The second film in The Maze Runner series, The Scorch Trials, is now in theaters.

The Scorch Trials is based on the book of the same name by James Dashner and is directed by Wes Ball. It stars Dylan O’Brien in the lead role of Thomas and Kaya Scodelario as Teresa. The Maze Runner sequel welcomes lots of new faces as well, including Rosa Salazar (Brenda) and Giancarlo Esposito (Jorge).

Did you enjoy The Scorch Trials as much as you (presumably) enjoyed the first movie? Before you answer, we have two different reviews of our own…

The expert: Brook’s thoughts

Let’s start out by addressing the elephant in the room. If you covet the James Dashner novels in any way or are one of those movie adaptation purists, this probably isn’t the film for you. Although The Scorch Trials has the same kernel of truth as the books themselves, there were many liberties taken when actually translating the story from book to screen.

The basic structure is semi in place, but entire swaths of the final portion of the movie have been completely rewritten. However, I want to urge you not to fret too much about the changes because this news isn’t necessarily a bad thing. For example, those in the Walking Dead fandom have pretty much accepted that the comic books and television series are two separate entities. One may inspire the other, but it’s not beholden to the same rules because it exists in a different universe. If book readers come to the Scorch Trials film with the same outlook, then I think they can enjoy this slightly altered version for the thrilling ride it is.

The film as a standalone piece is going to entertain a lot of people and hit its target audience right in the gut. From the acting, storytelling, to production, everything felt much more mature than The Maze Runner. There were a few moments in the movie that genuinely surprised me with how dark the creators were willing to go. And although there were plenty of huge explosions and running sequences, ultimately the story is grounded by the characters (and actors) we’ve come to love.

Verdict: See it.

The novice: Andrew’s thoughts

I thoroughly enjoyed The Maze Runner last year, so I went into Scorch Trials excited to see how the story would play out. I wasn’t disappointed!

The action sequences in Scorch are very well done. In fact, I’d go so far as to say they’re some of the most refreshing we’ve seen in any YA movie in recent years. The Gladers travel through lots of different settings in this movie, and those travels offer lots of exciting situations to put them in. The only sequence I wasn’t sold on was the scene where they’re running away from the lightning storm. It felt forced — How is so much lightning suddenly falling down on them? It was too unrealistic so I couldn’t suspend my disbelief for that one.

While I loved the action sequences and the general progression of the story, I felt confused by much of the plot. It’s not clear to me, a casual viewer, what exactly they’re running from and why WCKD is such a huge threat. This confusion, which is felt by the Gladers themselves, was only brought to greater heights by the end of the film when there were a few switcheroos going on (like Teresa switching sides.)

As someone who hasn’t read the books I appreciated the straightforward storytelling of the first movie. Unfortunately there were many moments in Scorch that I felt confused by, which prevents me from saying this film is just as good as the first. With that said, I’m looking forward to seeing The Death Cure. Let’s hope we gets lots of answers and not more questions!

Verdict: See it, but pay close attention.

Your turn: What did you think of ‘The Scorch Trials’?

Hit the comments below to let us know!