the movie does not deliver. Performances are believable but not
engaging enough. John Schreier’s interpretation is acceptable but nowhere near
memorable.
There is one clear cut message in the film: don’t be deceived by looks
or packaging. Q is in love with his idea of Margo and fails to read who she
really is. Margo’s character is a glorified perception of teenage angst and
emotional fashion while all she is is a confused broken girl. Especially for
teenagers who are easily swayed by the glittering lights of fame and promise of
popularity, the film serves as a good reminder for them to be discerning and
honest. That being said, there are a lot of disvalues presented: revenge,
permissiveness and apathy, teenage sex and substance abuse. In fact, CINEMA’s
main question in the entire film: where are all the parents while high
schoolers do all the things they do in the film. Parents are cautioned to make
sure a responsible adult accompanies their young children when watching the
film.
