User Reviews

I can see I am in the minority here, but, to be honest, I found the film to be quite intriguing and exciting. I went into the movie "cold", not having read the novel by James Dashner or knowing very much about the plot. For me, this was the type of film that I knew if I just went with the flow and didn't try and look for all the holes in the story and script that I'd be better off.

The way the film was presented by first time director Wes Ball was top notch, as I felt I was right there in the maze with the main characters. The obvious set-up for a sequel at the end of the movie didn't bother me too much as it seems like every movie of this type "has to" have at least one.

In summary, I found this movie to be very absorbing and kept my interest throughout.

19 October 2014. The Maze Runner combines The Hunger Games (2012), Cube (1997), with Lord of the Flies (1990) into a rather fascinating mystery thriller for boys. For most of the movie, the consistency of theme and plot holds up well. The tension, the ever presence ominous sounds of the maze offers up a dread that is pervasively creepy. The stereotypical characters aren't usually overplayed and the over the top performances or plot points are mostly held back using instead more empathetic and humanistic portrayals.

The ending seems like a cop out for a hoped for sequel unfortunately. And there a few moments that really do fall back into the stereotypical plot design. The humor however makes their appearances with to great effect though. This is more enjoyable movie than expected. It just misses out though being really innovative and can't quite break out of the mold of most of the other sci fi thrillers.

what can i say. i LOVED this film.

yeah sure, it has a *few* weak points and maybe a plot hole or two. And the acting is barebones, these are kids, not Cyrano De Bergerac or Mephistofele, but boy the film is well done.

I mistakenly googled the film's name before it was over, and disappointed myself to learn that it's just the first of three parts, so it means waiting another 2-3 years for the other two films, but that means also that i have something to look forward to.

Now, i normally like more "profound" films, but for once, i really enjoyed this sci-fi romp and no, it's nothing like Twilight. A couple of the characters (Gally, Chuck) are phoned in, but then again, how would you write this kind of plot without these characters getting thrown in?

So the film is a very pleasant, well paced, well directed, reasonably well acted, decently scored, great .. well, nice CGI, entertaining film that will please just about every audience there is, without being horribly commercial, soppy and cliché.

I haven't had this much fun in a long while - although i gotta say Edge OF Tomorrow was just as good.

My final vote - a very solid 8/10, and I'm wishing for parts 2 and 3 ASAP.

It's rare for a big movie studio to trust the future of a potential blockbuster franchise to a brand-new director. You'd imagine that there would be just too much at stake when it came to translating James Dashner's series of best-selling dystopian novels to the silver screen. But it's easy to see why Wes Ball got the job - with this one film, he graduates from short films to blockbuster movies with flair to spare. Indeed, The Maze Runner is such a cool, confident and thrilling blend of action beats and character work that it's hard to believe Ball has never before commandeered a full- length feature film. It's true that the narrative gets a little away from him by the end, making less sense as more secrets are revealed. But this is more a problem with the source material than Ball's own skills as a director.

Thomas (Dylan O'Brien) finds himself thrust rudely into the world of the Glade: a community of boys who have figured out how to live while encircled by a giant, constantly changing maze, within which dwell giant, boy-eating monsters known only as Grievers. Many of the boys, including benevolent pioneer Alby (Aml Ameen) and champion of the old ways Gally (Will Poulter), are content with just surviving day to day. Thomas winds up unsettling the entire camp with his refusal to follow the rules and determination to ask questions: he wants to explore the Maze with designated runners like Minho (Ki Hong Lee), and figure out a way to get free. Life in the camp gets more complicated when, weeks before the next boy is due to be sent up to the Glade, a girl in the form of Theresa (Kaya Scodelario) arrives instead.

There's a lot of blockbuster potential to be squeezed out of this premise, and Ball does so quite wonderfully. The Maze encircling the Glade is a stonily grey, massive enclosure, and the Grievers - when the boys encounter them in increasingly close quarters - are odd marvels made as much of machine as flesh. Ball cuts scenes of great, heart-stopping tension together masterfully: whether it's Thomas running through walls that are fast closing in on him, or Thomas and Minho trying to outrun a Griever while burdened with an unconscious Alby.

The film even finds some welcome dramatic depth in this strange little community of lost boys in the Glade - Thomas' growing antagonism with Gally is balanced against the mutual respect he and Newt (Thomas Brodie-Sangster) develop for each other, and the brotherly connection that he forges with the adorable Chuck (Blake Cooper). The politics of the situation is fascinating as well: as much as The Maze Runner is about, well, running for your life in a giant maze, it also raises big questions about identity and integrity. Is safety and security worth giving up your right to information and choice?

