Fun, flawed and pulse-pounding.

Rating: 8/10 (30 September 2016)

Okay. I read the books, and they were great. They had interesting characters and ideas, and are really fun to read. The film was good, but not as good as the books. To start with the positive stuff, this film is so exciting, so pulse-pounding, and it's epic. The action is just so good, and this film really stands out from all the other YA movies out there. I mean, it doesn't stand out as much as the Hunger Games, but still. Also, the casting was great. Dylan O'Brien's performance is Oscar-worthy. Well, almost. But these teenagers can act. And while the Grievers just look like a robotic spider with a LotR cave troll-like head on it, but the effects are great.
Now to the negatives. The film feels really rushed. All those moments in the book, like the daily life in the glade, his Runner training with Minho, them trying to find out a code in the maps, the emotional moments with Chuck, they're all left out. The film deviated from the book a little too much, and while it's OK to cut some stuff out, with lots of important scenes not in the film, all of Teresa's importance is gone, and she's just an obligatory female character. And Thomas getting his memories back should have been the time to explain what happened before the maze. But the film wanted to keep everything a mystery for the next films to resolve. Well, guess what, Scorch Trials didn't explain anything. Also, the final fight outside the Griever hole is reduced to a small skirmish, before they seal the doors.
No, you may be thinking, why did I give this a 9-rating? Well, sometimes, the fun factor beats out every technical problem in a film. And while they should have made it more faithful to the book, if all you want is an awesome, action-packed YA film, this is it.