The Maze Runner
Dir: Wes Ball
Starring: Dylan
O’Brien, Ami Ameen, Ki Hong Lee, Blake Cooper, Thomas Brodie-Sangster, Will
Poulter, and Kaya Scodelario
113 Minutes
“Never go beyond the walls”. A rule inherently made to be
broken by the young men confined behind massive, mechanical walls in director
Wes Ball’s adaptation of James Dashner’s young adult novel “The Maze Runner”. A
plethora of films featuring youth in peril in a dystopian future, most based
off beloved novels, have saturated the cinema recently. Most of these films are
featuring the usual derivative storytelling accompanied by decent enough
acting, unfortunately because these kinds of stories are becoming so common
nothing feels surprising. “The Maze Runner” falls into some of these pitfalls,
however with great performances from supporting roles and a plot that
unabashedly keeps the viewer in the dark until the end; the film sustains a
sensation of intrigue amidst the confusion.

Imbued with tones similar to “The Lord of the Flies”, the
narrative provides some interesting surface level examinations on brotherhood,
maturity, and group mentality influenced by fear and survival. While this
in-depth character and narrative development doesn’t continue long enough to
get into the more thought-provoking material involving the motivations of these
young men, it does offer an attention grabbing introduction. Unfortunately the
suspense of the claustrophobic atmosphere is lost once the film transitions
into the rolling mystery, which regrettably goes nowhere and instead fills the
plot with more damaging questions than satisfying answers. For those that have
read the book, the film may have a slightly different appeal, but for those
coming in cold, the film feels like a prolonged sequel setup.

Amidst good performances and some skilled techniques that
attempt to add depth to the narrative and build tension within certain scenes, “The
Maze Runner” eventually leaves the audience in a place of confusion where only
a sequel could remedy the messy plot and satisfy the many pending questions
being asked in the end.
Monte’s Rating
3.00 out of 5.00
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