Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials Review (2015)

Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials

  I read all three Maze Runner books before the first movie came out, so as you can imagine, I was very much looking forward to The Scorch Trials release. That being said, when the first trailer came out, I was highly concerned. The plot looked completely different from the book––and I'm not talking about Harry Potter different either. I'm talking about Eragon different. Anyway, my family saw the movie before me and said it was the best they'd seen in a long time. Meanwhile critics gave it pretty low ratings, only a 50% out of 100% on rotten tomatoes. Honestly, I had no idea what to expect, so I went in expecting nothing. What did I think? 

  I think that Scorch Trials was one of the worst book to movie adaptations I've seen since Percy Jackson. From the very beginning, instead of following the book's excellent story, it completely rips off the first half of Michael Bay's The Island. And trust me, The Island isn't the only thing that gets ripped off. What was once a unique YA story has now been turned into generic dystopian soup mixed in with a little bit of Divergent, Ender's Game, Hunger Games, Mad Max, Lord of the Flies, and World War Z. If you think this sounds like an awesome mix, maybe this movie is for you. Personally, I wanted to see something fresh, not a sequel rehashing the same beats as the first movie.
  Not only am I disappointed with the storytelling, but I'm disappointed with the character development. Due to a specific subplot in the next book (which they may due away with completely), it was important that we get to really know Minho and Newt. But no. Thomas is the only character given proper screen time while everyone else we could literally care less about. Ugh. 

  There are so many things I could talk about; the cringe worthy dialogue, the vomit inducing shaky cam, the CGI zombies/cranks used in the end half, the fact that Teresa was even in the movie, the fact that the Right Arm was in the movie. There are just so many things wrong with this plot that are really detrimental to the third book. Things that just can't be overlooked.
  I know a lot of people who never read the book liked this movie, so I don't want to rain on their parade. I just find it frustrating that they so brazenly strayed away from the fairly well-written source material. Honestly I have no idea how they are gonna tie up loose ends for the third movie.
  All that to say, does Scorch Trails have entertainment value? Most of the people who watched it would say absolutely yes. Would I have liked it if I'd never read the book? Maybe. I probably would have loved it when I was younger. For those reasons, I give it a 4 out of 10 stars. (Watch If Free)

Love & Mercy Review (2015)

Love & Mercy 

  Love & Mercy follows the life of musician Brian Wilson. As a fan of the The Beach Boys, I was super excited when I saw the trailer for this. One of the reasons I was excited was because Paul Dano is finally getting some more screen time. After Prisoners, I knew this kid had some acting chops and now after seeing Love & Mercy, I am officially sold. To say the acting in this film is amazing would be an understatement. Both John Cusack and Dano show extreme depth and transparency in their roles. All that said, the person that surprised me most was Paul Giamatti. Everyone knows the dude can act, but he usually plays very likable characters. This role was refreshingly different from his usual roles and he absolutely nailed it.

  Another great thing about this film was the music. It was really cool to see how the songs contrasted with Brian Wilson's life and where he was at mentally when he wrote them. Without being overtly sentimental, Love & Mercy tugs at the heart strings. I thoroughly enjoyed the unconventional storytelling and how they went back and forth between young Brian Wilson and older Brian Wilson. Despite the "good vibrations" of The Beach Boy's albums, Brian Wilson was a very troubled soul. I give Love & Mercy a 7 out of 10 stars. (Very Good)