Review of The Maze Runner (2014) by Kevin P — 12 Jan 2019

Strengths: What stands out about this film is the premise and the mystery surrounding where these characters are trapped. The film does a great job unveiling small pieces at a time of the mystery, while keeping you invested. The pacing was so strong. It starts with something interesting and never lingers on anything slow for too long. Even when scenes near that length, theyï¿ 1/2(TM)re the ones filled with key dialogue and things like that. The acting is stronger than youï¿ 1/2(TM)d usually get in a YA adaptation. Dylan Oï¿ 1/2(TM)Brien (Thomas) is a strong lead, Kaya Scodelario (Teresa) was good despite not getting a ton of screen time, and I thought Thomas Brodie-Sangster (Newt) was a standout. The visual effects on the Grievers and the maze itself are well done, ensuring the sci-fi portion of the movie comes off right.

Weaknesses: A few characters come across as clichï¿ 1/2 (C)s and not like real people. Will Poulter (Gally) does his best, but the character is too over the top with his beliefs. It comes across as eye roll inducing more than anything. Also, he never feels like much of a threat and is bested rather easily. Though itï¿ 1/2(TM)s understandable that this is meant to be a trilogy, I didnï¿ 1/2(TM)t get the sense that there was enough resolution this go around. It didnï¿ 1/2(TM)t feel too earned when they got out in the end, as the fight through the maze was less impressive than expected.

Overall: Not without its flaws, The Maze Runner was still much better than I expected. The action and mystery throughout is more than enough to keep you engaged and have you realizing that you just watched something dark, yet fun.