The Maze Runner

Rating: 8/10 (30 November 2014)

I saw the title of this film in the cinema schedules, then I read the descriptions, it sounded like something that might be interesting, but I was perhaps sceptical as well, but it had positive reviews, so I chanced it. Basically a teenage boy (Dylan O'Brien) wakes up in an upwards travelling elevator, the doors open and he is greeted by unfamiliar boys in a grassy clearing called "the Glade", surrounded by tall stone walls, the boy has no memory of anything about himself, the community leader Alby (Kidulthood's Aml Ameen) says this is normal, he will remember his name. Second in command Newt (Love Actually's Thomas Brodie-Sangster) shows the boy is shown around the Glade, the boy also meets and makes friends with Chuck (Blake Cooper), he is warned never to go beyond the opening of the walls; there is a large maze. That night, while the community party to welcome the new arrival, Newt explains that every month a new arrival and supplies in boxes labelled "WCKD" (WICKED - World In Catastrophe: Killzone Experiment Department) come up in the elevator, the Maze is the only way out, but the walls constantly change in a repeating sequence of sections, the only ones allowed in are the most able boys, called Runners, they search for a way out during the day, returning at night when the opening closes, no-one has survived a night behind the walls at night, because of unseen creatures called Grievers. During a fight in the night the boy recalls his name: Thomas, the next day he is collecting wood, when he is attacked by runner Ben (Chris Sheffield), he was stung by a Griever, the boys "banish" him, leaving him in the maze at night to die, Alby and runner Minho (Ki Hong Lee) retrace Ben's steps in the maze, but Alby is stung by a Griever and goes unconscious, he is dragged by Minho and the opening is about to close, seeing this Thomas runs in and tries to help, all three of them are trapped. However all three survive the night in the maze, with Thomas killing a Griever, a deadly slug-like monster with metal legs, the other boys are astonished by their return, Gally (Son of Rambow's Will Poulter) is upset that they may all be in jeopardy following Thomas's actions, but Newt overrules him and makes Thomas a Runner, he and Minho enter the maze in the day, removing a beeping mechanical device from the corpse of the Griever, it is numbered to correspond with one of the eight sections of the maze. The first ever girl (Skins' Kaya Scodelario) arrives in the elevator, she recognises Thomas, a note indicates that she is the final person that will be sent, she remembers her name: Teresa, she also carries two syringes filled with a mysterious substance, the Gladers use one on Alby, he recovers from his sting and regains memories. Thomas and Minho venture into the maze, to the numbered section that the Griever came from, using its device they discover an escape route, they are forced to retreat when recognised as intruders they are chased away by the collapsing walls, but they make it out and tell the others. That night, a horde of Grievers come out from the opening of the walls and attack the Gladers, Alby is killed among some others, but the majority of the community survive the attack, with Thomas being stung and curing himself with the other syringe, in doing so he regains memory that he and Teresa were part of the organisation that created the maze, it is all a test. Gally blames them for everything they have gone through and tries to kill them, but he is stopped, he and a small number of others refuse to leave, while most of the others follow Thomas to the found escape route, they end up in a scientific laboratory, with dead bodies of scientists everywhere, a recorded video from a woman, Dr. Ava Paige (Patricia Clarkson), shows her explaining that increased solar activity and a pandemic has devastated the planet, the youths in the Glade were all part of an experiment to research their resistance to the pandemic, in the video the lab is being attacked and it ends with the woman shooting herself in the head. Gally appears, having been stung he is delirious and seeks revenge on Thomas, he fires a gun, Minho stabs Gally with a spear, and Chuck is killed by the gunshot, then masked men rush in to take the group away to safety, in a helicopter above, the maze was located in a vast desert, but the scientists are not dead, Ava Paige states that the experiment was a success, and the survivors will now enter Phase Two. Also starring Dexter Darden as Frypan and Joe Adler as Zart. O'Brien does well in his leading star-making role as the brave newcomer, Brodie-Sangster is great as the wise second leader of the tribe, Poulter is splendid as the constantly negative group member, Scodelario gets her moments as the solo female, and Clarkson is terrific as the head of the scientists. I can see the comparison and combination of The Hunger Games and Lord of the Flies, there was just enough feeling of claustrophobia, conspiracy and politics come into play as well, and of course the mystery element keeps you going throughout, the special effects to create the monsters and explosive moments are great, this is the first in the moody teen series, the next is definitely something to look forward to, this is a surprisingly entertaining science-fiction dystopian action thriller. Very good!