StephenMoyer – Credits Rolling

*Caution – Minor Spoilers Ahead*

Based on the worldwide phenomenon by Anna Todd, After Ever Happy is the final book in the beloved After series. Hardin (Hero Fiennes Tiffin) has just discovered his mother (Louise Lombard) has been hiding a secret from him his whole life. Turns out Ken (Rob Estes) was never his father, but rather family friend Christian Vance (Stephen Moyer) holds that title. Having his life completely turned upside down with the news, Hardin questions everything he thought he knew – including his relationship with Tessa (Josephine Langford). But Tessa has some skeletons of her own and they soon realize that they have a lot more in common than they ever could have imagined.

Though I may have only been apart of the After fandom for a little over a year now, that doesn’t mean that my expectations for the fourth and final film weren’t sky high. While it wasn’t my favorite out of the series, I remember feeling satisfied with the ending and couldn’t wait to see it play out on screen.

The chemistry between Fiennes Tiffin and Langford has always been off the charts and this time around was no exception. I don’t know how they do it, but every single time, I feel as if my heart is caught in my throat as I watch them together. You know it’s toxic and you wish they’d break up time and time again, but you still want them to make it at the end of the day.

You could, therefore, imagine my shock when the words ‘to be continued’ appeared at the end of the final scene. We all assumed this was it; Hessa were supposed to get their happily ever after! We’d see them get married and have children years in the future. Turns out the cast and crew had a surprise for us all: a fifth and proper finale that has just wrapped filming. I guess they decided to pull a Twilight and split the book in two.

On the one hand, I am pleased. If it is the rest of After Ever Happy then I don’t want them to leave any details out. But if the rumors are true, and it’s part of the sequel about their children, then they can keep it. There is also some worry that Langford wasn’t even part of it which wouldn’t make any sense.

Because of this, I have struggled to formulate my thoughts on this film. I wish we had known going into it that we were going to get more. I’m sure it would have increased my enjoyment, but that of others too.

Rating: ♥♥♥

The third instalment of the popular After series, After We Fell, picks up right after the events of After We Collided. Tessa (Josephine Langford) has decided to take the leap and move to Seattle. Her choice hasn’t come lightly however, especially because Hardin (Hero Fiennes Tiffin) doesn’t want her to go. Their relationship has never been easy, but as all these changes occur, revelations about both Tessa and Hardin’s family threaten to tear them apart forever.

Long story short, I am very late to the After fandom. I read all four books in the span of two weeks back in June and fell head over heels in love. Are they crap? Absolutely. Are they amazing nonetheless? Yes, yes they are. It’s like a train wreck I couldn’t look away from and eventually I had to admit to myself that I was obsessed. So, you could imagine my excitement that I would finally have the opportunity to see one of the films on the big screen. I had high hopes for this one as book three is my favorite. The previous two instalments were fine, however I still wanted more from them. Book three had a lot to live up too.

There was a lot to appreciate in this movie. Both Josephine Langford and Hero Fiennes Tiffin have grown so much since they started this journey together and you can really tell this time around. Hero, in particular, really impressed me (and no, I’m not just saying that because I’m in love with him). It seems like he’s grown over the years and he really made me feel for him. Their chemistry together is on fire, it almost doesn’t seem real.

I loved that for once, it seems like we finally have a director who understands these characters and knows how important it is to deliver a close to perfect book to film adaptation for fans. Castille Landon did a fabulous job incorporating as much as she could from the largest volume in the series and I’m thrilled that she’s on board for the fourth and final one too.

After We Fell exceeded my expectations entirely. I really wasn’t sure what to expect going into it and was satisfied walking out of the cinema. Now excuse me while I wait (im)patiently for After Ever Happy.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