Wes's Grade: B- Young adult, dystopian "The Maze Runner" both thrilling and familiar
The new dystopian action thriller "The Maze Runner" might as well be "The Hunger Games" lite. Based on a popular young adult novel series, elements of it will seem very familiar but it's also fast-paced and entertaining enough that its target audience may overlook some of its flaws. Teenager Thomas (Dylan O'Brien) wakes up to find himself without any memory of his past in a place called The Glade, the center of a giant, terrifying maze inside of which live vicious creatures called Grievers. The maze is the key to the life and death of the boys that inhabit The Glade, who can't remember anything before their arrival there. But everything begins to change when the latest arrival turns out to be a girl, Teresa (Kaya Scodelario), and together they form a special bond and, along with the other boys, they launch a desperate bid for freedom. Directed by Wes Ball and written by Noah Oppenheim and based on a YA novel series of the same name, "The Maze Runner" has enough riveting scenes and well-placed, dark energy to make it an above-average entry in this burgeoning new genre of young adult films that have burst on the cinematic marketplace the last two years. It's not as captivating as "The Hunger Games" but more enjoyable than "Divergent" and the recent dystopian YA flop "The Giver." The structure of the society of boys also recalls the classic "The Lord of the Flies," with clear lines drawn in the sand as to good and bad; on that note "The Maze Runner" tends to fall prey to some of the recent YA movies that have been released. It lacks character shape and complexity but makes up for it technically with the intense action and special effects, in particular those enormously awful spiders, not to mention some impressive sets. The cast, including the handsome O'Brien and Scodelario, perform as well as the script allows them to, which is an appealing but bland set of leads, while Will Poulter, seen in last year's comedy hit "We're the Millers," chews up scenery as bad guy Gally. Keep in mind that "The Maze Runner" is based on a series of books (three to be exact and a prequel), meaning they leave it wide open for another entry, provided this movie is a hit, which explains the cliffhanger ending. "The Maze Runner" is a decent adaptation of the book (yes, some changes have been made in the screen adaptation) and a modestly entertaining movie; the action-set pieces are most memorable, though it lacks scope, emotion and a big character draw like Katniss. Though it felt a little distant, it should appeal to and please most the YA crowd, but even older adults may enjoy it too. Worth a look.
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