The Maze Runner Review

Rated PG-13 (Thematic Elements and Intense Sequences of Sci-Fi Violence and Action, including Some Disturbing Images)

Running Time: 1 Hour & 53 Minutes

Cast-

Dylan O'Brien-Thomas

Kaya Scodelario-Teresa

Aml Ameen-Alby

Thomas Brodie-Sangster-Newt

Will Poulter-Gally

Ki Hong Lee-Minho

Blake Cooper-Chuck

Patricia Clarkson-Chancellor Ava Paige

Dexter Darden-Frypan

Chris Sheffield-Ben

Joe Adler-Zart

Alexander Flores-Winston

Jacob Latimore-Jeff

Randall D. Cunningham-Clint

Directed by Wes Ball

Get ready to run in "The Maze Runner," the latest YA film adaptation to hit the big screen.

Note: Screened on Monday, September 8, 2014 at Regal E-Walk Stadium 13.

Hollywood's search for the next billion-dollar young adult film franchise continues with Twentieth Century Fox's "The Maze Runner," based on the best-selling 2007 novel (the first in a trilogy) of the same name by James Dashner. Many YA novels are 'best-sellers' but when the inevitable film adaptation arrives on the big screen, it flops. For every "Harry Potter," "Twilight," and "Hunger Games" that manages to explode at the box office and set new opening weekend records, there's a "Beautiful Creatures," "The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones," and "Vampire Academy" that crashes and burns. On paper, these multi-book franchises seem guaranteed for cinematic success as they already come with built-in sequel potential and an established fan-base. However, that's not enough as the film needs crossover appeal as well. Look at last month's "Guardians of the Galaxy." Eight months ago, no one knew who Groot or Rocket Raccoon were, so Disney wisely positioned their first trailer as a primer of sorts to this obscure Marvel superhero team. Now it's the highest grossing film of the year! This leads to my main question: Will "The Maze Runner" become the next big YA film franchise? Unfortunately, my answer is no because Twentieth Century Fox has done nothing to promote it. There's been a pair of trailers, a panel at July's San Diego Comic Con…and that's it. Worse, the film—helmed by first-timer Wes Ball—doesn't do enough to differentiate itself from other dystopian, post-apocalyptic YA fare. That being said, "The Maze Runner" isn't terrible but one has to be better than average in order to stand out in this crowded YA landscape.

Waking up trapped in a caged elevator, an amnesiac young man named Thomas (Dylan O'Brien) finds himself transported to a mysterious, idyllic encampment dubbed 'The Glade,' which is populated by children and teenagers—all of them male. Led by Alby (Aml Ameen), these 'Gladers' also suffer from amnesia. They know their names but have no idea who they were before arriving in The Glade or why they're there. Surrounding the encampment are four massive walls, with one of them opening up every morning to reveal a vast maze. Each day, a group of 'Runners' guided by Minho (Ki Hong Lee) explore this extensive, constantly shifting labyrinth in an attempt to find a way out. However, they have to return to The Glade by nightfall as that is when the monstrous 'Grievers,' giant spider-like biomechanical predators, begin to patrol the maze. Thomas quickly acclimates to his new surroundings, forming a fast friendship with Alby's second-in-command Newt (Thomas Brodie-Sangster) and the affable Chuck (Blake Cooper). When Minho and Alby fail to return to The Glade one evening, Thomas recklessly rushes into the maze to rescue them and not only does he succeed, he manages to survive the night and kill a Griever in the process! Although Thomas' actions are well-received by the others, the physically-imposing Gally (Will Poulter) fears that the Grievers will retaliate. The arrival of Teresa (Kaya Scodelario), the first (and last) girl sent to The Glade, further threatens the existence of the encampment as she appears to have a connection to Thomas. With Alby gravely injured in a Griever attack and Gally aggressively stopping any attempts to leave The Glade, it's up to Thomas and Teresa to convince the others that the only way to survive and escape is to venture out into the maze again.

