“The Maze Runner”was published as a book in October 2007 and was released in theaters Sept. 19, 2014. The film stars Dylan O’ Brien as Thomas, a boy who gets sent through a box to a strange place known as “the Glade.” All the boys in the Glade cannot remember anything about who they were before the Glade or how they got there. The Glade is surrounded by a giant maze, and specific boys run through the maze every day in order to find a way out of the Glade and back to the real world (hence the title). The story essentially focuses on Thomas and what he experiences in the Glade.  

For everyone out there that automatically hates this movie because it’s another “dumb teen series movie,” you will be surprised. The movie is filled with action-packed scenes and suspenseful moments that will make you jump out of your seat. Plus, the movie does not feature romance, which is something that teen authors always seem to add in their very first book of a series. This gives the movie a new twist compared to other teen movies that can sometimes make on-screen romances look like Anna and Hans in the beginning of “Frozen.”

Yet, the movie’s suspenseful moments and dramatic scenes take away some of the plot and make the film’s pace a lot faster than the pace in the book. Of course, this makes sense because it’s nearly impossible to make a film 100 percent true to the book, but the pace seemed too rushed. This makes the film a tad confusing because of all the terms the boys use and the characteristics in the glade that people might not understand unless they read the book.

It all comes down to the fact that usually dominates movies made from books: if you have not read the book, you’ll enjoy the movie a lot more than someone who has. If you’re someone that loves “The Maze Runner” series, then the movie might make you angry. (Spoiler Alert!) The film changes everything from the grievers to the ending itself so that it can add more suspense and drama to the movie. However, the film does keep the majority of major events that happen in the book; it just makes them out of order and more rushed.

Since the series is a trilogy, one can assume that they will continue to make more movies. The ending does lead up to a sequel, and it will be interesting to see if they make the entire series last that long, and if they do, will the last book be split in two like almost every teen series since “Harry Potter”? Dylan O’ Brian does do a great job of looking attractive throughout the entire movie, but it all comes down to the box office numbers and the fans of the series.

Follow Amanda on Twitter @amarkoepolo