Movie Review: The Maze Runner [2014]

I was lucky enough to get early screening of one of my most anticipated films this year. Well, here it it and I've seen all I needed. 

The Maze Runner is adaptation of James Dashner's postapocalyptic bestseller about youngsters, who are imprisoned inside the mysterious maze and their struggle of living together, while trying to escape this nightmare. Movie opens with Thomas (Dylan O'Brien) waking up in the cage, that moves pretty fast upwards, right into iron doors. He is confused, he remembers nothing and does not understand how he got in here. When the cage reaches top, it suddenly stops and then he sees a very bright light and some young boys staring at him. Now, he is even more confused.

If you are not a book reader, like me, you can be also confused, even though trailer told most of it. But not that much to lose interest how it goes. Because, you know, most of movie in this genre are well predictable stories, just with actors who we are delighted to see on a big screen and some sentiments also. As the plot starts to open up, Thomas starts remembering some small details, it get more interesting. Later, The Maze Runner also suggest whole load of action, chasing and good fantasy. Without going into the deep of story, it has pretty much predictable ending. I've never read the book, but I was absolutely sure where it would go. But here, let me explain things I liked.

First of all, it's entertaining. Whatever we say, how stupid and "yeah-I've-seen-this-before" type movie it is, TMR makes us have fun, from Dylan O'Brien's abs (still, too much shirts) to well shot action scenes. There is nothing outrageously illogical, or stupid in this film, it just follows some well known plots of Lord of the Flies (George Orwell) and Cube. First is similar because it shows how people behave when they are locked up on their own, how they need to have a leader and other psychological. But film does not go too deep into Orwell's issues. It reminded me Cube because of idea, that there are some people out there who lock up absolute strangers in dangerous environment and then "watch" them suffering. Maybe the idea here is a little different, but the 90's classic still kept popping out in my mind.

I liked the cast. Leaving alone my favorite Dylan, who I'll talk about later, it was nice to see some recognizable faces like Thomas Brodie-Sangster of Game of Thrones, Will Poulter of We're the Millers and Narnia. Both were definitely good and especially Poulter who played an conservative leader who more focused on staying there alive than going out of the maze. He had some good moments of anger and his eyebrows perfectly coped with it.

Technically, movie was well done and paced. It kept motion and action all the time, especially in the second half of film. The Maze scenes were well shot, with some massive production design. Editing worked for me too, it's not masterful, but good enough to enjoy the almost two hour movie.

What I did not get is the aliens, these boys were hiding from. In fact, they were robots, but hell looked like intruders from Alien. But in postapocalyptic world, everything is possible.

Dylan O'Brien is good in here. He has not done anything other actor of the same appearance would not have done, but he was good. Right in the character. Basically, he was the reason I could not wait for the Maze Runner and as long as I had enough of him, I'm satisfied.

All in all, The Maze Runner is good "let's go, see and forget"  movie, that fails to deliver something very important or new, but definitely keeps you interested in future installments.