The Maze Runner: Does the film respect the novel?

PLOT SPOILERS INCLUDED IN THIS POST: YOU WERE WARNED!

Author: James Dashner

Publishing Information: Random House, 2009

Director: Wes Ball

Screenwriters: Noah Oppenheim, Grant Pierce Myers, and T.S. Nowlin

Starring: Dylan O'Brien, Thomas Brodie-Sangster, Ki Hong Lee, and Kaya Scodelario.

At that moment, Thomas realized with a sickening lurch that he had no idea how old he was. His heart sank at the thought -- he was so lost he didn't even know his own age.

"Seriously," he said, giving up on the show of courage. "Where am I?"

Alby walked over to him and sat down cross-legged; the crowd of boys followed and packed in behind. Heads popped up here and there, kids leaning in every direction to get a better look.

"If you ain't scared," Alby said, "you ain't human."

- Dashner

When Thomas wakes up in an elevator with no knowledge except his own name, he reacts the way most humans would and well, freaks out. The Maze Runner, which is the first novel in this trilogy, follows main character Thomas around his new life. He is dropped in a place known as the Glade, a large, grassy expanse with stone walls surrounding the edges. 

The people in the Glade make their own shelter, cook their own food, and control their own government. And every month, the elevator sends them a new teenage boy to induct as their own. Always a teenage boy -- there are no girls in the Glade. Until one day, the day after Thomas arrives, a girl does come. She carries with her a note that says "she's the last one -- ever," and thus begins the chaotic events of The Maze Runner.

This novel is among the many in the young adult genre, but don't let that make you hesitate. It truly entices the reader to never put the book down as Thomas's story only gets more complicated and messy as it goes on, leaving the reader to feel immensely sorry for the unlucky band of teenagers.

But what I really want to talk about is the difference between the novel and the film. 

The film adaptation released a little over a week ago on Friday, September 19th and only made $30 million opening weekend. This is vastly lesser than other films that started a franchise, such as The Hunger Games at $152 million and Divergent at $54 million. This can be caused by many things. Some film critics believe it's because the genre of young adult/teenage dystopian is well exhausted and is becoming a thing of the past. I believe it's because the literary fan base was not as large as The Hunger Games or Divergent. However, since opening weekend, the film has blown up globally and is now hugely popular among many international audiences.

All of that aside, it should be stated that many things differ between the novel and the film. I know it's impossible to contain  every single detail in the novel, but some major plot aspects should have been respected.

For instance, the quote from the passage included at the beginning of this post "if you ain't scared, you ain't human" was cut from the film. This was a major character detail for Alby and helped me as a reader understand a lot of the logic behind Alby's choices. By the end of the first novel, he sacrifices himself due to his terror of making it out of the Glade and back to his old life, and without that quote he seems like he's just too selfish to help his fellow Gladers escape.

Another aspect that is lost in the film -- which is most understandably because of time constraints -- is the feeling of brotherhood within the boys. In the film, we're introduced to five main character with developed character arcs. The novel gives us at least ten, all of them vital to the plot. In the sequel, Winston dies a heroically tragic death -- which is, of course, very common among teenage dystopian novels -- and it impacts how Thomas acts throughout the series. If viewers of the film didn't read the book, I bet they don't even know who Winston is.

My point is this: I know it's impossible to satisfy all readers when making a film adaptation, but if character details, plot points, or even one measly quote is important to the novel as a whole, it should be kept in. Of course it's a lot harder when you have a novel the length of Harry Potter, but The Maze Runner is a quarter of that size -- some things could have definitely been kept in.

Why I read this book: Completely juvenile. When I found out my favorite actor from the MTV show Teen Wolf (Dylan O'Brien) was going to be the star, I had to read it.

So, what do you all think? Is it logical to have expectations that film adaptations will remain faithful to the novel? Should those of us easily bothered by the differences care less? Should we not even try to compare them to each other? Let me know below!

Up next week: Allegiant (Divergent Series) by Veronica Roth. (I couldn't resist a continuation of the dystopian theme)