The Maze Runner (2014 Film)

 

Director Wes Ball's interpretation of the Maze Runner novel trilogy by James Dashner opens with Thomas (Dylan O'Brien) thrust into an enclave of boys, whose memories have been erased, in the center of a giant maze. With walls several hundred feet high, changing patterns, night monsters and stressed leadership, we have all the makings of a good Science Fiction take on Lord of the Flies sure to interest Trekkies and Scouts alike. It's a decent movie, not perfect, but worth a good Friday night. If you stop here you can avoid the SPOILERs.

The confined space of it's 113 minute run time is felt early. Characters explain to Thomas that "things are changing" and "you'll have to learn fast". It's as if the other characters know, or are apologizing for, the script being crammed into three days. This is classical of movies these days. We watch Thomas perform what feels like weeks or months of social interaction, work, exploration and learning and we are reminded that he has only been there three days. It would have been less stressful, but more logical not to explain how many days passed.

It is implied that Thomas is special, stronger or faster, than the other boys but this is never explored further. There are some water tank flashbacks that are very Wolverine Origins or Matrix in appearance and suggest more but are not expanded on. There are a lot of these elements, half touched and left alone, throughout the movie that beg further explanation that never materializes.  It very much demands I rush out and read the novel, and I intend to.

 

 

On to the Elephant in the room. While it later becomes obvious that one faction of the boys doesn't want to leave, the obvious escape route is glossed over with a single statement. "The ivy does not reach the top of the walls." Immediately after this statement the camera pans over to a wall covered from top to bottom in ivy. Further the boys clearly have all the tools and supplies necessary to build a ladder or tower able to reach the top. Later one can see that getting on top would have made an easy exit. Traps, the maze monsters or more scrutiny from the CGI department could have fixed this. Perhaps it will appear in the Director's Cut.

Once we get into the maze the action is intense with a combination of high speed chases, claustrophobic traps, perilous pit falls and crushing doors reminiscent of Raider of the Lost Ark. Its an excellent race through a dangerous outdoor and indoor dungeon and the clock is always counting down for the protagonists. The boys learn some valuable lessons about teamwork, solve puzzles and narrowly escape death over and over. The race through the maze, battling the monsters and the ultimate finale are very satisfying.

A half hearted attempt to explain the purpose of the trillion dollar maze has a very weak logical connector between being in the maze and becoming immune to a disease. It feels very Underpants Gnomes; A: Steal underpants. B: Unknown. C: Profit. It just need a little more explanation. The final looks and feels like it was lifted from the pages of the Wolverine Origins (the comic book this time) with the villain performing the very same trick.

The acting is well done. Even the normally awkward exposition is mostly well delivered and at least an attempt is made at explaining everything the audience needs to know. Except for one glaring show down at the end, the characters are all believable. The normal panicked assortment of high strung characters one jump scare from completely loosing it are refreshingly absent. The appearance of Thomas and his breaking of the rules is met with mixed reactions which feels genuine rather than immediately being ostracized so he can be the lone hero.

I would like to see the directors cut. I would have liked some more critters in the maze. I want to know more about the background of this setting. However, I very much enjoyed the movie and I recommend it to anyone with an interest in a Science Fiction action/horror.