When a book is adapted into a movie, there will be some changes. It's inevitable. The "Maze Runner" franchise has made lots (I mean lots!) of changes in their adaptations. Some I could agree with, some I totally didn't. But the change they made to the conclusion, I didn't agree with that at all! Disclaimer: I will not be focusing on changes made in "The Maze Runner" or "The Scorch Trials" and of course SPOILERS!!!!
Basically, the whole plot of the movie was different from the books. In the movie, the main storyline is saving Minho, who has been captured by WCKD, but this is not in the books at all. In the books Minho hasn't been captured at all, he is with the group the whole time. Same for Teresa, she escapes WCKD in the books and never works with them as some mad scientist.
But, okay, these are changes I can deal with. They just make the story different, but not less good. There is one major change I do not agree with at all, though, and that is the conclusion. In the books, there is NO cure! The Gladers were put through the trials (yes, in the books the scorch is the second trial, not like in the movies where they escape WCKD and go into the scorch willingly. In the books they were put in the scorch as part of the second trial) and when they finished the second trial they escaped WCKD and went on their own quest. After all the events from the third book chancellor, Paige realizes that there is no cure. She sets in motion her plan B: let humanity wither away and put all the immunes in the safe haven, to build the human race up again from the start. The end.
Well, that's not how it goes in the movie. In the movie, Teresa finds out the Thomas' blood destroys the virus and can serve as the cure for the Flare. This is again proven when Brenda doesn't get sick after she has Thomas' blood in her system. (In the books, Brenda is an immune who works for WCKD and later chooses the side of the Gladers. She couldn't get sick in the first place). The movie ends with all the immunes finding their own safe haven and residing there, after they have taken down WCKD.
Of course, there are many other book-to-movie changes, like Thomas killing Newt instead of Newt killing himself. Thomas killing Janson instead of him being killed by Cranks. Teresa died in the Maze (yes they go back to the Maze) when the Right Arm blows it up, instead of Teresa dying when the rebels blow up the city. But those changes are all okay with me, but why isn't the one I mentioned before?
Because it makes the whole story a cliché. Thomas is the chosen one, with the perfect blood, who can save humanity. WCKD is truly evil and just want to exploit the Immunes for their DNA. It makes everything so cliché. Unlike the book, where Thomas isn't any kind of chosen one, yes they do think that he may be able to save humanity and that he contains a cure. But we never find out.
Thomas escapes before they can harvest his brains (yes you read that right) and he leads all the immunes to the safe haven, provided for by chancellor Paige. Paige, the head of WCKD, hereby creates a new human race, instead of saving the old one. So, WCKD accomplishes their task, in the end, saving humanity. WCKD is good, in the end.
What are your thoughts on this matter? Do you agree with me or do you like the story arc of the movie better? Let me know!
