Wow...Wow........Wow!

Rating: 9/10 (19 September 2014)

I must admit, I wasn't sure what to expect going into this. I watch Teen Wolf, have seen bits of Skins and Game of Thrones, so I was familiar with a few of the actors. Dylan kills it in Teen Wolf, and showed his dramatic/intense acting abilities in season three. A lot of the actors in this movie have shown a lot of promising abilities, so I was hopeful going into it. I purposefully kept myself from reading the book because I love having surprises and tension when I see a movie for the first time. And man, am I glad I did. This movie is so much better when you learn everything alongside Thomas. There is no bullshit romance, which I appreciate. They stayed focused on what was happening, and did it right. There was a great balance of tension. There would be an incredibly intense and stressful scene, but not too much of it and not too little.
And the stressful scenes were done right. They didn't shy away from having characters die, showing some violence and a little gore. The entire situation and many scenes were so shockingly dark, which was also oddly refreshing. They focused on the relationships between the characters, the action/mystery, and not to mention that the affects were great. The maze, the grievers, I loved it all. Considering how small the budget was, and how little time they had to shoot it, it all comes together surprisingly well.
Usually I dislike the main character. They are too whiny, too needy, too much focus on them, and other characters don't get the attention they deserve. However, I actually liked Thomas a lot. I tried my best to put my love for Dylan O'Brien aside, but I can't help but be so extremely proud and happy for him. He managed to portray this main character in a way that draws the audience him. Thomas takes a little while to get settled in (understandably) but once he does, he is awesome. He portrayed really great leadership qualities; for once, I actually felt that this character deserved the "leadership" and really earned it. There were quite a few heavy scenes, and he pulled them off with conviction and genuine emotions that made my throat swell and my eyes water.
Will Poulter also was amazing. Basically everyone was amazing.
There are definitely mixed reviews, and I find it such a shame. Seeing as The Hunger Games was released first, every YA adaptation is now immediately compared to it and seen as a "wannabe." But watching Maze Runner, it is definitely it's own film.
Of course there are book fans who may be disappointed in changes that were made, but if they had stuck to the book 100%, there would be even more complaints about the "repeated YA clichés". It must have been so hard to try to create a movie, and balance it between it's YA components and also trying to make it different at the same time. I appreciate the work they did, and while there are plenty of clichés in the book, somehow they are pulled off in a very refreshing way.
I would suggest that in order to really enjoy this film, don't go into it thinking "Great, another YA adaptation." Just go into it thinking of it as it's own movie, like any other movie you go see at the theaters. Go into it and just enjoy the ride. Above all else, this movie is an amazing adventure/thrilling story. The pacing, the claustrophobia of it all, the acting, the affects, it's all pulled off in a very surprisingly entertaining way.
Go watch it, if you are willing, go see it in IMAX! I definitely wish I had seen it in IMAX the first time because it is one of those films that would be worth it.
Overall, there are definitely some weaknesses to the movie that critics will be all over, but the strengths definitely override them and make it a movie worth seeing.