An old idiom reads, “If you have too much of a good thing, something pleasant becomes unpleasant because you have too much of it.” Unfortunately in this day and age, filmmakers and screenwriters tend to wear out a trend in movies as fast as the feather hair extensions went out of style (if you even remember them now). The groundbreaking release of the Hunger Games films followed by the on-screen adaption of Divergent shows a strong favoring of these teen-centered plots set in a dystopian environment. The new highly anticipated project based off the popular book, The Maze Runner, conforms to this movie mold almost too well.
The Maze Runner centers on a teenage boy placed into an inescapable space dominated by an ominous maze. The protagonist, Thomas (Dylan O’Brien), observes the rules of this exclusive community and the mystery behind the concrete puzzle. The maze seems to provide the only way out but prohibits the boys from leaving due to the dangerous nature of its composition and content. After Thomas overcomes the belief “no one can survive a night in the maze,” things begin to heat up between the camp members and their interaction with their uncontrollable surroundings. One catastrophic clue leads to another and Thomas eventually carries the community on his shoulders as he tries to find a way out once and for all.
In addition to fighting off electronic monsters and squeezing through collapsing walls, the characters battles psychological issues. Their memories consist of nothing but their names and recollection of an important organization linked with their distress called W.C.K.D. Thomas only taps into his life before the maze through quick flashback dreams but more information surfaces when a girl from his past appears as the newest member in their convoluted world. Together they create intellectual links to aid them in breaking out of their nightmare. Although this movie entertains, it seems as if it was a tweaked repeat of the other young adult series.
Though the plot differed from The Hunger Games and Divergent series, this movie still felt like it was trying to profit by sticking with the dystopian theme that catapulted these other films into immense popularity. For example, the psychological aspect strongly echoed certain intellectual circumstances in Divergent. Even the three protagonists in these movies have the same valiant personality and motivation. However, this film stylistically brought a different edge to the table which refreshed and impressed. Cinematographer Enrique Chediak utilized the camera to capture intimate close-ups that added emotional depth to the characters and gorgeous shots of a digitally constructed treacherous place.
Dylan O’Brien brought influential believability to Thomas and carried the film in an acting sense. Kaya Scodelario who plays Thomas’s female ally, Teresa, struggled with an American accent and the task of bringing flair to an uninteresting part. The acting in this film simply does not match the noteworthy performances in The Hunger Games and Divergent though, which cripples The Maze Runner’s overall impact.
Although this film may not live up to the dystopian films of the recent years, The Maze Runner is the perfect choice for those looking for two hours of action, discovery, and teenage heroism and those who love the book. Will this film change your life? I’m going to go with no. Will it adequately distract you from the homework you are attempting to “forget” about? Yes.
