The Maze Runner Book Vs Movie

Lauren Johnson

Jill Schmaedeke

TFT 1250

29 September 2014

The Maze Runner

The Maze Runner is a movie based on the young-adult novel of the same name, written by James Dashner. The movie, like the book, follows a young man named Thomas, who finds himself trapped in an enclosed area called the Glade, surrounded by an enormous Maze. All the people in the Glade are young men, and all, including Thomas, arrived there remembering nothing but their names. A few boys, called Runners, search the Maze daily for a way out, but to no avail. Horrible creatures called Grievers roam the corridors of the Maze, and chaos ensues among the Gladers when the first girl arrives, unconscious and bearing a terrifying note. I found this movie to be very entertaining; while it was not a perfect adaptation of the book, it retained many of the key elements, including the emotional factors. The actors’ portrayal of the characters added to my overall satisfaction upon seeing this film, as I have read the book and therefore had high expectations.

However, despite my worries, the things that were left out did not have a negative impact on my viewing. For example, Thomas and Teresa, the only girl in the Glade, had a connection. In the movie, that was apparent, as Thomas had dreams about Teresa and Teresa’s first word in the Glade was “Thomas.” In the book, they also had a psychic connection; they could speak to each other telepathically. This aspect of the story, understandably, would have been very difficult to do, and was consequently cut from the