What works less well is the secret around which the Glade is constructed. As viewers, we aren't given a whole lot of answers about why the Glade and the Maze exists, nor do we get many explanations as to why Thomas is so different and insatiably curious. But the ones we do get - all centred around the mysterious, severe figure of Ava Paige (Patricia Clarkson) in some kind of control centre - oddly render the film and its characters less, rather than more, interesting. It's a strangely deflating experience to have the film's rich ethical dilemmas and intense action sequences give way to an underlying dystopian narrative that isn't really all that compelling.

Nevertheless, The Maze Runner remains quite an accomplishment. It's an assured, impressive debut for Ball, one with enough electric tension and moody drama to intrigue throughout its running time. His young cast is fully capable of carrying their own weight, with Poulter - morphing from comic sidekick in We're The Millers into hateful adversary here - the standout. Its story collapses a little into itself as it hurtles towards its climax, but Ball's work is quite enough to leave viewers excited by the prospect of the inevitable sequel.

My immediate thought while watching The Maze Runner was just how close the whole premise was to Vincent Natali's sci-fi horror Cube (1997), both films featuring a group of people who wake to find themselves in a strange environment with no memory of how they got there. The big difference is that, where Cube was a brilliantly executed low-budget thriller with nail-biting tension and a thought provoking ambiguous climax, The Maze Runner is a mega-budget blockbuster that, for much of its running time, moves like molasses, and which ends leaving questions that we know will be answered, just so long as we shell out more cash to see the next couple of instalments.

Obviously, at 47 I'm not exactly in the intended demographic for this film, but I do feel that this one missed the opportunity to be a hugely entertaining adventure for all ages. When the characters are in the maze, running for their lives from the grievers (metallic insectoid monsters), or dodging the changing architecture, the film is actually very enjoyable, but far too much time is spent in the relative safety of 'the glade', the idyllic green area at the centre of the maze where the boys first wake up. With my son currently reading the series of books, it's almost certain that I'll have to watch the sequels; I just hope that they make it a little more exciting next time around (and don't cut the film to reduce the UK rating to a 12 certificate. Grrrrrr!).

5.5/10, rounded up to 6 for IMDb.

OK, so dude (Thomas) wakes up in a box, he becomes part of a community of other young guys, surrounded by walls. Nobody is allowed to leave, or cross the walls. One slip up from someone let's him know that they are in a maze, wild roaring is heard from beyond the walls. There are 'Maze runners' within the community that have spent three years trying to find a way out. Thomas has disturbing flashbacks, some kind of medical procedure. He gets trapped in the maze and begins to discover what's going on.

I'm assuming that writer Noah Openheim was a bit of a fan of Lost, it feels a little like it, crossed with Lord of the Flies. It's quite an interesting concept I guess, it just doesn't feel very original or extraordinary. There is one serious amount of running around.

A couple of jumps I suppose, not scary in the least, but there is a bit of action. The grievers are quite an interesting creation, like Spidery Aliens i guess.

The arrival of Teresa was quite horrendous (bit of a stretch from Skins!!) Her accent did veer from Amercianish to English. I find these types of film quite formulaic, there's the guy he doesn't get on with, there's the death of the guy he'll replace, there's the annoying kid, there's the brit (with the overly English accent!) let's have someone from Hull for a change!!

I quite liked the ending, it was an interesting conclusion, obviously there will be a few of these, but the finale has left me wanting to see the next one.

I've read some reviews that have utterly savaged this film, it's not that bad, it's far from a great movie, but it's worth a look. 6/10

The film The Maze Runner is based off the three book series written by author James Dashner.

As post-apocalyptic films adapted from YA novels go, and there have been many, The Maze Runner might be the most successful of the 2014 year.

The film opens on a young teen, seemingly kidnapped against his will and unclear of what he is doing. His body, limp on the floor of a openly woven caged box, rises up to the sun and grass where he promptly meets a crowd of his peers, all male. Talking with them he discovers he is exactly like them, unknowingly in this location, his memory erased with only his name available to him, it is Thomas.

He soon discovers the grassy area's perimeter is completely encapsulated by steeply high concrete walls, beyond which is a maze. The goal is to figure out the maze as it is the only way to freedom.

