The Maze Runner: Movie Review

The Maze Runner

Rating: PG-13

Score: 5/10 stars

To start off with this movie review, there was a lot that I loved about the movie that I just couldn't keep my excitement about contained! I was highly anticipated about today and I almost had a heart attack just waiting for the movie to begin. The previews looked iffy from a book nerd's perspective but pretty good from a movie buff's point of view as well. Be warned, there are some SPOILERS that I had to include in order to give an informal review for the movie! So, without further a due, here is my review:

Pros: 

1. First off, the casting. I loved how well they cast the characters and how each actor really portrayed the epic roles of the characters from the book and really brought them to life. My favorite castings were for Minho, Chuck and of course, Thomas. The other characters were so well matched with the other actors that I just couldn't imagine any other actor to play their roles. 

2. The maze. The whole reason the story even exists. I was so incredibly pleased with how epic the maze itself was designed. With incredibly tall solid stone walls covered in vines and really creepy creatures lurking inside them, I really felt that the maze couldn't have been done better than it was! 

3. It wouldn't be The Maze Runner without action, am I right? I loved all the action scenes, even if they were changed just a bit, and I also loved how each of those scenes was so action packed that you tense up just watching with your eyes glued to the screen. Truly epic!

4. The Grievers. We all know and love the creatures despite their violent attacks and blood thirsty actions. I really loved the design for the Grievers, from their slimy bodies to their robotic legs and tails just waiting to take another victim into the maze. Their pretty much dead on to how they're described in the book and for that, I applaud them.

5. I really loved the ending scene where Chuck evidently is killed (we all know it had to happen) despite the fact that it was a bit different from the book. It was very touching and extremely emotional and I just loved how Thomas reacted to losing his friend. Tear jerker moment!

Cons:

1. One major thing I just could not get used to was Theresa's whole involvement in the movie. For at least half of the book, she's in a coma and she doesn't really have much else to do with the story until later on. First off, she doesn't come into the glade until three days later (unlike in the book) and she announces Thomas's name as soon as she wakes up in the box before passing out again, only to wake up a day later and help out the other gladers find a way to escape. It was all really badly done in my mind and I wish it could be changed.

2. Yes, the movie was action packed but one scene that I was really looking forward to seeing was when Thomas and Minho basically drop-kick four Grievers into a huge pit after being trapped in the maze for the night. That scene was cut out which I felt could have really made the movie in a way.

3. Another thing I didn't like was how Thomas comes to learn about WICKED and his connection to them. He finds out about it through dreams that he has, which in the book, happens after he gets stung by a Griever. In the movie, however, he has those dreams on the very first night in the glade. He also eventually remembers his involvement with WICKED in a very rushed and somewhat lame way, not at all as portrayed in the book.

4. I also wasn't a fan of how Alby's death plays out in the movie. In the book, he rushes into a head-on attack with a Griever to create a distraction for the other gladers to get by. In the movie, however, he gets taken by a Griever when the maze doors don't close and the gladers hide in the house. I felt like his death could have stayed the same since there was really no need to change it.

5. I also didn't really like how the gladers find themselves in the lab once they successfully escape the maze. I wish they could have played the scene out the same as in the book, when the doctors explain everything about the maze, what it was for, and why they survived. It was almost completely different from the book and not a favorite scene of mine.

6. Lastly, we all know the epic catch phrase of Newt's, "Great, we're all bloody inspired now." Guess what?It was cut out too. You may now form a mob with pitchforks and fire.

Overall, from a movie point of view, it's definitely one to go see, with action and suspense, it's just a movie that's pretty cool to watch. From a book fan's point of view, it wasn't exactly one of the best book-to-movie adaptions of the year. Either way, I still want to see The Scorch Trials on the big screen.

I hope you guys enjoyed this movie review! If you have any more book requests you would like me to review, just leave a comment or send me an email! Read on bookworms! See you in the next chapter!

FOLLOW ME:

Twitter: @BooksMusicLife1

Instagram: @Books.Music.Life