With the growing popularity of dystopian sci-fi films, it can be difficult for aspiring box office hits to come up with original ideas. Following the releases of young adult dystopian films such as Divergent and The Giver, The Maze Runner premiered in theaters on September 19. Despite its similarities to other films of the same nature,The Maze Runner stands out in the box office for focusing on its dark, complex plot rather than cliche attention grabbers such as a romance.
Based on James Dashner’s best-selling novel, The Maze Runner is set in a futuristic society and centers around protagonist Thomas (Dylan O’Brien) as he tries to understand why he is suddenly trapped in a field called the Glade with no recollection of his past life. There he meets a group of boys already inhabiting the Glade called Gladers. An ominous maze surrounds its perimeter which houses nocturnal, spider-like and venomous creatures called Grievers. Every night the Maze closes its doors to keep the Grievers from entering the Glade and every morning the Maze reopens and Maze Runners run the Maze in an attempt to map out any possible exits from the Glade. Throughout the movie, Thomas joins the Maze Runners and attempts to regain his memory along the way.
The film immediately hits the ground running with its opening scene of Thomas entering the Glade in an elevator. The movie cuts right to the chase and avoids cliche and boring introductions. In turn, the abrupt beginning creates an effect in which, just like Thomas, the audience has no idea what is going on and moviegoers learn as he does. Not only does the movie have an unique and creative opening scene, but the overall visuals and scenery are stunning as well. Although the film only had a modest 34 million dollar budget, filmmakers capture the Glade as a beautiful oasis with rolling fields and blue skies which juxtapose the grim stone walls of the Maze.
Another strength of The Maze Runner is the way that the actors bring their respective roles to life. For his first major appearance on the big screen, Dylan O’Brien makes a great impression on the movie industry. O’Brien adeptly captures Thomas’s determined and stubborn character. In addition, the movie strays from a typical young adult film by not centering around a cliche romance. Despite that a female Glader named Teresa (Kaya Scodelario) makes an appearance in the middle of the movie, she and Thomas do not immediately establish a romantic relationship. In doing so, The Maze Runner focuses on a complex plot rather than an on-screen chemistry to keep the audience’s attention.
The most prominent of differences that The Maze Runner has from usual young adult dystopias is the prevailing sense of doom. The actors really show the hopelessness and desperation of the Gladers when they realize that they might never find a way out of the Glade. The film also showcases some graphic and disturbing scenes in which the Gladers are killed by Grievers as a way to punish those who endanger the fragile structure of order and peace. As for the how the film spaces out events in its 113 minute duration, the majority of the movie is well paced, but towards the end it is a bit rushed in an effort to try to answer all the questions that the characters and the audience have.
The well-structured plot progression and complex relationships of characters allow The Maze Runner to exceed the cliche young adult dystopian movies that have become commonplace within teenage culture.
