Not only was Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials hotter than the first movie in the series, The Maze Runner, it also fueled many opinions about how directors take great books to the big screen.

    For those who don’t know the plot line of the Maze Runner series, here it is: it’s about a group of extraordinary teenagers who are “taken in” by this doctor who is known as Dr. Ava Paige, a utopian, and the people who work for her. She puts them through a series of challenges and those who survive are the ones destined to save the world. They are to save the world from a plague that has wiped out most of the human population with their blood; they are considered immune to the plague and that’s why their blood is valuable to Dr. Paige. Like in every other action, sci-fi movie there’s the extra extraordinary person and this movie is no different; in this movie that character is known as Thomas. Thomas is played by Dylan O’Brien. Not only is he a heartthrob, he does an excellent job in portraying the character of Thomas because of his real-life personality.

    Thomas has a lot of responsibilities. He is the leader, and protects the group but throughout the movie he doesn’t set himself apart from anybody; he is always quick to put them first. One word to describe him is selfless. Thomas takes on all of those responsibilities but does so in a humble and modest way and maybe that is why he is the leader.  His original entourage includes four more boys and one girl, his first love interest. A few more are added onto the group in Scorch Trials, one more boy and one more girl, his second love interest, love triangle!  The characters do an amazing job of promoting unity and loyalty; that is, until the very end. The twist at the end takes one by surprise, unless you’ve read the book and knew it was coming. If you haven’t read the book, the movie is equally as entertaining and captivating.

    The characters are not the only ones who need to be praised; the directors and screenplay writers are the ones who made the movie possible so they deserve just as much praise, if not more. Taking such a great book and picking out what things go into the movie is a difficult task. Wes Ball, the series’ director, does an above and beyond job. Many fans of the series worried that the directors and screenplay writers would exclude the major details and those small details that add emotional effect to the movie but that was not the case. As viewers we have to trust that the crew knows how to do their job and that they know what to include in the movie to keep it sincere to the books while making an award-worthy movie. Of course the screenplay writers had to hold off on some of the book’s details but even though that happened, the movie was done well; It included the necessary details to continue the series. The way the movie was made is destined to keep bringing the old fans back while also acquiring new fans.

    Five out of five stars. It’s a must-watch.