The Scorch Trials
I was finally able to watch The Scorch Trials last night. I've waited a whole year for this so I was really excited to see how they'd adapt my personal favorite book in the series. Tbh, I think the main reason I liked the book was because it wasn't as emotionally damaging as the others? Or maybe that's just how I remembered it.
In my opinion, it was overall a good movie, however in terms of book to film adaptation, it wasn't very faithful. I mean, I get that you have to make some changes in order for the films to work. That's part of it. Being completely faithful is impossible and could be quite boring for book fans because they literally already know what's going to happen (although I think some people actually like that but I personally don't). Change, therefore, is necessary. But this movie went a little overboard in that aspect. Like, it wasn't even minor details that were being altered anymore. I felt like it was entirely different story from what I remember reading over a year ago.
Here are some of the changes that were made in the movie:
> The beginning was wrong. In the book, they were attacked by cranks in their bedroom. Cranks were introduced much later in the film.
> There were several mazes, not just group A & B. Also, the mark on their necks were more of a code so if you didn't have a scanner thingy, you wouldn't be able to make sense of it. It'd just look like some sort of tattoo.
> They weren't sent out into the scorch. It was the complete opposite. Ratman didn't want Thomas to leave the facility at all.
> WCKD pretended that they were bringing chosen children to paradise when in reality, they were being experimented on and was used as the source for the cure.
> There were no trials on the way to the scorch. They were just basically running from WCKD in the desert. Ironically, it was cold in the Scorch despite it looking like a desert. Everyone wore jackets and Newt even had gloves. I remember the heat being one of their main problems in the book (it is called the Scorch after all). In other words, THERE WAS NO SCORCH NOR WERE THERE TRIALS. WTH.
> They had to be bitten in order to get infected by the Flare. It wasn't airborne.
> Everyone who was in the maze was immune but if they get bitten, they can still get infected.
> WINSTON DEATH WAS PAGE 250 FROM TDC.
> Jorge used cranks as guard dogs for their lair.
> Jorge & Brenda didn't pretend to be cranks who hadn't been past gone.
> Some members of Group B were already recruited by the Right Arm. They weren't just "the other team trying to survive the scorch"
> Group B didn't try to kill Thomas (specifically. The girls almost killed everyone in their group but then they saw that Aris was with them so they were spared).
> Teresa didn't (pretend to) join Group B.
> Aris & Teresa didn't gang up on Thomas in the betrayal scene.
> Teresa already had her memories back. It wasn't by choice (note that this was from the next book & was therefore expected to be in the next movie)
> Thomas's mom was still alive and was working for Right Arm.
> Brenda got infected by the Flare but was injected a temporary cure, curtesy of Thomas's mother with the use of his blood.
> Teresa's betrayal seemed more of for selfish reasons rather than her being forced by WCKD.
> Minho was captured by WCKD when they attacked the Right Arm's base.
These are all I can think of from the top of my head. I might have to revise that once I've reread the book (which I do plan on doing after seeing that movie). All in all, they've made a lot of changes. I'm pretty sure they inserted a lot of scenes from The Death Cure in here already, which makes me wonder how they plan on adapting the last book of the series. Hopefully though, they'll do it justice.
There are some things that really bothers me about this movie though. One is that in the end, there were only 3 Gladers left (Thomas, Newt & Frypan). I don't know how they're going to execute Newt's death scene, seeing as they already used his line for Winston. It would be lame and unoriginal if he says the same thing (although honestly speaking, Newt saying it would've made a bigger impact as compared to Winston executing the line). I don't think they'll keep him alive though because that would cause a lot of change in the story, particularly for Thomas. The purpose for that was to cause trauma (not that he needs it) because he killed his own friend, as well as cause a strain in his relationship with Minho (the only close friend he has left). Also, I think the scenes wherein Newt was attacked by a Crank (he wasn't bitten though) and Thomas's drugged scene (he hallucinated Winston & Newt being past gone) was kind of foreshadowing that Newt would also get infected by the Flare. My poor baby. :(
It also kind of bothered me that The Flare wasn't airborne. I think that that was what made it a real scare in the outside world. Like, as long as there was someone in the room that was infected, everyone else who could get it too if they weren't part of the lucky few who were immune. I distinctly remember a lockdown scene in TDC wherein a guy was infected but he went to a cafe(?). I just, I don't know how they're going to keep the third movie faithful to the book (not that they did in the second one) when they made major changes that could practically alter the next sequence of events. Brenda being infected is also kind of problematic because she was supposed to be able to make it to the safe haven (which I admit I kind of hated because I don't ship her with Thomas. To me, she's kind of a scapegoat in order to kill Teresa off because she betrayed Thomas but still provide him with a love interest. Another love triangle. Sigh).
