Book vs. Movie: The Darkest Minds

The Darkest Minds was one of my favorite series as a teen! When I found out the book was becoming a movie, I freaked out because I was so excited. I loved revisiting this world and characters the past couple of weeks as I reread the book and watched the film twice!

Book vs. Movie Differences in The Darkest Minds

This movie was a very faithful adaptation (especially considering how long the book is), and I loved how the actors portrayed the characters. Skylan Brooks absolutely killed it as Chubs, and I cracked up laughing several times with his timing on his jokes. There are so many scenes that fans of the book will appreciate and love seeing come to life. I was actually surprised the Watership Down portions were kept in the movie! I really enjoyed watching The Darkest Minds and hope that Never Fade will be made into a movie next!

But let’s get down to the changes the movie does make. Author Alexandra Bracken shared a few of the bigger differences the movie made beforehand, so it was less of a shock when they came on screen. However, there are some additional book vs. movie differences.

1. Chubs is a Green instead of a Blue.

In the movie, Chubs is a Green in the movie instead of a Blue. This change made a lot of sense because of his intelligence, so he always seemed liked a Green when reading the books.

2. Yellows are classified as Golds.

Yellows are classified as Golds to avoid any potential racial slurs (especially since Zu is the main Yellow we interact with).

3. Black Betty’s name changed to Blue Betty.

The last difference the author shared was that Black Betty has been changed to Blue Betty for the movie.

4. Golds are still at Thurmond.

In the book, Ruby is at the original camp with only Blues and greens. In the movie, there are still Golds at Thurmond.

5. Oranges are classified as the highest threat from the start.

The movie makes it very clear that Oranges are the highest threat whereas Reds were classified as the highest in the book (an ironic misclassification the author created on purpose).

6. Ruby doesn’t erase Sam’s memory.

Ruby’s best friend at Thurmond is Sam. Ruby accidentally erases Sam’s memory like she did to her parents after Sam stands up for Ruby and is punished by an officer. An unnamed girl stands up for Ruby at the start of the movie, but we are never given a name and Ruby does not erase her memory (the credits do mention a Sam, though).

7. Ruby’s escapes from Thurmond differently.

Ruby originally escapes from the camp with another Orange—Martin. Martin is not in the movie at all, and Ruby’s escape is slightly different as well. In the book, the League had planted the different frequency to weed out any Reds or Oranges. In the movie, it was one of the officers who called for it so they were aware that Ruby was an Orange a lot sooner and she made her escape with Cate through the boiler room. Ruby also had to use her powers in order for the guard to let their car out.

8. The Black Betty gang heard calm control from the camp they had escaped.

In the book, Liam, Chubs, and Zu escaped from a smaller camp, Caledonia, where there wasn’t even calm control. In the movie, the Black Betty gang had heard calm control before Lady Jane ends up capturing them, which happens after they try to drop Ruby off in Salem (which never happens in the book). Oh, and more kids escaped from the camp that Liam broke out of.

9. Liam doesn’t have a Southern accent.

A change that I can see fans not liking is that Liam is not Southern, so there are no “darlins'” to be said in the movie, but actor Harris Dickinson still pulls off Liam’s natural charm.

10. Zu has long hair.

Zu’s hair is also long. In the book, her hair was shaved due to a lice break out in her dorm at the camp.

11. Ruby’s grandmother is never mentioned.

Ruby’s grandma is also never mentioned in the movie. In the book, Ruby wants to find her grandma and get to Virginia Beach, which leads to a romantic story Liam’s tells at the end. Fans do not have to worry though because the story Liam tells is still very much in the movie!

12. The reason Zu doesn’t speak isn’t revealed.

The reason why Zu doesn’t speak isn’t revealed in the movie, which is kind of a bummer because it might be hard to understand why if you haven’t read the book. In the book, it’s clear that she’s traumatized by the massacre at the Caledonia camp. She wears her gloves because she fears her ability will harm others accidentally.

13. Zu’s cousin was not in the movie.

Zu’s cousin is not in the movie, which led to Zu still being at East River when it was raided. Liam ended up helping her escape and put her on a track with several other kids before he went back to look for Ruby and Chubs. In the book, Zu leaves East River with her cousin, Hina, before the raid.

14. The military shows up with the Red soldiers.

The biggest changes from the book happen toward the conclusion of the movie. In the book, Liam and Chubs want to deliver their friend’s letter to his dad. Jack and his letter are never mentioned in the movie, therefore Chubs is not shot by Jack’s dad. Instead, Clancy calls in the military (he calls his dad in the book and expects the Reds to show up which they don’t) and they bring some of the Red soldiers. The face-off between the Black Betty gang and Clancy differs from the book, and Ruby ends up bringing a helicopter crashing down. This causes an explosion, which burns Chubs and forces Ruby to call the Children’s League for help.

15. The Children’s League is ready to start a revolution.

Lastly, after Ruby sends Liam away, Cate brings her to the other kids with the League and makes it seem as if they are about to start a revolution with their painted hands and foreheads.