Star-Crossed Lovers

Some romances are simple stories of love at first sight and of a life together happily ever after. Other romances are far from fairy-tales, with lovers having to battle through trials and tribulations to earn their happy endings. The latter is most certainly the case with FALLEN, the new paranormal romance, fantasy film starring Addison Timlin, Jeremy Irvine and Joely Richardson, based on the worldwide bestselling YA book series by Lauren Kate. Fallen sees Luce (Timlin) torn between two students at Sword & Cross reform school: dangerous Cameron (Harrison Gilbertson) and mysterious Daniel (Irvine), unaware that the latter is an angel, and has loved her for thousands of years. Tormented by strange visions, Luce begins to unravel the secrets of her past and finds she must choose where her feelings lie, pitting Heaven against Hell in an epic battle over true love.

As Fallen arrives on DVD and VOD on May 1st, we take a look at some other classic cinematic tales of star-crossed lovers…

Edward and Bella – The Twilight Saga (2008-2012)
A teenage girl falls in love with a vampire, what could possibly go wrong? When Bella, an awkward and timid teen, relocates to the rainy and unpopulated coastal town of Forks to live with her father, her life changes forever. At school Bella befriends a strange and reticent yet irresistible boy named Edward Cullen who becomes transfixed with her. It is soon revealed that he is a century-old vampire, whose bizarre behaviour is emblematic of his inner turmoil between his love for Bella and his desire to bite her. Through five blockbuster movies, we see their romance tested to the limit, overcoming a love triangle with werewolf Jacob Black, and faced with countless life-or-death situations. From fighting off the crazed vampire James on his hunt for Bella’s blood, to battling James’ revenge-stricken partner Victoria and the ominous Volturi, Edward and Bella’s relationship must conquer its fair share of drama, yet stand the test of time. With Bella finally being granted her wish of becoming a vampire in the finale of the franchise, the couple were finally liberated to live and love in peace and harmony.

Damon and Elena – The Vampire Diaries (2009-2017)
The multiple season-spanning love triangle between vampire brothers Damon and Stefan, and protagonist Elena will go down as one of the greatest romantic triumvirates in television history. While it was Stefan and Elena in the beginning, it would be Damon and Elena’s love story that would prevail. Damon fell in love with his brother’s girl and never imagined she would love him back. It would be Elena’s declaration of love in the season four finale that would make every viewer swoon. Their road to happiness was not easy, as Damon’s temporary death made Elena so grief-stricken that she had every memory of Damon erased. They fell back in love even though Elena but one final move by the villain Kai made it so Elena would be in a coma for years. Seasons passed with Elena in a coffin, but when she finally awoke in the series finale, she ran back into Damon’s arms. After deep deliberation, the couple decided to take The Cure, one of the three known ways to reverse vampirism, and become mortal humans. As a result, all of Elena’s previously erased memories flooded back to her, vividly: their first date; their first kiss; their first dance, and the couple grew old together…

Peeta and Katniss – The Hunger Games Franchise (2012-2015)
When the annual Hunger Games were televised, each year nobody expected more than the usual entertaining fight to the death amongst the 12 Districts’ tributes until the last man stood. So it was a turn up for the books when Peeta and Katniss, the star-crossed lovers of District 12, became the first duo to survive the yearly televised bloodbath. After a shared kiss and a refusal to kill each other through a declaration of love, they won the hearts of the viewing public and forced the Gamemakers’ hand, crowning them both victors.  Matters would only escalate as the saga rolled on; Peeta and Katniss are forced into the Quarter Quell – a celebratory games held every 25 years with darker and more dangerous twists –  Peeta is captured and brainwashed by the government, and Katniss heads up a rebellion and attempts to save him. They find their way back to each other, notwithstanding Peeta’s attempts on Katniss’ life in his brainwashed state, and it seems their relationship is finally given a chance to blossom as the sun sets on their family in the final scene of the franchise. “Real or not real?” would be the classic line of the two, continuing even as they grew old and raised kids together.

Jack and Rose – Titanic (1997)
Wasn’t there enough room for two on the wooden door? That is the eternal question that fans will ask. But it doesn’t make this romance any less memorable. The story of Jack and Rose has come to resemble the very definition of forbidden love. He, a poor artistic drifter with no real life plan; she, a moneyed aristocrat engaged to a wealthy upper class man. Feeling trapped in a life she did not want to live, Rose opted to find a way out, and fell for Jack, entering a cross-class relationship that was taboo to contemporaries. With her mother in one ear and her fiancé in the other, Rose was made to feel shame for loving such a scoundrel, but ultimately chose the path of love and passion. As the RMS Titanic collides with the iceberg, Rose and Jack’s relationship also takes a tragic turn. While Jack slowly drifted into the dark cold depths of the Atlantic Ocean, Rose lived to tell the romantic tale to her daughter and a crew of treasure hunters, fulfilling her promise to Jack to lead an extraordinary life.

Noah and Allie – The Notebook (2004)
The Notebook frequently tops ‘Best Romantic Drama’ lists for a reason, so there’s no question about its inclusion on ours! He did write to her every day for a year – so a big A for effort! However, rather than bore her with the inanities of everyday life, Noah Calhoun reads from an old, faded notebook containing the sweeping account of a young couple (Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams) whose love affair was tragically put to a halt after their separation in the midst of World War II. Seven years later, the couple were reunited, and, despite having taken radically different paths, they found themselves unable to resist the call of a second chance. It is hard to find a teenage girl who has not cried over this tear-jerker.

Romeo and Juliet – Romeo and Juliet (1996)
Romeo and Juliet: the most timeless romantic tragedy of all time, penned by the man who coined the term ‘star-crossed lovers’. We’ve chosen Baz Luhrman’s version of the classic Shakespearean play for this list, which transplanted the story onto a post-modern Verona Beach where swords are merely a brand of gun and bored youths are easily spurred toward violence. Romeo (Leonardo DiCaprio) is aloof towards the war between his Montague cousins and the Capulet family, but after one very wild party, the enmity between the two clans becomes the root of his angst. Romeo is, of course, exiled, and it looks like Juliet will be forced into an arranged marriage with the bland Paris (Paul Rudd). It ends, as Romeo and Juliet must, when Romeo hears a tragic piece of misinformation …

Daniel and Luce – Fallen (2017)
Angels cursed to love each other forever is the setup for this epic romance. Sent to Sword & Cross Academy and unaware of her holy status, Luce Price meets the mysterious Daniel Grigori and is instantly drawn to him. Tormented by strange visions, Luce begins to unravel the secrets of her past and finds she must choose where her feelings lie, pitting Heaven against Hell in an epic battle over true love.  As dangerous supernatural occurrences begin occurring around the school, and an incoming war afoot, Luce and Daniel are forced to make a difficult decision that will affect the eternal future of their relationship…

FALLEN arrives on Digital Download from 24^th April and on DVD from 1^st May, courtesy of Lionsgate Home Entertainment.