There's a female character but she's given little to do besides function as a plot device.

Although its budget was only $30 million, Wes Ball's "The Maze Runner" looks like it was made for almost three times that amount. I haven't read Dashner's book personally but I'm confident that fans will love the way production designer Marc Fisichella has brought the titular maze to life. It's visually stunning and lends the picture a great sense of scale. I saw the film in Regal's RPX format and the Dolby Atmos soundtrack was fantastic as it greatly enhanced the immersion, especially the action scenes. Combining thriller with monster movie elements, Ball manages to wring quite a lot of suspense during one nighttime chase sequence despite the CGI for the Grievers not quite holding up to close scrutiny at times. Unfortunately, these aspects only provide superficial thrills and as hard as it tries, there's little emotional weight to the film. Part of the problem is the flat and two-dimensional characters, with writers Noah Oppenheim, Grant Pierce Myers, and T.S. Nowlin too focused on moving the story from point A to point B. When it comes to these high-concept YA films, you really need an engaging protagonist as well as a capable actor to portray them. For "The Hunger Games," you had Jennifer Lawrence and for "Divergent," you had Shailene Woodley. "The Maze Runner" has…Dylan O'Brien from MTV's "Teen Wolf." Now I'm not saying his performance is bad but there's nothing particularly distinctive about his character. Thomas is as bland a hero as they come. This leaves the central mystery of the maze to keep the viewer engaged and for the first half, it works. However, frustration soon sets in because answers as to why the maze exists and why the teens were put there don't arrive until the very end in a scene that I like to call 'The Plot Dump.' Yes, this is one of those films that just dump a load of information at the end and of course, the big villain is played by a well-regarded actress (in this case, Patricia Clarkson). It doesn't help that the revelations prove to be terribly derivative as it involves an oppressive organization and an apocalyptic catastrophe. Plus, everything is left deliberately unresolved in one of the most obvious sequel-bait endings ever.

It's a sleek-looking picture but "The Maze Runner" doesn't do enough to differentiate itself from other dystopian, post-apocalyptic YA films. 

I appreciate the ethnically-diverse cast in "The Maze Runner" and no one delivers an outright bad performance but the characters they play largely lean on established YA sci-fi tropes. Dylan O'Brien portrays Thomas, the 'Photogenic Messiah' as The Wrap's Alonso Duralde appropriately calls him. Indeed, Thomas feels like he was cobbled together from a laundry list labeled 'Standard Heroic Traits.' Despite O'Brien's efforts, his character never quite leaps off the screen compared to the likes of Katniss or Tris. Kaya Scodelario (from the British teen drama "Skins") fares even worse as the young actress is given little to do besides function as a plot device to jog Thomas' memories and spur him to free the others from the maze. The rest of the supporting cast isn't given much opportunity to develop their characters either, although Thomas Brodie-Sangster (Jojen Reed from HBO's "Game of Thrones") and Will Poulter succeed in lending their roles a bit of depth. In fact, their performances are by far the strongest. Patricia Clarkson pops in all too briefly as Chancellor Ava Paige. I assume she will play a bigger role in the sequels but who knows if that'll happen as it all depends on the box office.

After being previously delayed from February, "The Maze Runner" is now set to be released on September 19, 2014. Early reviews have so far been mixed with a current score of 57% on Rotten Tomatoes. I don't see it straying too far from that rating. As for the box office, the film will likely do better compared to previous YA films but "Hunger Games" numbers, or even "Divergent" numbers, is absolutely out of the question. Although a sequel—based on Dashner's second book The Scorch Trials—is currently in pre-production, Twentieth Century Fox could still scrap the whole thing if this film underperforms or completely flops. With "The Maze Runner," Wes Ball has proven himself to be a talented director and has made a sleek-looking picture for a modest budget but he's working with not-so-stellar material here. Here's hoping that the sequel offers up a little more innovation…if this one does well that is.

Final Rating: 3 out of 5

"We get out now…or we die trying!"