The Maze Runner

The book was better. Or so the old axiom goes. I'm not a book snob, but I do enjoy reading these types of novels before watching the films, and I will say that in this case, the movie was better. Quite a bit better.

Teenager Thomas awakens in an elevator, rising rapidly and opening to bright sunlight and a curious group of teenage boys. He has no memory of how he ended up there, or who he is for that matter. All he knows is that he needs to escape. It turns out that this elevator arrives monthly, and has for the past three years, depositing a single boy into "The Glade". This group of misfits have built a civilization in this over-sized football stadium that is surrounded on all sides by four perfectly squared walls. The only escape is through a doorway that opens every morning, and closes every evening. Brave, athletic boys, dubbed "runners" travel outside the wall through a maze, ever searching for a way out and hopefully, home.

All this is thrown into chaos with the arrival of Thomas, and the subsequent arrival of the first girl, Theresa. Their harmonious community begins to fall apart. Not quite Lord of the Flies apart, but definitely dystopian future sci-fi young adult novel apart as they are forever monitored and chased by giant cyborg spiders called grievers, and they finally decide to invade The Glade.

The book is the first in a series, and a sequel film is in the works. Hollywood is always on the lookout for the next big adaptation. Harry Potter did pretty well at the box office, as did Twilight and The Hunger Games (a hint of sarcasm. They killed the box office). Ender's Game and most recently, Divergent fared well enough, while the Lois Lowry classic The Giver didn't do as well. The point is, where there's young adult material, there will be adaptations. Maze Runner may not be as popular a novel (maybe it is, I'm not totally sure) and in reality, it isn't very good. There are too many extraneous story lines that don't find any resolution at all. That's where the film does right. It passes by the material that is irrelevant and goes straight to the heart of the story; the mystery of the maze. It is suspenseful, and is certainly an interesting idea up until you see what's at the end of the maze. I kept thinking of a recent film that I loved, but the mention of it might be too much of a spoiler. Needless to say, the story isn't original and is a bit of a letdown.

Director Wes Ball is a novice and gets a pretty nice debut film to direct. Writers Noah Oppenheimer and Grant Pierce Myers do a nice job with the script, particularly with streamlining the final fight, modifying the ending, and eliminating some of the more unnecessary sequences. The pace only drags a few times, but it's only for a few minutes at a time. The film makers deserve the credit for making that happen.

Thomas is played by Dylan O'Brien, who does his best Logan Lerman impression through the whole two hours. He's a young, good-looking kid who might make something of himself depending on how far the Maze Runner series continues. The rest of the cast is mostly unknown actors who have experience, and may be recognizable if you follow a particular television series. Most notably, Thomas Brodie-Sangster as Newt, the likeable veteran who befriends Thomas. He was the kid in Love Actually, and is on Game of Thrones (I knew I recognized him!). Will Poulter is probably the biggest name as the villainous leader of the boys, Gally. His foray into physically intimidating is a bit of a head-scratch-er as he was the doofus, Kenny in We're the Millers last summer. It doesn't really fit. The story isn't about any of the characters though, so it doesn't matter. The real star is the Maze, which underwhelms in its potential magnitude. The runners spend entire days scouring its nooks and crannies, yet it's portrayed in a pretty boring manner. Bleak, slate gray walls and ivy adorning the insides and outsides. Narrow channels where they run around.

I went and saw the film with a group of 6th graders, and they were impressed, so I am clearly not the target audience. I left with two distinct questions: Did they have a lawnmower in The Glade? Because the grass was beautifully trimmed. And why didn't they climb the walls, and cross the channels with wooden ladders until they found a way out? I guess I would have been the first one to escape if it was me.

Great film for the target audience, and fans of the book will be impressed. Not so great for the adult crowd. 5/10.