The Maze Runner uses young up-and-comer actors and actresses rather than the obvious and nepotistic decision. Dylan O'Brien does a superb job as the newbie Thomas and Aml Ameen is especially captivating as the leader of the stranded survivors Alby. The primarily British young actors also do a splendid job of masking their native accents for a neutrally American vocal pattern.

Further, Wes Ball's direction of The Maze Runner has a clear vision as it emulates a vastly PG-er Lord of the Flies vibe. The beauty of the film is its simplicity. Since the children and teens are locked in an experimental cage, there is no need for monotonous information delivery regarding the futuristic world. There's no futuristic dialect, class system, government changes or anything of the type.

Wow, I really anticipated on this movie, suspense, action, the unknown, it all sounds very exciting. Now I must say that I have seen some very good movies and series round this theme that may influence my judgment, for example The Cube (1 - 3), Persons Unknown, Saw, etc. all have a person or group of persons who don't know how they get there or how to get away. How is it possible that those movies, some dating from 1997, are so much better then a 2014 movie? And being almost 2 hours long, how come so little happens in those 2 hours? Some reviewers already mentioned the contradictory and illogical elements in this movie, and yes, this does this movie, with such much potential, not much good, it's just annoying to see them not try what is so logic. The movie is entertaining, but leaves you very unsatisfied.

A teenager (Dylan O'Brien) awakes in an underground cargo elevator with amnesia. He arrives at a primitive culture called The Glade with teenagers and boys, surrounded by huge walls, and he is welcomed by the leader Alby (Aml Ameen) that explains that his memory will return in a couple of days. Alby tells that all of them have passed by the same process and now they survive working in their own agriculture plus the supplies provided by the elevator once a month. Further, a new boy is always brought in the elevator. The teenager sees a breach on the wall and Alby explains that only runners succeed in crossing trying to find a means of escape since there is a maze around the walls and the dangerous Grievers that hunt them down. When Alby is stung by a Griver, he brings him back to the community. He is bullied by the strong Gally (Will Poulter) and they fight. He hits his head on the floor and recalls his name, Thomas. Soon Thomas becomes a runner with his partner Minho (Ki Hong Lee) and they explore the maze together and find a possible way out. Meanwhile a girl called Teresa (Kaya Scodelario) arrives in the elevator with the note "she is the last one ever" and two syringes; further she knows him. Thomas decides to use one syringe in Alby and he recovers. However that night the breach on the wall is not closed and The Grivers invade The Glade killing the boys. Will Thomas and his friends survive? Will they find a way out from The Glade? Who is keeping them in that place?

"Maze Runner" is a surprisingly good film, with mystery, action and sci-fi with wonderful special effects. The plot has many surprises and the young cast has great performance. Dylan O'Brien and the British- Brazilian Kaya Scodelario are excellent and show a perfect chemistry. The twists in the end are totally unexpected. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "Maze Runner: Correr ou Morrer" ("Maze Runner: Run or Die")

Although The Maze Runner story isn't one of the brilliants I have seen, it is interesting enough to satisfy my interest. Opening scene is intriguing and wakes your interest to wait to see what to come. Story itself is many times seen in various movies, but citation to such movies as Cube and TV- shows like Lost keeps you interest awake about what to come. Biggest problem is the movie casting. Thomas (Dylan O'Brien) is interesting character enough, but Will Boultier as villain of story is too lame personality. And somehow I don't understand the meaning of Teresa's (Kaya Scolecario) character who seem to pointless for the whole story. Maybe her role for the story grows and clears at the forthcoming movies. Sequel is coming next fall. After all great scenery combined with intensive storytelling is fresh enough to bring this movie a little bit more interesting, than most of those Hollywood's post-apocalyptic serial productions these days. I stay wait sequel with great interest.

For a film that is budgeted at merely 34 million dollars, this film visually looks really good. For comparison, Fantastic Four had a budget of 120 million and the effects and so called 'set pieces' were awful. This is one of the biggest problems with Hollywood, but that's a discussion for another day. The Maze Runner is actually a surprisingly entertaining movie. For an age in which the medium is flooded with young adult novels and movies, the film feels fresh and isn't overwhelmed by clichés like so many others are.

It's led by a relatively unknown cast. Dylan O'Brien, from Teen Wolf fame, is thrown into a maze structure along with a few dozen other young men who soon find there is more to the maze than they were led to believe. Let me be the first to say I think O'Brien has some chops and definitely has a future in this business. The role doesn't require a ton of range, but I think he proved he can lead a huge action film, and not many actors can say that. The writing itself I thought could have been a little smarter and more mature. Will Poulter, who played a much different character in We're The Millers, was solid in the role that was given to him. But the writing had him doing some really stupid things and was full of forced dialogue I felt.

