Review of The Maze Runner (2014) by Pablo Josué E — 01 Feb 2015

It seems all too common place now that every 6 months or so a film that is aimed at the "Teen" audience will be brought out, always part of a series, always the same kind of tone, this trend started with Twilight. So I suppose the reel question is will The Maze Runner catch fire or just diverge(nt)?

I feel like it's almost unfair to compare The Maze Runner to any of the other movies that are around this genre because it is so wildly different to them, it's true they have similarities but it has similarities to The Hangover in the respect that it has 3 men in central roles, that doesn't mean they should be categorised together, no. That would be a travesty to a film that tries hard to be separate.

What we should compare the film to is Lord Of The Flies or even Stand By Me, because that's what the tone matches, it is morose and brooding. Unlike the other movies around it The Maze Runner is set up so there is no reason to box up emotions or feelings, the characters are free to express themselves however they see fit. Frequently this means spats of violence, but that isn't a bad thing. The entire tone of the film underpins its deepening reasoning for story. From the very opening we are presented with a simple set up, there is a society that consists of only males, living in a large open field and wooded area who have formed a society for themselves.

For me the best parts of The Maze Runner was while they are still in the Glade, that feeling of unending imprisonment was one that fascinated me, and how the boys interacted really worked strongly. That they have a leader and a higherarcy was something I personally wanted to explore more, but I understand the film has to move itself forward into more prosperous places to set up the future movies.

The movie plays its tension well and when the final moment of the final act arrives, it has power and weight to it. It is a sequence that both upsets and astounds us, this is how I know that The Maze Runner had won. That I felt an emotion at the end of the film meant that it's magic had worked on me and I ultimately cared about what happened to these people.

The Maze Runner feels like it should do, as if it has a perpetual swing constantly building momentum until it reaches it's crescendo and we receive the pay off. This is clever film making at it's best. It's also nice to see a film that isn't scared to kill of main characters in the first outing, and isn't frightened to show us some truly horrific monsters and sequences.

To say that the cast are impressive in The Maze Runner is a great understatement, this entire film is carried on two actors shoulders; Thomas Brodie-Sangster, who gets more impressive every time I see him and the incredibly talented Will Poulter, who is starting to show such strong promise I'm beginning to watch movies just because he is featured. Mr Poulter is one of the most talented and underrated actors in the world.

The Maze Runner is a film that took a gamble and made a more adult themed movie for a younger audience crowd. The gamble pays off, The Maze Runner is a movie that dares to be different in a world full of the same.