The Maze Runner

Another forgettable Game of Ender/Hunger Games/Divergent clone.

In this case, to compensate that the main characters are often women, we just make the whole cast to be men.

Just forget about this.

It was a good movie as far as it goes -- resourceful characters deprived of both freedom and their memories manage to build a society and think their way out of their bondage. The problem is that at the end, it simply stopped. No dramatic reason for ending where it does, no resolution of "why did the captors do this?" . Even in a series a movie ought to have a decent local climax -- for example, Kat and Peeta winning the Hunger Games.

One thing that I liked about this movie from the start was that it was, in my limited experience at least, somewhat original. Yes it was an apocalypse story but I have really not seen anything quite like it before. Yes moving mazes and all that have been done but the story as a whole was new to me. That was refreshingly enjoyable in this age of more or less boring Hollywood remakes.

On the whole I quite enjoyed the movie. I would label it a young adult movie. Not only because the lead characters as well as almost the entire cast are teenagers but the story itself is clearly at a level directed towards a younger audience. But then, who do not wish they were young again? I quite liked the story. It clearly had its usual collection of illog...

Don't bother.

Much better than the marketing would have you assume.

Final rating: - I personally recommend you give it a go.

It's one of my favorite movie series I've ever seen, but I can't deny that it's very different from the original book.

Amnesiac Dylan O'Brian emerges from a lift shaft in the ground to be found by a group of lads who've all been left to live a sort of subsistence existence inside a whopping great stone maze. A quick bout of wrestling with "Gally" (Will Poulter) reminds him that his name is "Thomas" but that still doesn't help him - or anyone else - with what he's doing here. Each day the great doors of the maze open up, but anyone who does try to make it out is never heard from again. The lads are completely clueless until a girl is sent amongst them, and she "Teresa" (Kaya Scodelario) might just have the answer as "Thomas" manages to galvanise a few of his pals to test the secrets of the maze. Can they escape, and if they do - what are they escaping too? I...

Re-watching The Maze Runner was a pleasant experience, and I still enjoyed it as much as I did the first time. The film's directing stands out, with a well-paced first act that successfully introduces us to the characters, the maze, and their unsettling situation. This setup provides a strong foundation for an exciting second act and a finale that leaves the audience with lingering questions, perfectly setting the stage for the sequel.

The cinematography deserves praise as well. A standout moment is the opening sequence: the close-up shots immerse us in the disoriented perspective of the protagonist, only to transition smoothly to a zoom-out that reveals the towering, closed walls of the maze. This visual storytelling continues throughou...