Director Wes Ball’s recent release “The Maze Runner” does not disappoint. Nonstop action, a wondrous but believable set, good acting and a plot that creates even more mysteries than it solves keeps viewers riveted to the story.
Based on the first book in James Dashner’s Maze Runner series, the movie tells the story of a community of teenage boys called Gladers who live in a forest in the middle of a colossal concrete maze. Every month some supplies and a new boy who suffers from complete amnesia are sent up an elevator by parties unknown to join the other Gladers. Shortly after the protagonist, Thomas, arrives in the Glade, the elevator arrives unexpectedly with an unusual load. Along with the cargo there is a vague note implying everything is going to change — and not for the better.
The movie’s efforts to condense the plot threaten to alienate recent readers with some serious changes and stunning omissions: there are no Beetle Blades, only two syringes of Grief Serum are ever sent to the Gladers, none of the Gladers have survived the Changing by the time Thomas arrives, the slang of the Glader community is virtually nonexistent, and all the Griever attacks are culminated into one night of indiscriminate slaughter. Despite that, the general story arc remains the same, and the movie’s intensity does the book justice.
The acting was good for the most part. Will Poulter (Gally), Ki Hong Lee (Minho), Thomas Brodie-Sangster (Newt), and Ami Ameen (Alby) were all exceptional in their respective roles. Dylan O’Brien (Thomas) had some very good moments on screen, but by and large he was not noteworthy.
Gally’s character was not nearly as brutal as he was in the books. I thought this was a point at which the film actually eclipsed the book. Instead of being a flat antagonist meant only to be hated by readers/viewers, Gally was a complex character whose motivations were clear and easy to empathize with. This added element was made even stronger by Poulter’s acting.
The film was much more intense than I was expecting. Although the Grievers did not fit their description in the book, they were still terrifying. Also, all of the fighting between Gladers in the movie, especially when Ben attacks Thomas, felt more realistic than your average action film fight scene.
My biggest critique about the movie is that some main characters’ roles were diminished. Teresa and Chuck were just as central to the book’s plot as Alby and Newt, and they certainly had bigger roles than Minho, but in the movie they were afterthoughts. Also, Frypan and Winston were mentioned only in passing.
This breakdown of character importance stunted the emotional build of the film. What’s more, it might affect the success of the sequel, where Teresa plays an even larger role than she did in the first. However, I hesitate to say the film would have been better if Teresa and Chuck had more screen time because they were by far the worst actors in the movie.
Of all the dystopian fiction movies based on young adult fiction that have been released in the past few years, “The Maze Runner” is only outshone by “The Hunger Games.” With its sequel, “The Scorch Trials,” already planned for release in Sept. 2015, who knows how “The Maze Runner” series might eventually rank within the genre.
@ChronyArts