The Maze Runner (2014) Review
With the third film in The Maze Runner saga finally coming out this week, now is as good a time as any to go back and look at the first film in the series. Now, when I first saw this movie, I knew nothing about. I hadn't read the book. I hadn't seen the trailer. I got dragged to the movie by a few friends. I didn't even feel like seeing a movie, but I was pleasantly surprised.
The Maze Runner follows a teenage boy named Thomas (Dylan O'Brien), who wakes up in a rising elevator, with no memory of who he is. The elevator takes him to a small wooded area, surrounded by massive walls, with one exit. There are several dozen other boys living in the area, led by Alby (Aml Ameen). Alby and the others have been surviving in "the Glade" for over three years. Once a month, a new boy is delivered to the group. The only exit leads to a massive maze that changes every night and has monsters living in it. Thomas joins the others in trying to find out who put them in the maze, and why, and most importantly; a way out.
What works:
The Maze Runner works because, unlike most Young Adult, dystopian novel adaptations, the story isn't set in some screwed up society. The Maze Runner is more of a mystery. It's not about fighting some dictator, it's about finding a way out of the maze. Right off the bat, we have no idea what is going on, who these characters are, or why they are in the maze, but neither do the characters themselves. This makes them very easy to identify with, especially Thomas. Dylan O'Brien does a great job of acting as a vessel for the audience. He makes all the choices that we would like to think we would make if we were in the same situation.
Apart from Dylan O'Brien, all of the actors are solid, but the two other highlights are Thomas Brodie-Sangster as Newt, the second-in-command of the Glade. Newt is very likable and acts as the voice of reason, and does a good job at it. Also, there is Will Poulter who plays Gally, who wants to stay in the maze, and hates Thomas for wanting to leave. Poulter does a great job of being a massive prick
What Sucks:
Most of the boys trapped in the maze have absolutely no personality. So it's hard to be upset when some of them die. The didn't need to develop all of them, but a few more scenes to let us get to know them before they get killed off would have gone a long way.
The other problem with The Maze Runner isn't really the movies fault. It's the sequels fault. The Maze Runner ends with an awesome cliffhanger. I remember when I saw it, I was psyched out of my mind for the sequel. Unfortunately, The Scorch Trials sucked, and the reveals were lackluster, which retroactively tarnishes the good name of the original.
Verdict:
Crappy sequel aside, The Maze Runner is still a solid movie and is my favorite of all these Hunger Games/Divergent-esque movies. While the later answers haven't been that great, the setup and initial mystery of the movie is still solid. Hopefully, The Death Cure can restore this series to previous heights.
8/10. Really Good.
The Maze Runner follows a teenage boy named Thomas (Dylan O'Brien), who wakes up in a rising elevator, with no memory of who he is. The elevator takes him to a small wooded area, surrounded by massive walls, with one exit. There are several dozen other boys living in the area, led by Alby (Aml Ameen). Alby and the others have been surviving in "the Glade" for over three years. Once a month, a new boy is delivered to the group. The only exit leads to a massive maze that changes every night and has monsters living in it. Thomas joins the others in trying to find out who put them in the maze, and why, and most importantly; a way out.
What works:
The Maze Runner works because, unlike most Young Adult, dystopian novel adaptations, the story isn't set in some screwed up society. The Maze Runner is more of a mystery. It's not about fighting some dictator, it's about finding a way out of the maze. Right off the bat, we have no idea what is going on, who these characters are, or why they are in the maze, but neither do the characters themselves. This makes them very easy to identify with, especially Thomas. Dylan O'Brien does a great job of acting as a vessel for the audience. He makes all the choices that we would like to think we would make if we were in the same situation.
Apart from Dylan O'Brien, all of the actors are solid, but the two other highlights are Thomas Brodie-Sangster as Newt, the second-in-command of the Glade. Newt is very likable and acts as the voice of reason, and does a good job at it. Also, there is Will Poulter who plays Gally, who wants to stay in the maze, and hates Thomas for wanting to leave. Poulter does a great job of being a massive prick
What Sucks:
Most of the boys trapped in the maze have absolutely no personality. So it's hard to be upset when some of them die. The didn't need to develop all of them, but a few more scenes to let us get to know them before they get killed off would have gone a long way.
The other problem with The Maze Runner isn't really the movies fault. It's the sequels fault. The Maze Runner ends with an awesome cliffhanger. I remember when I saw it, I was psyched out of my mind for the sequel. Unfortunately, The Scorch Trials sucked, and the reveals were lackluster, which retroactively tarnishes the good name of the original.
Verdict:
Crappy sequel aside, The Maze Runner is still a solid movie and is my favorite of all these Hunger Games/Divergent-esque movies. While the later answers haven't been that great, the setup and initial mystery of the movie is still solid. Hopefully, The Death Cure can restore this series to previous heights.
8/10. Really Good.
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