A riveting introduction to this new YA series

Rating: 7/10 (5 January 2015)

http://whatdidgazthinkof.blogspot.com.au/2014/09/the-maze-runner.html
Bringing words on a page to life is a hard task, and debut director Wes Ball has succeeded for the most part with James Dashner's 'The Maze Runner'. While it doesn't achieve the heights of 'The Hunger Games', the film is a riveting introduction to this new YA series.
The film opens inside a freight elevator, as it delivers Thomas (Dylan O'Brien) to the Glade. The beautiful meadow is home to a community of boys, who are looking for a way out of the mysterious maze that surrounds and has trapped them for three years. Thomas has no memory of who he is, where he came from, and what his purpose is - it had been the same for every person that came before him.
There are runners, who go out each morning to try and find a way out. But there lies the catch. Every night, the towering walls of the maze close in around the Glade to prevent terrifying 'Grievers' from entering and attacking the Gladers. The mechanics of the maze shift and rearrange the walls, preparing a new maze for the runners to solve the next morning. But, since Thomas' arrival, things are beginning to change. The fabric of their society begins to tear, and circumstances finally force the Gladers to find a way out once and for all.
These Grievers - part mechanical, part animal - are genuinely threatening and inject pure tension into their scenes. They are a treat for fans of the book; it's everything you imagined, and the film will have you on the edge of your seat.
Wes Ball treats us to beautiful scenes and gripping action, but never at the cost of the characters. The ensemble cast is refreshingly multicultural and do their best to hook us for the rest of the series. Dylan O'Brien has proved himself as a capable lead, after supporting roles in popular series 'Teen Wolf' and 'The Internship'.
I won't reveal the reasons for the Maze's existence and boys entrapment; the film merely gives a taste of what is to come. The film (ironically) races to tell its story within the 113 minute run-time, especially in the final act. Any unanswered questions will have to wait for a sequel - which is already in pre-production.