*Movie Review* The Maze Runner

HAPPY RELEASE DAY!

Title: The Maze Runner
Book Author: James Dashner
Rating: ★★★★1/2

Day one, greenie. Rise and shine.

So I just got back from seeing The Maze Runner tonight and first let me start off by saying how shucking A-MAZE-ING THIS  MOVIE WAS! I couldn't be happier. I was so excited for this movie. Aside from Mockingjay Pt 1, I think this was my most anticipated movie for 2014. I read the book years ago and fell in love with it. I thought the concept was unique and pretty cool so I was pretty excited that it was getting turned into a movie. And I was not disappointed. Dylan O'Brien played Thomas perfectly! Seriously, they couldn't have picked a better Thomas. He IS Thomas. In fact, all the actors that were cast were great. But I think my favorite from the book and the movie will have to be Minho (that may be because I am biased because he's my favorite, but he was the one I was most excited to see). Next was pretty cool too. I think I liked him way more after seeing the movie. As well as baby Chuck. What a little cutie pie! You can't help but just adore this little guy. I'll always have a little soft spot in my heart.

Welcome to the Glade.

Now let's get into business. The Glade was pretty cool looking. I was astonished at how big everything was. I guess I just didn't imagine everything to be that grand, but in the movie it was flawless and the maze just blew me away. The maze was way different than I imagined because well maybe I just thought of things as more concise and covered with vines rather than huge and concrete, but the movie maze was more intimating and it worked. It more than worked, it was flawless. In fact, I felt everything in this movie showed just how intimating their environment was. I was as scared as the gladers were. Those grievers were terrifying! The whole time I was jumpy and anxious and gripping my seat tight!

*SPOILERS AHEAD, I REPEAT. SPOILERS AHEAD*
Now going from a book to movie, it's inevitable that things were going to change. It happens. We can knit pick all we want, but we know it's going to happen. Well with this movie, I am not too upset with the changes. There were obvious ones that I picked up right away. For example, umm where was Teresa? Thomas ran into the maze to help Minho and Alby and Teresa wasn't even there yet? I don't know...maybe the days and nights went by slower than I thought, but I was expecting her early on like the book. I mean she did show up the day after Thomas. And I thought it was funny how Teresa pretty much didn't know anything about what was going, but in the book she's the one that is telling Thomas that they were sent there and they triggered the beginning and Thomas is like "what?! No." But in the movie Thomas remembers and tells Teresa and she's like "what? No. I don't believe you." Also, we didn't get to see the telepathic connection between her and Thomas. Awe *pouts*  Oh and what was with dissecting that griever? Um, gross. But oh my goodness what about that ending?! When they walked in and looked like the whole WCKD center was attacked, what?! This didn't happen! And by the way, what's with WCKD? Was it too lame to actually be called WICKED like it was in the book? I mean we pretty much had that drilled into our brains for the entire series. WICKED IS GOOD. But I thought it was pretty cool how they made everything look and how things came together to leave on the perfect cliffhanger! Bravo!

*END OF SPOILERS*
 But like I said, obvious changes. However, I do not think these changes took away from the story or altered it in any way. In fact I think they stuck pretty close to the book and I am more than satisfied with this adaptation. If you read The Maze Runner and enjoyed it, go see the movie. I highly recommend it. In fact, I am definitely going to go see this again!