In my opinion, it was overall a good movie, however in terms of book to film adaptation, it wasn't very faithful. I mean, I get that you have to make some changes in order for the films to work. That's part of it. Being completely faithful is impossible and could be quite boring for book fans because they literally already know what's going to happen (although I think some people actually like that but I personally don't). Change, therefore, is necessary. But this movie went a little overboard in that aspect. Like, it wasn't even minor details that were being altered anymore. I felt like it was entirely different story from what I remember reading over a year ago.
Here are some of the changes that were made in the movie:
> The beginning was wrong. In the book, they were attacked by cranks in their bedroom. Cranks were introduced much later in the film.
> There were several mazes, not just group A & B. Also, the mark on their necks were more of a code so if you didn't have a scanner thingy, you wouldn't be able to make sense of it. It'd just look like some sort of tattoo.
> They weren't sent out into the scorch. It was the complete opposite. Ratman didn't want Thomas to leave the facility at all.
> WCKD pretended that they were bringing chosen children to paradise when in reality, they were being experimented on and was used as the source for the cure.
> There were no trials on the way to the scorch. They were just basically running from WCKD in the desert. Ironically, it was cold in the Scorch despite it looking like a desert. Everyone wore jackets and Newt even had gloves. I remember the heat being one of their main problems in the book (it is called the Scorch after all). In other words, THERE WAS NO SCORCH NOR WERE THERE TRIALS. WTH.
> They had to be bitten in order to get infected by the Flare. It wasn't airborne.
> Everyone who was in the maze was immune but if they get bitten, they can still get infected.
> WINSTON DEATH WAS PAGE 250 FROM TDC.
> Jorge used cranks as guard dogs for their lair.
> Jorge & Brenda didn't pretend to be cranks who hadn't been past gone.
> Some members of Group B were already recruited by the Right Arm. They weren't just "the other team trying to survive the scorch"
> Group B didn't try to kill Thomas (specifically. The girls almost killed everyone in their group but then they saw that Aris was with them so they were spared).
> Teresa didn't (pretend to) join Group B.
> Aris & Teresa didn't gang up on Thomas in the betrayal scene.
> Teresa already had her memories back. It wasn't by choice (note that this was from the next book & was therefore expected to be in the next movie)
> Thomas's mom was still alive and was working for Right Arm.
> Brenda got infected by the Flare but was injected a temporary cure, curtesy of Thomas's mother with the use of his blood.
> Teresa's betrayal seemed more of for selfish reasons rather than her being forced by WCKD.
> Minho was captured by WCKD when they attacked the Right Arm's base.
These are all I can think of from the top of my head. I might have to revise that once I've reread the book (which I do plan on doing after seeing that movie). All in all, they've made a lot of changes. I'm pretty sure they inserted a lot of scenes from The Death Cure in here already, which makes me wonder how they plan on adapting the last book of the series. Hopefully though, they'll do it justice.
There are some things that really bothers me about this movie though. One is that in the end, there were only 3 Gladers left (Thomas, Newt & Frypan). I don't know how they're going to execute Newt's death scene, seeing as they already used his line for Winston. It would be lame and unoriginal if he says the same thing (although honestly speaking, Newt saying it would've made a bigger impact as compared to Winston executing the line). I don't think they'll keep him alive though because that would cause a lot of change in the story, particularly for Thomas. The purpose for that was to cause trauma (not that he needs it) because he killed his own friend, as well as cause a strain in his relationship with Minho (the only close friend he has left). Also, I think the scenes wherein Newt was attacked by a Crank (he wasn't bitten though) and Thomas's drugged scene (he hallucinated Winston & Newt being past gone) was kind of foreshadowing that Newt would also get infected by the Flare. My poor baby. :(
It also kind of bothered me that The Flare wasn't airborne. I think that that was what made it a real scare in the outside world. Like, as long as there was someone in the room that was infected, everyone else who could get it too if they weren't part of the lucky few who were immune. I distinctly remember a lockdown scene in TDC wherein a guy was infected but he went to a cafe(?). I just, I don't know how they're going to keep the third movie faithful to the book (not that they did in the second one) when they made major changes that could practically alter the next sequence of events. Brenda being infected is also kind of problematic because she was supposed to be able to make it to the safe haven (which I admit I kind of hated because I don't ship her with Thomas. To me, she's kind of a scapegoat in order to kill Teresa off because she betrayed Thomas but still provide him with a love interest. Another love triangle. Sigh).