With that being said, the mythology behind the story is pretty interesting. And they made the film into a more traditional monster film than I'm sure the book originally called for, but it really works. The horror element to the film was by far the most intriguing, and had the biggest payoff. The 'Greavers' also proved to be pretty terrifying, something I didn't think I would say about a film with a bunch of teenagers. So I really only watched this because I'm probably going to see the sequel this weekend, and i ended up enjoying the movie. Plus, having Littlefinger as the next villain gets me pretty excited.

+Monster flick

+Surprisingly well acted

+Suspensful

-Some stupid dialogue

7.2/10

Greetings from Lithuania.

"The Maze Runner" (2014) is very well paced, directed and crafted motion picture. It's a very compelling sci-fi, which tells very interesting and involving story. Although the main structure of "The Maze Runner" will probably look familiar if you have seen more then 100 movies in your life, it's still expertly paced and done so you will be glued to your screen for the whole ride.

Overall, "The Maze Runner" is not to be missed one if you like sci-fi movies, which are good crafted and tells interesting stories. It's not revolutionary good, but it does a very good job for a one evening viewing. I will look forward for sequels.

This weekend is a big weekend, with at least three blockbuster movies releasing in my neck of the woods. I start my reviews this weekend with perhaps the most anticipated of the bunch, the Maze Runner. Once again Hollywood has decided to take a book series and run with it, in hopes that it will be the next big series to change the world. Yet like always, the question remains: Is this another glorified mess from the trailers, or have they done a good job? Well with two of my good buddies, I headed to the theater to start my weekend of reviews.

I've never read the books, but knowing general trends Maze Runner has some big shoes to live up to. The premise is quite simple, a boy gets sent up to a center of the maze with a handful of other boys, and no memories of where he was before. This familiar bout of amnesia, is apparently normal, and within seconds he is integrated into a culture reminiscent of Lord Of The Flies. Of course, like always, Thomas is the one who defies the normal rules, and starts the journey of change that starts the trilogy. While the story is nothing we haven't seen before, the Maze Runner has some suspense and unknown elements that keeps you latched into the film. Throughout the film, my mind worked to uncover and guess the twists they had at the end, knowing the general nature of the set-up, yet not quite able to figure out the specific details. It is this element, at least for a Maze Runner newbie like me, that kept me into the movie.

Despite the underlying mystery though, there were some other elements in the mix that made the Maze Runner an interesting experience. For one thing the movie is well shot and edited together. The entire journey is captured well, each angle well suited to give you the greatest detail in as little transitions. The same techniques remain during the dramatic argument scenes, which, when combined with the audio of booming drums and blaring horns, brings out the emotion and tension the boys are feeling. Yet, the best part of the camera editing are the action scenes, especially concerning the maze. It is always nice to see a movie defy the trend of shaky camera work, forgoing the "realistic" first person perspective for actually showing us the scene at hand. Whether it be running or fighting, the camera is surprisingly stable and well focused on the matter at hand and brings some excitement to a rather slow plot line.

Yes, unfortunately the story of the Maze Runner is a little drawn out and at points, rather vague and inconclusive. At first the ambiguity is fun, the multiple, unanswered questions keeping you wondering what path the movie will turn down next. These elements are integrated quite well with character developing moments, allowing more character buildup to help set the stage. However, for this reviewer it's nice to get some answers at points in the movie instead of more questions. Maze Runner for me provided vague solutions to the unknown, leaving more questions with that answer. Now this can be good if there is a nice wrap up to the madness, but for this movie that wasn't the case for me. I know, many are going to say that there are three books and answers come later, but this reviewer wanted a little more wrap up to at least some of the questions that developed over the two hours. To tell you the truth, I felt kind of gipped at the end of the movie, saying at the end, and I quote one of the characters, "Really?"

