All book-to-film adaptations have to include those scenes from the novel that fans can’t live without. Here are five Maze Runner scenes that made the cut.
As fans, we want every detail of our favorite book to end up in its film adaptation. Unfortunately, that can’t always be the case. Time and budget constraints are just two of the many reasons these scenes sometimes don’t make it into the movie.
Luckily for us, the team behind The Maze Runner knew what we wanted to see on the big screen, and boy did they deliver. Here are five of our favorite scenes that were brought to life in the movie. Beware of major spoilers for the first book and film.
Thomas’ arrival in the Glade
They obviously couldn’t leave this scene out of the movie, since it’s sort of crucial to the plot, but we were glad to see it come to life right before our eyes. Thomas’ ride up to the surface was just as jarring and terrifying for us as it was for him, and that blinding light that hits him as soon as the doors open made us squint as well. We could feel Thomas’ confusion, fear, and anxiety right from the start, and even though we knew there was nowhere he could go when he took off running, we couldn’t help but urge him on anyway. And when he finally took stock of his surroundings, and we saw the Glade in all its glory for the first time right alongside him, we couldn’t help but have the same look of wonder on our faces, too.
Fighting of the Grievers
This is a pivotal scene in the book. Thomas, who has been toeing the line since he arrived at the Glade, broke all the rules when he ran into the Maze in order to help Alby and Minho survive the night. Thomas knew he wasn’t going to get back out till morning — if at all — and yet he ran past the closing doors anyway. In the movie, this scene is just as dark and frightening as it was in the novel. They got all the details right, and the anticipation of what was coming was palpable. When the Grievers finally did attack, it was everything we could’ve hoped for and more. They were absolutely terrifying, and Thomas had to use every ounce of his wit and his strength in order to beat them.
The attack on the Homestead
This moment marks the first time the Maze doors didn’t close for the night, allowing the Grievers entrance to what used to be a sanctuary for all the kids in the Glade. It was terrifying enough to watch Thomas and Minho try to outrun the Grievers and trick them into destroying themselves, but there was very little to be done when the mechanical beasts were literally at their doorsteps, destroying their homes and taking down anything that moved. Not everyone in the Glade could fight or think on their feet like Thomas, so it was even more tragic when the attack ended and we surveyed the damage.
Chuck’s death
This is another scene that we just knew would be in the movie because it’s so important to the plot and to Thomas’ story going forward. So it wasn’t so much that we loved it because it made the cut, but rather it was how it was done. When Chuck falls to the ground, all you can see is the innocence of a little boy draining away before your eyes. And while Blake Cooper was magnificent in the role and in that scene in particular, it was Dylan O’Brien who stole the show. His grieving over Chuck’s body brought us to tears, leaving us just as heartbroken and angry as Thomas was. The amount of emotion that went into that performance is not to be taken lightly, and both Cooper and O’Brien should be applauded for encompassing their roles so completely.
The rescue at the end
When the kids finally escape the Maze in the book, you don’t really know what’s going to happen next. Will there be someone there to congratulate them on winning the game? Will they be taken hostage for breaking free of the labyrinth? Instead, they find an empty control chamber with evidence that something pretty despairing went down. But even more shocking was when the cars pulled up outside the center and took the kids to some unknown location. The movie played this scene out nearly the same as it was in the book, and seeing the group being carted off to who-knows-where was just as surprising and grim as it was in the novel.
More ‘Maze Runner’ on Hypable:
– We saw The Maze Runner at Comic-Con: Here’s why you should be excited
– Quiz: How well do you know Dylan O’Brien?