A Better Than Average YA Film...

Rating: 8/10 (20 October 2014)

As I have said/complained many times over the past few years, making a YA book into a film can be very repetitive. The movie may honestly be very well made, but it can also suffer from a seeming lack of creativity. The best example I can think of this year would be "The Giver." Thankfully, "The Maze Runner" was an above average YA film, for the most part. I thought the beginning was very good, the middle was good, and the ending was a little flat. I guess I would say that for everything that was awesome in this movie, there was sometimes was another element that would bring it down slightly.
Right off the bat I want to say that the special effects in this film are very good. They are not so great that they stand out above everything else this year, but they certainly fit the film and the film's tone perfectly. From the way the maze is designed to the vicious creatures that lurk within, the effects will keep a viewer's attention. However, the very best effects were definitely applied to the creatures in the Maze. These monsters could have easily been the next "Alien." They are a perfect combination of awesome, fear, and disgust all blended into one nightmare. My one complaint about them would be that they give away the mystery surrounding them a little too early. I think they should have kept them a mystery for a bit longer than they did.
Tying into the Maze's creatures, the best element of this film was undoubtedly the genre it played off of; the thriller genre. It kept me on the edge of my seat, and it kept the audience guessing as to what the purpose of the maze was. This thriller element is helped in a big way by the actors' performances throughout the film. There really was not a bad performance from any of the male characters, but there is a reason I have emphasized "male characters." I emphasize this point because unfortunately, the lead female role (one of about two females in the entire film) is really poor in her performance. Her character comes into the movie about halfway through, and really does not add much to the story, and she really did not offer much in terms of character skills. My sisters actually compared her to Bella from the Twilight series.
As I stated earlier, I really did enjoy the beginning and middle portion of the film. Even the first part of the third act is fun, but the very, very end has been hated by many critics. I am personally on the fence with this ending myself. Half of me agrees with the critics in that ending was a very cheap way to end the film; it was predictable, lazy, and brought the movie down. However, my other half is telling me not to hate the ending because this film is based off of a book that is the first in a trilogy. Honestly, if you know this going into the movie, the ending will not be as bad as it has been made out to be. It is still annoying for sure, but it does not ruin the entire film just part of it.
All in all, "The Maze Runner" is actually much better than I expected it to be. While it does have some key moments and elements that hold it back from being fantastic, it is still worth seeing. If you have not seen this film already, I would advise seeing it, preferably at a matinée showing. The cheaper you can get ticket for this movie the better, but it is still worth seeing on the big screen.
I give "The Maze Runner" an 8.25/10.