The Maze Runner

“The Maze Runner” is one of the movies that I can watch over and over again without getting sick of it. The excellent performance of some actors and the mystery of the maze are enough to keep the audience interested throughout the movie. However, the music and some aspects of movie are disappointing. The film will look very familiar if you have watched “The Hunger Games” or “Divergent”. “The Maze Runner” is a truly beautiful representation of young adult novel adaptation. It is based on the first novel in James Dashner’s popular trilogy. The director has done a great job of catching what was important in the novel: the plot, the mystery, and the characters. If you are thinking of watching a typical young adult movie, this one is not right

for you. Unlike some other films, there is no typical teenage romance that can be so boring.
The story begins with an elevator taking a frightened young boy, Thomas, up into a place called the Glade. He wakes up in the elevator with no memory of his past life. The only thing he remembers is his name, Thomas. When the doors open, he is presented to a group of young boys known as the Gladers who also have no memories except their names. They live in a maze surrounded by very high walls that changes every day. Every month, the elevator delivers a new boy and some supplies needed for the Gladers. Thomas soon finds out that they are all trapped in the maze and there are monsters called Grivers which will kill the boys if they try to escape the maze. In the Glade, under the leadership of Alby and Newt, everyone is given a job according to their skills. The boys grow food in order to stay alive in the maze, and some boys are runners who explore the maze to find a way out. Thomas quickly becomes part of the community, and he wants to be a runner. He is desperate to find a way to escape the maze and find freedom.
Despite the great storyline, the biggest disappointment in “The Maze Runner” is the violence. It includes a lot of intense violence and disturbing scenes. During the movie, a boy is stabbed with a large sword which can be too intense for young people. Also, the boys use many weapons such as knives, sticks and stone throughout the movie. They sometimes throw weapons to kill each other. Some boys are shot in their chest, and we can see their blood everywhere. The dead bodies, injuries and bloody wounds are often shown in the film. When some boys are attacked and bitten by Grievers which are creatures that bite and eat the people in the film, they become violent and try to attack and bite other boys. The Grievers build tension and suspense throughout the film. In the maze, many characters die, and the scenes in which the Grievers eat the boys are very disturbing.
The performance of actors will not disappoint the audience. Every actor takes their characters to life so brilliantly. Dylan O’Brien plays the lead role, Thomas. O’Brien performance in “The Maze Runner” is absolutely impressive. Dylan O’Brien’s portrayal of Thomas is so realistic that you will see him as Thomas in the movie. Also, Dylan O’Brien stars as Stiles in the TV series “Teen Wolf”. In my opinion, O’Brien improved his acting to a whole new level, comparing it to his acting in “Teen Wolf”. Kaya Scodelario plays the female lead character, Teresa who is the first female resident in the movie. She did a great job of bringing the characteristics of Teresa. However, her role is so little, comparing to other characters in the film. As a supporting character, Thomas Brodie-Sangster beautifully plays his character, Newt. Will Poulter plays Thomas’s enemy, Gally. Poulter definitely brings Gally’s character into the movie especially his anger and jealousy proves how good his performance is as an actor. Gally’s personality is the opposite of his actual personality. I could not have asked for a better Gally.
The film techniques are solid.

The use of CGI, lighting and camera angles plays a large part of making “The Maze Runner” a successful film. The use of computer-generated imagery is fantastic. The Grievers looks so real and scary as they should be, and the glade and the maze are what you would expect it to be. The movement of the maze is also very believable due to the good use of CGI. The lighting in the film is great. The maze is grey and dull, while the Glade is bright during the day. The lighting provides excellent contrast between the Glade and the maze. A perfect example of the lighting is during the scene when the Grivers try to attack the Gladers, there is almost no light, but we can still distinguish each person from everyone else. The film has many different camera angles that provide the audience many things about the scene or the characters. High angles are used on the glade. This shot shows the audience how small the Gladers are in the huge Glade and makes the characters seem smaller and less powerful. Low angles are used on the maze to show the audience how the characters are seeing it and how large it is. The film also uses many establishing shots as the location of the film is very important. Although the movie contains great CGI, lighting and camera angles, the music is very poor. The music does not quite fit into the scene that is happening in the film. The action scences are fun to watch and build tension as characters face challenges. The fast-paced action scenes are beautifully made and constantly keep the audience interested. In one scene, the Grievers is chasing Thomas and other residents while they are running around the maze and hiding from the

Grievers.
Overall, “The Maze Runner” is a well-made film and a very enjoyable Young Adult adaptation with great plot progression, exciting action scenes, remarkable individual performances and excellent film techniques. The film also avoids cheesy romance that is very common in the young adult movies. However, the movie does not meet my expectations as it contains too many disturbing scenes, and the music is horrible. This film is most appropriate for young adult audiences due to its violence, but it is still entertaining and worth watching. I rate this film:
4/5