Movie Monday: The Scorch Trials

The Scorch Trials

When opportunity arises, I feature Movie Monday. I recognize few people have the time or desire to read the amount I do, especially when it comes to the 100 Best Novels list. Luckily, Hollywood loves adapting a classic and I love a good story in any form.

Film Title: Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials

Book Title: The Scorch Trials

Release Year: 2015

Summary: After escaping the maze, Thomas, Teresa, and the others are facing a new challenge. They head across the barren land in hopes of finding refuge from WICKED. 

What I Thought: Sigh. This movie series seemed doomed from the start. 

I talked about this a lot with the first movie (follow the link to that Movie Monday if you want a delightful High School Musical 2 flashback). There were too many changes from the book. I didn't even like the book version of The Scorch Trials that much, so it follows that the story plus the sloppy rendition of it into film wouldn't work for me. 

It's been years since I read the book, so I don't recall all the exact divergences from the text. However, I remember enough to know there were a lot of them. Both plot and characters felt wildly different from the novel. Also, the film really did not do a good job explaining what the heck was going on. Dashed did a much better job in the book explaining the convoluted circumstances of the kids' flight across the desert. 

Last I heard, the final film, based on The Death Cure, was on hold because the star, Dylan O'Brien was seriously injured while filming. I have no idea if the film will even get made now. I wish O'Brien health and happiness, of course, but I don't think this series is going anywhere. At this point, I hope the studio has shelved any further movies permanently. 

Rating: ★★☆☆☆

Will I Re-Watch: No.

A Reduced Review: The film versions of this series divert far too much from the text and the changes aren't good in my opinion.