Despite the ambiguity though there are two other elements that help keep the movie going. First off the action is fun and relevant to the plot, the maze portions in particular being an intense fight for survival. Despite being a little savage and gruesome at parts, the evolutionary drive to remain alive is balanced with strategy, running, and fights with primitive tools. The action doesn't seem extra, but is built into the story quite well, spanning the fighting spectrum between the male rivalry to fighting the raging the Grievers. Of course the action is only as good as the acting as well, especially when it comes to interacting with CGI settings. Thomas (Dylan O'Brien) is the staple to the casting, surprising me with his performance of a male version of Catniss. Unlike the leading lady though, Thomas fought the culprits without being as whiney, a plus in my book for a leading character. O'Brien had a nice balance to his role, passionate and fiery, without crossing into an overacted, melodramatic mess. Lead Maze Runner Minho (Ki Hong Lee) was also a nice supporting character, bringing the wing man role to life and adding a little grounding to Thomas's flamboyant attitude. As for characters like Newt (Thomas Brodie-Sangster), Alby (Aml Ameen), Chuck (Blake Cooper), and Gally (Will Poulter), they were good too and each did a nice job playing their respective characters. Though with the exception of O'Brien, the real strength was the chemistry between all the group was the greatest quality of the acting and the community they formed.

Overall the Maze Runner is a decent addition to the movie based on book library. There is a nice design to the movie, and a lot of good character building to set the stage in this morbid tale. Acting wise it is enjoyable, but in reality it's the action surrounding the story that got me the most. I still wished though that there was some better wrap up than what we got, despite the opening it provided. Overall a decent movie to watch this weekend, and has elements worth a visit to the theater. My scores are:

Action/Mystery/Sci-Fi: 7.5 Movie Overall: 7.0

The appeal of the The Maze Runner for its billion dollar genre is how straightforward everything it seems. It (thankfully) doesn't begin with a voice-over narration, because indeed it's another high concept that designs a world as a mind-bending game. The film already faults for spilling too much rules and details, but when things starts actually moving, the action becomes marvelous, with large scaled, suspense driven set pieces that easily makes it worth the price admission. The worst of it however is when it finally unfolds all of the hidden secrets, compromising much of the potential of this ride. Still, it's pretty hard to deny the excitement of the experience alone. Treating it as another solid action film might be enough for a while.

Things are stronger at the first act when the hero is just picking up information even though the people around him are basically just over-explaining stuff rather than developing their characters. But it's great when it keeps the plot moving from one place to another. Once they get into the maze, the momentum becomes a heartbeat. It works like a certain video game that has its heroes risk through various obstacles, brimmed by conspicuous fortitude. It is a great example of a real action film that relies more on the matter of life and death thrills, even if you're already surrounded by nice production and special effects. There's also an hint of social analogy to fit the genre's trend of playing with politics, except the one here seems simple and intriguing to figure out what it is trying to pinpoint. Everything else is just more scattered clues for the mystery.

But all of those growth suddenly gets bogged down once it hits to their biggest answers. It's obviously setting up for another young adult franchise, but it also hurts to whatever it has put together. At this point, it feels like we're left hanging with more questions, except it's much nonsensical. To be fair after this large disappointment, we're still given a totally fun cinematic experience. The direction is so energetic at its tension, it almost seems to have inspiration some of the greatest horror movie aesthetics and tricks: the ooze, the meat, the traps, the dark walls, and the singular angled chase scenes with the enemy coming closer to the hero. Those are some of its remarkable, well-shot bits that you don't always see in this dull genre. The acting is also good for outweighing what's written for the characters. Dylan O'Brien looks like a hero to root for and he does a fine job for it. Will Poulter also shines as his reasonably arrogant opposite.

The best thing The Maze Runner could offer is the maze itself, though those spectacle couldn't help us ignore the final minutes of the film, but it still overpowers the overall experience. Personally, I would rather look forward more on a video-game adaptation (if it's even possible) than the sequels, but I don't know. It's pretty hard to see where this story is going. It instantly compromises some larger picture beneath the surfaces.for the sake of being another million dollar franchise, but this one has a direction of its own, despite that their destiny seems to lack the freshness. The cleverly constructed action just adds the value, otherwise.

For shear entertainment, here you go! Watch this movie not knowing anything about it and you will be enthralled, tensed and very curious to the point where you hang on every word to find out what is going to happen as well as what just did happen. Having no major stars allows the viewer to concentrate on the story. Just when I thought it would end, we are introduced to yet another scene and then another each one holding you and perplexing you. That's one hell of a good story and movie if that can be accomplished. When the movie finished, I couldn't wait to want to know more of this story and I was very pleased to hear there were books out and sequels coming. This type of movie watching takes us back to the fifties where a good story is what made the movie and if you add good directing, sound and all the rest, it becomes memorable. Recommend finger foods to break the tension like popcorn and sunflower seeds. Definitely a tasty drink and no cell phones or distractions. You want the movie to have you and nothing else. Let it!