'Lord' of the 'Maze'

The Maze Runner

Young adult novels, over the past few years, have grown in popularity not only with teens, but also among adults. The Fault In Our Stars, Beautiful Creatures, and The Perks of Being A Wallflower are just a few of the most popular books to be published. Though there is also a current trend among young adult books as well, dystopian future with a strong lead character to save mankind. The most prevalent of these books have been released as trilogies getting the readers deeply invested in the characters. Among these trilogies, The Hunger Games and the Divergent series, have also found their way onto the big screen. Due to the success of those books/films, 20^th Century Fox took a gamble and purchased the rights to another dystopian trilogy, aptly titled The Maze Runner.

As Thomas (Dylan O’Brian MTV’s Teen Wolf) wakes up, he is greeted by many other adolescent males staring at him. When asked his name, Thomas discovers that he has no memory of anything prior to him waking up. Fight or flight kicks in for Thomas and he decides to make a run for it, but soon realizes he isn’t going to get very far. Thomas notices that he is in the middle of a lush forest-like area that is surrounded by sheer walls hundreds of feet tall. Calmed down, Thomas is lead on a “tour” of the community (“The Glades”) by Alby (Aml Ameen The Butler) and explains to Thomas that there is a section of the wall that opens every morning to reveal a maze of epic proportions. Alby also informs Thomas that certain members of “The Glades” have been mapping the maze for years, trying to find the way out. Curious as Thomas is, he starts to question his surroundings and testing his boundaries with the other “Gladers”, causing things to happen that have never happened before Thomas’ arrival. As things around him start to unravel, Thomas takes it upon himself to lead the other “Gladers” through the maze, but will Thomas find the end or just more puzzles?

Another film based on a set of books that I, admittedly, never read. Though I made a deal with myself that I would try not to compare this film to the other dystopian young adult films that preceded The Maze Runner and come to find out, it was pretty easy to uphold that promise because (besides time spent in the maze) the film reminded me more of Lord of the Flies. The dynamic of the young men working together to survive without any amenities that we take for granted was interesting to me. Just wish there was more of that in the film because once Thomas gets integrated into the group, everything drastically changes. I think the only real problem with the film is quick changes and half answers. This is why I used the word “gamble” in the beginning of the review. Fox bought these books knowing it was a trilogy and the screenwriters do an amazing job keeping the mystery of “why” in the film. I just would have hated if this film flopped because the film never really says why Thomas is there (fully anyway, again half-truths).

The cast is very engaging collectively. Dylan O’Brian shows that he has the talent to be a lead, but I think the cast is better as a whole than trying to single one person out. I thought the cast did a great job projecting their bond on screen.

I think what impressed me the most was how short-film director Wes Ball, making his feature length debut, was able to separate this film from the others it is compared to. Ball makes this film grittier than the others. Even through the maze, the film felt more dystopian. Ball also achieves the tone by his colors, using a lot of earthy shades through 95% of the movie.

As mentioned before, the unanswered questions are the only thing I didn’t like about the film. Knowing that the answers will come in later films doesn’t lessen the annoyance any less. Contradicting myself though, it’s the mystery within the film that made me like this movie more than The Hunger Games or Divergent. The film felt like a true trilogy, enough intrigue to get the audience to come back for more.

The Verdict: Worth Your Time