The Maze Runner

For a film that is budgeted at merely 34 million dollars, this film visually looks really good. For comparison, Fantastic Four had a budget of 120 million and the effects and so called 'set pieces' were awful. This is one of the biggest problems with Hollywood, but that's a discussion for another day. The Maze Runner is actually a surprisingly entertaining movie. For an age in which the medium is flooded with young adult novels and movies, the film feels fresh and isn't overwhelmed by clichés like so many others are.

It's led by a relatively unknown cast. Dylan O'Brien, from Teen Wolf fame, is thrown into a maze structure along with a few dozen other young men who soon find there is more to the maze than they were led to believe. Let me be the first to say I think O'Brien has some chops and definitely has a future in this business. The role doesn't require a ton of range, but I think he proved he can lead a huge action film, and not many actors can say that. The writing itself I thought could have been a little smarter and more mature. Will Poulter, who played a much different character in We're The Millers, was solid in the role that was given to him. But the writing had him doing some really stupid things and was full of forced dialogue I felt.

With that being said, the mythology behind the story is pretty interesting. And they made the film into a more traditional monster film than I'm sure the book originally called for, but it really works. The horror element to the film was by far the most intriguing, and had the biggest payoff. The 'Greavers' also proved to be pretty terrifying, something I didn't think I would say about a film with a bunch of teenagers. So I really only watched this because I'm probably going to see the sequel this weekend, and i ended up enjoying the movie. Plus, having Littlefinger as the next villain gets me pretty excited.

+Monster flick

+Surprisingly well acted

+Suspensful

-Some stupid dialogue

7.2/10

My immediate thought while watching The Maze Runner was just how close the whole premise was to Vincent Natali's sci-fi horror Cube (1997), both films featuring a group of people who wake to find themselves in a strange environment with no memory of how they got there. The big difference is that, where Cube was a brilliantly executed low-budget thriller with nail-biting tension and a thought provoking ambiguous climax, The Maze Runner is a mega-budget blockbuster that, for much of its running time, moves like molasses, and which ends leaving questions that we know will be answered, just so long as we shell out more cash to see the next couple of instalments.

Obviously, at 47 I'm not exactly in the intended demographic for this film, but I do feel that this one missed the opportunity to be a hugely entertaining adventure for all ages. When the characters are in the maze, running for their lives from the grievers (metallic insectoid monsters), or dodging the changing architecture, the film is actually very enjoyable, but far too much time is spent in the relative safety of 'the glade', the idyllic green area at the centre of the maze where the boys first wake up. With my son currently reading the series of books, it's almost certain that I'll have to watch the sequels; I just hope that they make it a little more exciting next time around (and don't cut the film to reduce the UK rating to a 12 certificate. Grrrrrr!).

5.5/10, rounded up to 6 for IMDb.

what can i say. i LOVED this film.

yeah sure, it has a *few* weak points and maybe a plot hole or two. And the acting is barebones, these are kids, not Cyrano De Bergerac or Mephistofele, but boy the film is well done.

I mistakenly googled the film's name before it was over, and disappointed myself to learn that it's just the first of three parts, so it means waiting another 2-3 years for the other two films, but that means also that i have something to look forward to.

Now, i normally like more "profound" films, but for once, i really enjoyed this sci-fi romp and no, it's nothing like Twilight. A couple of the characters (Gally, Chuck) are phoned in, but then again, how would you write this kind of plot without these characters getting thrown in?

So the film is a very pleasant, well paced, well directed, reasonably well acted, decently scored, great .. well, nice CGI, entertaining film that will please just about every audience there is, without being horribly commercial, soppy and cliché.

I haven't had this much fun in a long while - although i gotta say Edge OF Tomorrow was just as good.

My final vote - a very solid 8/10, and I'm wishing for parts 2 and 3 ASAP.

Although The Maze Runner story isn't one of the brilliants I have seen, it is interesting enough to satisfy my interest. Opening scene is intriguing and wakes your interest to wait to see what to come. Story itself is many times seen in various movies, but citation to such movies as Cube and TV- shows like Lost keeps you interest awake about what to come. Biggest problem is the movie casting. Thomas (Dylan O'Brien) is interesting character enough, but Will Boultier as villain of story is too lame personality. And somehow I don't understand the meaning of Teresa's (Kaya Scolecario) character who seem to pointless for the whole story. Maybe her role for the story grows and clears at the forthcoming movies. Sequel is coming next fall. After all great scenery combined with intensive storytelling is fresh enough to bring this movie a little bit more interesting, than most of those Hollywood's post-apocalyptic serial productions these days. I stay wait sequel with great interest.

Wow, I really anticipated on this movie, suspense, action, the unknown, it all sounds very exciting. Now I must say that I have seen some very good movies and series round this theme that may influence my judgment, for example The Cube (1 - 3), Persons Unknown, Saw, etc. all have a person or group of persons who don't know how they get there or how to get away. How is it possible that those movies, some dating from 1997, are so much better then a 2014 movie? And being almost 2 hours long, how come so little happens in those 2 hours? Some reviewers already mentioned the contradictory and illogical elements in this movie, and yes, this does this movie, with such much potential, not much good, it's just annoying to see them not try what is so logic. The movie is entertaining, but leaves you very unsatisfied.