The Maze Runner (Cinema Screening)

(Spoiler free)

So here we go again, yet another teen drama saga. But wait, despite the complaining I generally like most of the films in this genre. For the most part the films that fall under this category have original plots and interesting concepts that haven’t been seen before which usually results in my enjoying the film. The Hunger Games, Divergent and The Giver have all been entertaining films and The Maze Runner is no different.

The Maze Runner is refreshing in some aspects though, instead of a female lead and a monotonous romance storyline throughout what we get here is a male lead (Dylan O’Brien) and a film focused more on friendship. Although it is inevitable that this romance element will develop in the future films, that isn’t an issue it was just nice to have a film that wasn’t bogged down by it. The Maze Runner has a strong cast including O’Brien, Thomas Brodie-Sangster and Will Poulter just to name a few. The supporting cast also do a good job for the majority of the film which was good however I wish that a few bigger names could have been attached to the film especially for characters that we meet later on in the movie. There is great variety in the characters too which was a plus, as it would have been easy to get confused between them as there was quite a few however they had been developed well and had distinctive characteristics and thankfully many of them were actually likeable. This is such an important feature to include that many films tend to forget these days.

The film itself is action heavy, there is little time taken standing still which will appeal to many. The events never really slow down and it moves the film along at a great pace. The action is good quality and I enjoyed what could be found in the maze, I thought that it was quite original and made for some great scenes. However all of the twists/revelations seemed quite predictable, this genre has just been so over saturated in recent years that it has become nearly impossible to be surprising. So whilst this film didn’t overwhelm me I was still impressed at the sequences and by just how much I enjoyed it. The plot is simple but some elements of the ending weren’t terribly well explained and I think this is probably where the film will let the book down. I haven’t read it myself but imagine that things would be explained better there. Anyway the ending was good and sets up the story for the next 2 installments of James Dashner’s trilogy which I’m eager to see.

The Maze Runner delivers much the same as the other films in this genre and will most likely draw you in for the future sequels. Refreshing in a couple of elements however there isn’t really anything groundbreaking here. Performed well and easily captivating The Maze Runner will be a fine addition to anyone’s evening and should be easily enjoyed!

BIGGEST FLAW – Ending wasn’t very well explained

BIGGEST ACHIEVEMENT – Refreshing focus

Rating – 8/10