Friday, September 19, 2014

The Maze Runner is a dark edge of your seat apocalyptic film with a very likeable cast

The Maze Runner movie is a lot darker than I thought it was going to be. And when I say that, I mean it's darker than The Hunger Games (which is surprising). I went last night with my friend Adam. Intrigued with the premise of mazes (and who doesn't like a good maze?); the entire time I watched it I kept thinking, "What could have possibly built this thing?" Adam must have been thinking the same thing because at one point he leaned over and said, "At least we know what Google has been doing with its money." Because seriously...it would have taken resources like the kind Google commands in order to build this maze of towering, movable walls.

I really enjoyed this film. The attractive cast aside, I felt that it revealed things perfectly. Not too much, not all at once. The characters see the maze the same as you or I would see it. First comes disorientation. A bit later is wonder, awe, and terror...all the time asking "Where am I?" and "Are my eyes deceiving me? Are those really 300 foot walls? Am I contained in a box? Who would put me in a box?" It's this element that lends the film a very "Attack on Titan" feel to it as you get the immediate impression that those walls may bar you from exiting, but they also protect you from something on the other side. Something of which you should be afraid. Something sinister and evil.

And that's where a good deal of the terror in this movie comes from. The idea that you are trapped, but to break free means to risk everything. After all, life in the center of the maze isn't too bad. You've got camaraderie among a group of compassionate young men, you've seemingly got enough food, and you've got enough resources to live. I went into this thing thinking that the story (or the author) might try to do a spin on Lord of the Flies, where young people/children end up being absolutely terrible to each other. But that isn't the case at all. Each of the characters seemed to legitimately care for the welfare of the others, and because of that, there was plenty to like in these characters as you rooted for them to get through this seemingly impossible maze filled with horrific monsters.

I am intrigued by the "big reveal" and want to know more. The ending is left wide open for a sequel, and (warning) there is an "info dump" that comes with the climax. Yes, you do get some answers about the maze, but I won't share them with you here. In that aspect, The Maze Runner is no different from its company among the YA Titans of the world. I just hope it does well enough in the box office that a sequel is greenlit. If not, then I guess I'll have to read James Dashner's books. Meh, I probably will anyway.

16 comments:

  1. I have the series, but I haven't read it yet. The movie looked interesting though, so I'm glad to hear that you liked it.

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  2. I'm not quite convinced. I'll probably rent it.

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  3. a friend of my has published the book here in my country so I've been hearing a lot about it and the film :) I probably won't see it, since I don't do YA, but I bet Chris Sheffield was great in it. He is our type, Mikey :) Loved him in THE LAST SHIP too

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  4. I've heard nothing but good stuff about this movie.

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  5. I have book one but only read twenty pages. Still plan to see the movie next week and since it made nearly 10 mill by Tuesday on a 30 mill budget I think it has a good chance of making enough for a sequel if Divergent could. Glad you enjoyed it Mike and now even more excited to see it. Maybe the star will be the male Shaileen Woodley or Jennifer Lawrence. About time for one of those in the book adaptation world.

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  6. I've been wanting to see this movie, but have also wanted to read the book first, so I read your post on a diagonal. I'm glad you enjoyed the film though, sounds promising.

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  7. Your recommendation goes a long way with me so now I'll probably see it.

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  8. I saw a glimpse of the trailer just a little while ago. Looked promising

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  9. Most of these YA movies fail but the box office has been really weak this month so it might do better.

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  10. I did read about this movie. Glad it lives up to the good things I've heard about it.

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  11. Darker than the Hunger Games? Then the story must be very grim and lightened only by characters who actually look after each other. I like the idea of going into this movie without knowing much about the storyline, so thanks for not revealing much.

    And of COURSE there's going to be a sequel! Isn't the Maze part of a series? And sequels are what Hollywood loves.

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  12. I have all the books but haven't gotten around to reading them yet. Perhaps I need to, plus it's nice to hear the movie was not terrible.

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  13. They explain the funding for the Maze in the book. Basically, most countries put their most valuable resources into W.C.K.D., seeing it as the world's only chance for survival.

    I went to go see the movie last night, and having read all four books, I can say it's a pretty faithful adaptation. The only major differences were the setting of the escape, the "info dump" at the end (which doesn't actually happen until book three, I believe), and the Maze being open to the sky.

    The Maze Runner is one of the best series I've ever read and THE SCORCH TRIALS is the best book in my opinion. And, by the way, they're already working on it: http://www.hypable.com/2014/09/04/maze-runner-movie-sequel-schedule/

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  14. I liked the trailer. There has to be a romance angle in there somewhere, right?

    mood

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  15. @Helena: It appears that Brooke answered our question below. There IS going to be a sequel.

    @Ted: LOL

    @Brooke: Thanks for commenting! I'm glad to hear a sequel is in the works.

    @Moody: There's no romance. Seriously.

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  16. Now I really want to see the movie. I'm glad it's not so Lord of the Flies.

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