Tag Archives: the maze runner

The Maze Runner (2014)

My Ratings: 3.8/5

The Maze Runner, as the name suggests is a film where people keep running inside a maze; they run desperately, they run for their lives.

Adopted from James Dashner’s novel by the same name (this is the first of the trilogy) The Maze Runner is a film that guarantees to clench your thirst for thrill and suspense.

Similar to The Lord of the Flies the film in one hand delves with the complexities of a dystopian society while on the other side it’s a pure SciFi adventure full of tense moments to keep you at the edge of your seat.

From the very beginning the audience along with the protagonist Thomas (Dylan O’Brien) is sucked into a whirlpool of unknown, an unexplored environment, unfamiliar people, new set of rules and unexpected dangers.

Unable to remember anything other than his name, Thomas takes a lift ride up to meet a group of teenage boys who are trapped in an open arena in the centre of a maze, called the ‘Glade’.

The maze only opens during the day and the maze-runners explore it, desperate to find a way out. For three years they didn’t have much luck but post Thomas’s arrival things change for the better (or worse).

And a little detail to add, dangerous biomechanical monsters (the worst type of spiders you can imagine) called the ‘grievers’ cruise around the maze at night to ensure awkward moments for anyone trapped inside the maze after sunset.

A decent thriller after ages, the director Wes Ball succeeds in setting the right tone from the very beginning of the film. Dark and tensed moments along with an interesting story line.

Amazing use of visual effects to enhance the SciFi experience and the best part is you don’t have to struggle with your 3D glasses to enjoy the film. It’s in 2D like how films should be.

Overall good performances by the typical ethnic cast (the protagonist being white must have Afro and Asian people always by his side).

And ‘we have got a Runner!’

For me The Maze Runner scores higher than any of its recent competitors like The Hunger Games series and Divergent. May be its because of it’s fast pace and also it took lesser time to built up the scenario.

So as they say ‘wicked is good’ – a term used frequently in the film though I still don’t understand its proper context!

The Maze Runner is both wicked and good. Worth a watch for sure. No regrets.