Hello everyone!
The time has come for me to make this review.
I decided to divide this review into two parts: the first one about the movie in general, the second about the comparison with the book.
Let’s go without hesitation!
Gladers’ adventures continue.
At first, they think to have finally escaped from “W.C.K.D.”, but, after discovering to be wrong, they manage to escape with an absurd break out, but they end up in the Scorch, where the Cranks live.
Will they succeed avoiding death in this desert, teeming with “cannibals”?
Will they succeed to escape from “W.C.K.D.”?
Will they succeed to reach the Right Arm, organization that fights “W.C.K.D.”?
The film is good: engaging, with good actors – personally, I adore Dylan O’Brien (Thomas) and Thomas Brodie-Sangster (Newt) – , the special effects intrigue.
As a whole, it is a movie that deserves a chance and I am curious about the sequel.
Then, why has it been badly criticized? Why did I need to think of this a lot instead of just writing everything after the viewing?
Well, these questions open the second part of this review.
The problem is that THEORETICALLY this film is the transposition of the amazing book written by James Dashner.
Why is this a problem?
Well, in my opinion, they respect only two things of the book, more or less (more “less” than “more”): the characters and the atmosphere on the border between disturbing and horror – just think of the Cranks, who has been made in a flawlessly terrifying way -.
The plot is a fusion between the second and the third book but without respecting the steps, mixing the events up, totally making others up…
Damn! (SPOILER!) The scene when Teresa (Kaya Scodelario) betrays Thomas is missing!! Scene of the utmost importance in the book! Rather, to be fair, they did not “erase” the scene, they radically modified it, changing its purpose, which is even worse if you ask me!
Aris (Jacob Lofland) is just a boy who “stays there” almost by accident, the writers (or whoever) MADE UP new mazes – in the book, there are only two labyrinths, not dozens! – , the adventures we see are not even loosely inspired by James Danshner’s work and so on.
I do not want to keep listing every difference because probably I would never finish and would make tons of spoilers about both the book and the film.
I will just tell you two things.
- After ten minutes from the beginning of the movie there was not even one scene based on the book.
- If you thought the first book has been horribly distorted by the first film, you cannot watch this.
My plea goes to everyone who can separate the book from the movie and to those who have not read the book yet: WATCH IT.
It is a well-made film and it deserves to be watched.
Just one thing. AFTER watching the movie, please, read the book if you have not yet.
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| Thomas Brodie-Sangster to the left and Dylan O’Brien to the right |
P.S. I’m sorry if this is the umpteenth delirious review, but it is hard to talk about something that has such an ambiguous nature, that can be so good and so bad at the same time.
Well, have fun and tell me what you think about it!
IL CAPPUCCINO 