The Maze Runner

Before I start my review for The Maze Runner, let me just say that the books by James Dashner were fantastic. Each of the three books were well-written and the story was gripping too. So obviously, I was excited to watch the movie.

When Thomas wakes up in the Glade with a group of other boys inside the Maze, he has no memory at all. No recollection of any memories. But he soon starts dreaming about a mysterious organization known as WCKD (known as WICKED in the book). There is one rule that all the Gladers follow: do not enter the Maze. Nobody knows about the Maze. Every night, the maze doors close, and the Grievers come out to play. The Grievers are basically half machine and half animal. They are programmed to kill any Glader in the Maze. But when Thomas kills one, everything starts to change. When Teresa, the first girl to be sent to the Maze, seems to recognize Thomas, everything changes. By piecing together clues he finds in the Maze and the things he learns from his dreams about WCKD, he begins to discern the real purpose he was sent to the Maze for and a way for all the Gladers from the Maze to escape.

While The Maze Runner was not an exceptional movie, it was satisfactory, like all other movies that are based on books. However, Dylan O'Brien carried his role as Thomas strongly. He carries along both the story and the emotions. From the beginning of the movie until the end, it was considerably accurate, with just a few tweaks to the story. The special effects made everything authentic. The Maze walls looked realistic, and I felt that this was important for the movie. Everything from the way the walls moved to the puddles on the floor made the whole setting seem as if it was original. However, in the book, Thomas and Teresa could speak to each other telepathically. I felt that they should have included that in the movie as well because it was an important part. The Grievers also looked different from what I'd imagined. Dashner described them as half-slug and half-machine, so I imagined a brown slug-like thing with metal spikes and appendages sticking out. In the film, they were more 'spidery', with jagged metal legs. My final verdict? A good movie, but it could have been much better.

• Genre- Sci-fi, action, mystery
• Director- Wes Ball
• Producers- Ellen Goldsmith-Vein, Wyck Godfrey, Marty Bowen, Lee Stollman  
• Starring- Dylan O'Brien, Kaya Scodelario, Thomas Brodie-Sangster and Ki Hong Lee

My rating

4/5