My loyalty lies with the book. As a book lover, I feel that you should never judge a book by its movie, especially in the case of The Maze Runner.

“The Maze Runner” was based on James Dashner’s book about a teen named Thomas, played by Dylan O’Brien, who wakes up in a pitch-black elevator with no recollection of his life. He arrives in the Glade with about 60 other boys expecting his arrival. They call themselves the Gladers, and run their everyday lives hoping for a way to escape from the ever-changing Maze that surrounds them.

I didn’t sleep trying to finish this book; it had such a capturing plot that I literally read it in one night. I was disappointed in the movie’s storyline in the aspect that the plot seemed rushed and overdramatized compared to the book’s gradual but gripping mystery. It replaced this mystery with all action and hardly stopped for any comic relief. Just as one thing would happen, another would follow it, making it difficult for your eyes to ever have a break. There was never time for any suspense.

Due to this constant action, there was also limited time spent on developing the relationships between Thomas, Chuck, Newt, Alby, Gally and Teresa, so I neither liked nor hated their characters. A character that doesn’t have a distinguishable personality has no effect on the way you feel about them or what happens to them, so this weakened the strong emotional points from the story.

Standing alone, the movie was reasonable. The acting was decent, not exceptional, despite Teresa, played by Kaya Scodelario, who was portayed as kind-of pathetic and weak. The special effects were impressive, and I enjoyed the unique interpretations of the monsters in the Maze– the dreaded Grievers.

The only people who might dislike the film are the dedicated book fans like myself who want the movie to be a close replica. I understand that you cannot fit the entire book into two hours, but what annoyed me was how large the contrast really was. Sure, most major points from the book were included, but they were smooshed together, and the element of mystery with the solving of the Maze was completely missing, making it nothing but an action film. I would have been satisfied with minor detail changes, but the entire plotline was altered.

While “The Maze Runner” overall is a film you’d want to watch, it is not one you need to spend $20 on, and Maze Runner book fans, you don’t need to run to the theater to see this film.