In the epic finale to the Maze Runner saga, Thomas leads his group of escaped Gladers on their final and most dangerous mission yet. To save their friends, they must break into the legendary Last City, a WCKD-controlled labyrinth that may turn out to be the deadliest maze of all. Anyone who makes it out alive will get answers to the questions the Gladers have been asking since they first arrived in the maze.
Action/Adventure / Science-Fiction / Thriller/Suspense
Wes Ball
“THE DEATH CURE” by James Dashner
Ellen Goldsmith-Vein; Wyck Godfrey; Marty Bowen; Joe Hartwick, Jr, p.g.a; Wes Ball, p.g.a; Lee Stollman
Dylan O'Brien, Kaya Scodelario, Thomas Brodie-Sangster, Nathalie Emmanuel, Giancarlo Esposito, Aidan Gillen, Walton Goggins, Ki Hong Lee, Barry Pepper, Will Poulter and Patricia Clarkson
In The Maze Runner, Thomas (Dylan O'Brien) awakens inside a moving freight elevator - with no memory of his former life. When the lift comes to a halt, he is greeted by a group of young men known as The Gladers - adolescent boys who have formed an organized society despite being trapped within the walls of an expansive and lethal maze. Led by Alby (Aml Ameen), the very first resident to appear in The Glade years ago, as well as his second in command, Newt (Thomas Brodie-Sangster), each member of the community is assigned a job - with 'Runners' taking-on the perilous responsibility of exploring and mapping the ever-changing maze (along with the dangers that wait within).
Concerned that the Gladers have become too complacent with their imprisonment, Thomas begins challenging the laws of their society - putting him in direct conflict with Gally (Will Poulter), leader of the Builders, who believes that Thomas is responsible for new threats that have put the delicate society in peril. However, when the first female Glade tenant arrives with an ominous message, Thomas, Alby, and Newt realize they can no longer wait-out their lives within the confines of the maze. The time has come to escape.
The Maze Runner was directed by freshman feature filmmaker Wes Ball - adapted from James Dashner's 2007 young adult book of the same name. Like many YA adaptations, The Maze Runner novel is only the first installment in a larger (three-part) series - meaning that while Ball's film is an intriguing (and exciting) introduction into the storyline, it also spends a significant amount of time preparing moviegoers for an already in production sequel. The film won't live up to the mass-appeal of The Hunger Games franchise, but there's no question that Maze Runner is significantly better than most young adult book-to-movie offerings - with several likable characters, thoughtful drama, as well as several engaging sci-fi ideas. Still, casual viewers who have not read the books and are simply looking for a one-off piece of entertainment may find that, in spite of quality filmmaking, The Maze Runner is short on satisfying closure - injecting more questions than answers (at least in this first chapter).
Similarly, fans of the novels will find several significant changes to the narrative - most of which were used to streamline the larger story. Nevertheless, The Maze Runner successfully captures key aspects of the source material that help differentiate it from many of its melodramatic counterparts. Most importantly, mysteries of the maze, The Glade, and the larger confrontation are all unveiled in a steady and satisfying stream - making The Maze Runner an interesting - albeit pretty undemanding - science fiction tale.
Even though Ball relies heavily on character archetypes and plot beats that audience will have seen before, the film maintains a brisk pace - where new layers of character and plot are consistently peeled back. The movie doesn't dig particularly deep but provides enough emotional threads (and commentary on complacency versus self-determination) to be more than a surface-level escape story. Thankfully, The Maze Runner also avoids the eye-rolling romance that is usually standard in the young adult genre - at least for this entry.
Dylan O'Brien leads the cast as Thomas - and the actor is a serviceable champion to rally behind. Unfortunately, given that the movie spends most of its time setting up the series mythology, along with a few minor conflicts, O'Brien isn't provided much room to explore Thomas. Ball hints at stronger material that can be mined down the line, but aside from a few hazy flashes, Thomas is a pretty blank slate; even when audiences learn more about his backstory, any revelations are quickly dismissed by the filmmakers and the onscreen characters.
Thankfully, even as supporting characters, Newt (Thomas Brodie-Sangster), Alby (Aml Ameen), Minho (Ki Hong Lee), and Chuck (Blake Cooper) are actually more interesting and rounded than Thomas. While Thomas drives the storyline, and pushes the Gladers into uncharted territory, it is actually his compatriots that keep the film grounded. Brodie-Sangster (Game of Thrones) and Cooper (a relative newcomer) are especially convincing in their roles - helping to breathe subtle humanity into a story that could easily have devolved into teenage cliches.
Will Poulter (We're the Millers) is also featured, and even though the actor does his best as Gally, little time is dedicated to developing the character beyond a stock outline - leaving no room for Gally to reflect anything particularly profound about the Gladers or Thomas. Similarly, while the arrival of Teresa (Kaya Scodelario), the first female resident of the Glade, is a major turning point in the story, the actress is rarely a focus in the onscreen drama - mostly just a plot beat with no actual arc.
Unsurprisingly, the maze is one of the more interesting characters in the story - and Ball succeeds in presenting the towering environment as both ominous and alluring (though there's little reason to spring for an IMAX upgrade). Certain action moments suffer from CGI overload, especially in wide shots of the maze, as well as frantic encounters with the Grievers (beastly creatures that search for intruders at night), but the cinematography and overall quality of the visuals prevent Ball's work from looking too budgeted. Additionally, despite the daunting sprawl of the maze, uninitiated moviegoers expecting stylized fighting and creature conflicts will likely be underwhelmed by Maze Runner's action set pieces. The film includes plenty of exciting moments but, as indicated by the title, the characters' primary defense is running - not hand-to-hand combat.
