The Maze Runner is the latest young adult novel turned movie to be released into theaters. Based on the novel of the same name by James Dashner., the story follows teenager Thomas (Dylan O’Brien) who wakes up to find himself without any memory of his past in a place called The Glade, the center of a giant maze inside of which live vicious creatures called Grievers. The Glade is inhabited by other teenage boys, all of who have no memory of their previous lives. Periodically the doors to the maze open, allowing the boys to go into it. However, they also close without warning and no boy who has ventured inside has ever survived a night in the maze. But everything begins to change when the latest arrival turns out to be a girl, Teresa (Kaya Scodelario.) along with the other boys, they launch a desperate bid for freedom.
Thomas wakes up with no memory of who and where he is. He soon finds himself in a strange place called The Glade, a wooded area surrounded by a massive stone maze that moves each day. Thomas is the newest person to be placed in The Glade. He befriends the other boys who also have been sent there with no memories. There he learns of the Maze that surrounds and keeps the boys trapped.
Thomas isn’t one for being trapped. He begins to question everything the other boys have done to survive. Only Runners are allowed to go into the Maze to search for a way out. When one of the Runners is injured Thomas goes into the Maze to help. Finding himself trapped overnight, he learns of the monstrous Grievers that live within: large, lethal mechanical monsters with a spider type body and an organic creature on top. Thomas manages to kill one, thus changing the way the game is played within The Glade. Then the addition of the only girl to ever show up causes more things to change., soon putting Thomas and his friends in a life or death battle to find the exit out of the Maze and defeat the Grievers before they kill everyone.
The movie makes good use of the mystery of how Thomas and the other boys have gotten to The Glade, a mystery that the filmmakers keep hidden until the very end. This works well for the flick; we’re learning about the Maze and The Glade just as Thomas is. Were going along for the mysterious ride too. Each clue that gets Thomas closer to understanding the Maze is one step closer for the audience too, as we begin to see the bigger picture the filmmakers are trying to give us.
What stands out for the movie is the talent of Dylan O’Brien. This is the young actor’s first solo role, and he handles it like a seasoned pro. He’s good. It’s that simple. He carries the weight and the emotional drama needed for the role and you believe in him as our hero, as do his co-stars: Thomas Brodie-Sangster, Ki Hong Lee, Blake Cooper and Will Poulter. Both are talented young actors that bring their A-games. Each gets their moment, whether it for good or bad reasons, each as an arc that intertwines with Thomas’s.
The weak link in the actors’ chain is Kaya Scodelario playing the role of Teresa. She comes into the flick in the second act and for a character that is suppose to be this big deal, she just comes across as mediocre. Her character is never really filled out and she barely has anything to do except say she knows Thomas. Of course he only has some small memories of who she is, but that’s just enough information from her to cause all kinds of issues with the other members of The Glade. And even when the third act kicks in and the group is trying to escape, you basically forget she’s there until she has a line. She could have been put to better use being the only girl in a movie full of guys.
The movie looks good. It has some great locals and effects. The lighting was one of the things that stood out. There’s no electricity in The Glade so the boys all rely on fire, torches and candlelight, so a nice warm fire effect is given to a lot of the night scenes. In the Maze the stark stone look and feel really gives off the feeling of being alone. The sets and look of the film were really thought out to give you and Thomas the feeling of utter loneliness and hopelessness.
The special effects are really good, especially the Maze itself. The way it moves and comes to life really does give off a chaotic feeling that one would have if trapped in a maze that moves everyday. The Grievers looks incredible and are quite scary looking. Their legs and tail are machine-like, with a head full of huge sharp teeth for ripping their victims. They’re a good adversary for the flick and give our heroes some serious trouble.
Overall the movie is fun, a little slow in certain scenes because the filmmakers are setting up the world for future installments in the trilogy. But if there are never any more movies in this franchise then these scenes are a waste and just make you want more that you’ll never get. Great acting surrounded by some awesome effects and a very interesting story make this something worth seeing.