Review/ Read Along: "The Scorch Trials" Trailer v Book (Chapters 39-42)
Amanda McHugh ‘18/ Emertainment Monthly Staff Writer
“The Scorch Trials,” sequel to “The Maze Runner” (written by James Dashner and directed by Wes Ball) will be hitting the big screen on September 18. To get psyched for more action-packed dystopia, Emertainment Monthly will be re-reading and reviewing “The Scorch Trials” chapter by chapter.
Last week the second trailer for The Scorch Trials premiered before Paper Towns, and was released on YouTube. This longer trailer reveals more information about the changes from the book to movie, especially with the major change that happened at the end of The Maze Runner film (Ava Paige telling the boys they’re immune to the flare and about the sun flares that destroyed most of Earth). Not only do we get to see a glimpse of the Cranks past gone (slowed down gif set found here), we learn that the boys think they’re in the pretend rescue for longer than in the book. Thomas mentions that they can’t trust the people who “saved”, that they’re WICKED. It also seems like they steal guns, and chose to go out into the Scorch to run away from WICKED, not being forced to cross it.
Details from the third book, The Death Cure, are also seen in this trailer. Though it was rumored that the two books would be combined heavily within the next two films, we really see that coming through here. The “escape plan” and “hiding from WICKED” in the trailer is in the beginning of The Death Cure, though the circumstances are different. Moreover, Theresa is still with them this entire time, which as we know in the book Theresa is pretty absent most of the time.
Brenda holds Thomas’s hand as he goes in and out of consciousness. This entire time Brenda has seem more like a ditzy, innocent Crank. Though in the new trailer she appears tougher with rough edges. We already know that she’s tough in the book too when she fought off the Cranks in the tunnels, but she’s still gentle and soft with Thomas most of the time. Perhaps in the movie this side of her will come out more, or she’ll act boss the whole time. Either way Brenda is still a major role in both, and Rosa Salazar does her justice.
Thomas continues to go in and out of consciousness as Jorge removes the bullet from his arm, but obviously because their medical procedures aren’t the most sanitary, Thomas still gets an infection. He hears the group yelling at the sky, and hears a loud humming noise. Jorge says a ‘Berg’ is coming down. Before he knows it two people in dark green, full body suits with gas masks on (in which Thomas calls them aliens) takes him up into the Berg. Thomas doesn’t really know what’s going on, but it’s obvious WICKED took him to clear him of his infection.
As they’re fixing him, Thomas does hear two people discussing how there are only a few of them who might make it to be the final candidates. Though being a final candidate for WICKED doesn’t sound too good considering WICKED has been watching them the entire time, meaning they’ve watched nine boys die and didn’t do anything about it. When they return Thomas to the rest of the group he sits down and tells them all what happened. Minho says they have five days left to make it to the Safe Haven. Just as they all go to sleep, Theresa speaks out to Thomas telepathically. She tells him that no matter what he has to trust her. That something awful is going to happen to Thomas tomorrow, and that no matter what he hears or thinks, he has to trust her. Before Thomas can say anything back, she’s gone.
In parts of the trailer we still see Brenda and Thomas on their own fighting Cranks, so we can safely assume that they’re still all going to get separated at one point or another. In addition, we also see the lighting strike Minho’s leg, and we see them running in a lot of what looks like abandoned warehouses. Only a few more weeks until all will be revealed!