The young adult book genre is filled with uninspired and downright clumsy film adaptions - where capitalizing on an existing fan base is often more important than delivering a competent theater experience. While The Maze Runner isn't the best (or necessarily most faithful) book-to-screen adaptation, Ball makes sharp use of Dashner's source material for an entertaining sci-fi drama - albeit one that, for some, will spend too much time setting up future installments instead of fleshing-out key characters and the larger post-apocalyptic world. The Maze Runner leans heavily on its premise, to the detriment of individual characters, but still succeeds as one of Hollywood's better young adult adaptations.
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The Maze Runner runs 113 minutes and is Rated PG-13 for thematic elements and intense sequences of sci-fi violence and action, including some disturbing images.
Let us know what you thought of the film in the comment section below. For an in-depth discussion of the film by the Screen Rant editors check back soon for our Maze Runner episode of the SR Underground podcast.
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Want to watch 'The Maze Runner' in the comfort of your own home? Discovering a streaming service to buy, rent, download, or view the Wes Ball-directed movie via subscription can be a huge pain, so we here at Moviefone want to take the pressure off.
We've listed a number of streaming and cable services - including rental, purchase, and subscription options - along with the availability of 'The Maze Runner' on each platform. Now, before we get into the nitty-gritty of how you can watch 'The Maze Runner' right now, here are some particulars about the Temple Hill, Gotham Group science fiction flick.
Released September 19th, 2014, 'The Maze Runner' stars Dylan O'Brien, Kaya Scodelario, Aml Ameen, Thomas Brodie-Sangster The PG-13 movie has a runtime of about 1 hr 53 min, and received a score of 57 (out of 100) on Metacritic, which put together reviews from 34 knowledgeable critics.
Interested in knowing what the movie's about? Here's the plot: 'Thomas (Dylan O'Brien), a teenager, arrives in a glade at the center of a giant labyrinth. Like the other youths dumped there before him, he has no memory of his previous life. Thomas quickly becomes part of the group and soon after demonstrates a unique perspective that scores him a promotion to Runner status -- those who patrol the always-changing maze to find an escape route. Together with Teresa (Kaya Scodelario), the only female, Thomas tries to convince his cohorts that he knows a way out.'
'The Maze Runner' is currently available to rent, purchase, or stream via subscription on YouTube, VUDU, Amazon.com, and XFINITY .
But its roots stretch back further to classic, allegorical literature about frightening utopias, especially “Lord of the Flies.” While there’s no Piggy and no conch, the teenage boys who populate this eerily idyllic society have formed their own leadership and their own rules, and they think they’ve achieved a peaceful sense of order.
That is, until Thomas shows up. Actually, he doesn’t even know his name is Thomas at first. Dylan O’Brien (MTV’s “Teen Wolf”), who resembles a young Rob Lowe, plays the confused young man. At the film’s start, he finds himself rising quickly in a big, rickety freight elevator that’s also loaded with supplies. (The film’s sound design is quite startling and effective; it puts you on edge from the earliest moments.)
When he arrives at the top, he steps out into a sprawling, grassy square known as the Glade, which is surrounded on all sides by imposing and impossibly high concrete walls. Dozens of handsome, young men of various ethnicities wearing various shades of the same long-sleeved shirt work together cooperatively in the sunshine–building huts, gardening, cooking, etc. It’s like the world’s hottest, grungiest Benetton ad.
Like the others before him, Thomas has no memory of who he is and no idea how he got there. But as the newest arrival to the Glade, he is dubbed a “greenie” and duly hazed until he can prove his worth to the key figures he meets. The charismatic Alby (Aml Ameen), who was the first to arrive, is the de facto leader. Newt (Thomas Brodie-Sangster) is his impish right-hand man. Gally (Will Poulter) is the muscular bully. Chuck (Blake Cooper) is the wisecracking chubby kid.
And Minho (Ki Hong Lee) is the head of the runners: fleet-footed boys who dare to enter an opening in the giant walls and explore the maze that lies behind them. It’s vast and treacherous but at least navigable in the daytime; at night, it closes up, changes paths and devours anyone foolish enough to remain trapped. No one has survived it overnight and no one has exited the other side.
Naturally, Thomas is intrigued.
And what’s intriguing about “The Maze Runner”–for a long time, at least–is the way it tells us a story we think we’ve heard countless times before but with a refreshingly different tone and degree of detail. Ball, whose background is in visual effects, doesn’t overload his feature debut with a lot of glossy, high-tech imagery. Not for a while, anyway. Much of the film’s charm comes from its rough-hewn aesthetic–a tactile nature that’s both industrial and organic–and the way it takes its time vividly establishing an environment.
When Thomas eventually does enter the maze–no spoiler there, folks, it’s in the title–it produces some moments that are truly harrowing and filled with non-stop, near-death peril. (This is a super-violent PG-13, but then again, the young readers who are the target for these books know what’s in store for them.) The beasts who dwell there are incessant, ravenous and very, very fast. I won’t divulge what they are, but I’ll only say that they’re extremely cool looking and scary as hell.
All of which brings us to the ending. Man, that ending. What a misstep. It’s so incredibly frustrating, because everything was going so well until then. The third act brings some mystery with the arrival of the first girl ever sent up in the elevator: a strong-willed brunette named Teresa (Kaya Scodelario), who seems to know Thomas already.
But The Big Reveal of what happened to these kids, who trapped them in this place and what their purpose is ends up being pretty over-the-top even for sci-fi. A lot happens in the film’s final minutes to the extent that it makes “The Maze Runner” feel like it has several conclusions. Some of them feature some unintentional hilarity when shock and fear probably were in the game plan. And they squander the formidable and versatile Patricia Clarkson in only a few moments as the chilly, nefarious mastermind of the maze.
Presumably, she’ll figure more prominently in the sequel. Because, oh yes, it’s coming. You will not have to wander around looking for it for long.