Film VS Book Comparison: The Maze Runner
Disclaimer: The following review contains brief content spoiler of The Maze Runner novel and movie in order to provide a better comparison.
Recently, after each reading the book, my friends and I got together to Watch The Maze Runner movie. The Maze Runner movie was released in 2014 by Twentieth Century Fox, directed by Wes Ball and starring Dylan O’Brien as Thomas and Kaya Scodelario as Teresa.
Looking at it from the perspective of someone who hasn’t read the books, the movie was really nice. Fun, fast paced, witty, and creative. It captured the idea and feel of James Dashner’s novel in a way that wouldn’t drag out the story (as books will always include more detail).
As someone who has read the Maze Runner novel, there is a lot more to say. There were a few more changes in character interactions and plot elements from the book to the movie. For example, Thomas and Teresa had no telepathic communication (arguably one of the best parts of the book). Additionally, when Thomas first enters the Glade, in the film adaptation he is met with jovial laughter and a party. The Gladers are even seen drinking some sort of champagne. In the books however, the welcome is a lot less jovial, and throughout the novel the Gladers are a lot less encouraging to Thomas than displayed in the movies.
Gally was also depicted as a main “antagonist” in a way becoming a “dictator” of the Glade, while in the books, he is depicted more as someone with unconventional suspicions.
In terms of casting Thomas and Teresa were played pretty close to what I had imagined. Kaya Scodelario (actress playing Teresa) even reported only reading the first Maze Runner novel before acting so that she could play her character with the amount of information Teresa would have known. However a few of the other characters were slightly off from the books description.
All in all, The Maze Runner film adaptation is a fun movie, worth watching. Many elements are changed form the novel, but that’s mainly to create a more fun experience for watchers. Always watch the movies after reading the books, but if you have already watched the movie — still read the book! They are each different to adapt to their own formats.
Enjoy!
