If “The Hunger Games” sparked your interest in the post-apocalyptic genre, the suspense in “The Maze Runner” will further pique your curiosity. With children serving as the main protagonists, and survival being the key, “The Maze Runner” brings fantasy presented as reality to the big screen in what’s supposed to be yet another jaw-dropping trilogy.
“The Maze Runner,” based on a novel written by James Dashner, begins with a character by the name of Thomas (Dylan O’Brien) who wakes up in an elevator shaft as it rises up from a dark and gloomy basement. When the hatch doors open, he’s greeted by a group of boys who are in the same situation as he is. Forgetting who he is and why he’s been brought to this place, he quickly learns from others like Alby (Aml Ameen), Chuck (Blake Cooper), and Newt (Thomas Brodie-Sangster), that this place, referred to as only the Glade, has been the home for the group of boys for the past three years. Around the Glade however, a tall cement maze opens its doors for the day and closes them by night. During the day, some of the boys, known as Runners, travel the maze searching for a way out. With several questions to be answered, and many surprises coming their way, Thomas, as well as the rest of the group, soon find that the maze is more than just a home within a trap.
The film begins rather quickly, jumping right into the introduction of the main character. From here, the second party characters are introduced, just like in “The Hunger Games” The director, Wes Ball, is better known for his visual effects and graphics, but has little experience on his belt as far as directing goes. With that in mind, he uses these skills to his advantage, providing stunning scenery and even CGI created villains. For the most part, his CGI skills are definitely attention getting.
If the zombie apocalypse happened tomorrow, and someone asked what your plan for survival was, you’d probably come up with something so unrealistic, it would sound stupid. “The Maze Runner,” presents the same scenario, but with young boys who are trying to figure out if what’s outside of the maze is worth the aggravation of solving it. The film compels you to figure out how to solve the main conflicts along with the characters, and that’s what makes it fun. If everything in a film happened like it was supposed to, there would be little excitement or fulfillment the viewer would get from it.
“The Maze Runner” leaves a good taste in my mouth. The best part of the film was finding out that it’s only the beginning for the franchise. Yes, there is going to be more sci-fi teen drama, and yes, there is going to be backlash against another post-apocalyptic film, but the overall reviews will be excellent.
Although there’s unclear background as to why any of this is taking place, the soon-to-be sequels are going to reveal the reason why they’re in the maze. Hopefully we will see the story further fleshed out in the sequential dystopian dramas.
