Yet another young adult book is adapted in the hope of blockbuster glory, but has it taken a wrong turn?..
Thomas wakes up surrounded by a group of young men and a winding maze. Once he starts to break the group’s rules, events happen rapidly and their contained but safe life changes for the worse.
Blockbuster film is currently drowning in young adult book adaptations. The bigger releases, The Hunger Games, Divergent and now The Maze Runner are all set to be – at the least – trilogies and all follow similar storylines. The Maze Runner uses a draconian state to push its young heroic lead character through a set of tests to spearhead a revolution against his oppressors. Sound familiar? However director Wes Ball does well to keep the action interestingly different and visually stunning, and this comes entirely from the maze sequences. Enormous walls rotate and disappear while Thomas runs in front of the Grievers – trying to outwit them in their own areas. There’s something of the look and excitement of the mobile game app Temple Run – and that’s not a criticism.
Aside from the action, the film is infuriating. The mystique of the maze is initially built up by the boys not telling Thomas what it’s all about – something you’d expect them to do straight away, if only because he’s so damn curious. Gally, played by Will Poulter, is the typical dumb bully character, and adds very little viable conflict. In contract, Alby, played by Aml Ameen, is a fair but rather boring leader. It’s only maze runner Minho, played by Ki Hong Lee, who adds any dramatic worth; he provides routes for Thomas to run through as they explore together. Thomas himself is the usual shy, curious, nobody who turns out to be the one and only chosen leader by mystical right. That old chestnut. And although much of his personality has been replaced by an objective, actor Dylan O’Brien fits the role of blockbuster hero just fine.
The Maze Runner is startlingly generic in storyline. You could easily guess it from start to finish, except for the amount of unnecessary characters and tangents. The film’s set for a sequel though, so get your map out and boots ready for another release in 2015.
Author – Matt, Cardiff store
