Happened to run into this great movie!

Rating: 10/10 (13 October 2018)

Your legs carry you through life and they also carry you through the most toughest, most exhilarating moments in your life. The main character, Thomas, of the Maze Runner had to experience just this. Being an American dystopian, science fiction film, it is filled with action and thrilling moments. Directed by Wes Ball, the Maze Runner was his directorial debut. The movie was based on the 2009 novel, the Maze Runner, written by American author James Dashner. Following the storyline, the movie depicts the book on the big screen making it come alive. Released on September 19, 2014, the film topped the box-office with a $32.5 million debut and also earned over $348 million worldwide. For a movie that only had a budget of $34 million, their profit definitely showed it up. While the Maze Runner ended with a victory for (some of) the Gladers, their story did not end there. Continuing from the first film, a sequel called Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials was released one year later to continue the adventures of the teens. Later on after the second film, a third and the final film was released three years after the other sequel. Known as Maze Runner: The Death Cure, this would come to be the final film in the Maze Runner series. Although the Maze Runner is derived from a book, it is a movie that is worth watching because of its compelling visuals, action packed plot, and unexpected twists that keeps the audience on their toes.
Starting the movie off, the main character finds himself on this mysterious lift, with it clear that he had no clue what his name was. After arriving, he finds other boys that went through the same thing he had just experienced. He learns that he has been delivered to the middle of a constantly changing, intricate labyrinth. He also finds out a crucial information about how no one has ever survived a night in the Maze. He regains knowledge of his name and also learns about there is a set group of boys named the Runners that search the Maze everyday for an escape route. The following day, Thomas was attacked by a "Runner" which turns out had been stung by a creature from the Maze called a Griever. The Runner that got stung was forced to enter the maze to be left to die as there is no current cure for his condition. Every night the Maze closes and every morning the Maze reopens. The following day, Alby, the group leader, and Minho, the lead Runner, enter the Maze to trace the Runners steps. After spending the whole day inside the maze, the group is worried for the two as the Maze is getting close to closing for the night. The Maze starts closing and at that second Minho reappears dragging a stung Alby. It is shown as the two will not make it in time to get out of the Maze. Thomas springs into action and runs into the Maze to help but with no avail, all three of them are trapped. While it is said that no one survives the maze, Thomas is the one to prove that saying wrong. The trio manages to survive the night and return the next morning, shocking everyone. After being upgraded to a Runner, Thomas strives to find an escape route for everyone.
This movie is worth watching due to the fantastic characters that were so well depicted by the actors. My personal favorites are Thomas and Minho, played by Dylan O'Brien and Ki Hong Lee. They acted out the emotions of the characters really well, especially the part I just mentioned of them being trapped in the Maze for a night. Ki Hong Lee had a look of utter hopelessness and panic while Thomas was the one to really make sure that they had the chance to make it out alive, he had a look of determination. Just watching the whole situation get solved out is worth watching in itself. The movie definitely keeps you on your toes making you want to find out what is going to happen next and if they will ever make it out of the labyrinth. Speaking about the labyrinth, while it is supposedly scary, it really exudes a beautifully haunting aura. Not only that but the movie has some very compelling visuals. Especially at the end where they showed us a bird's eye view of the whole labyrinth, the visuals were so detailed and breathtaking. These are just one of the many factors on why you should give the Maze Runner a try.
While there are many negative opinions on this film, I believe some of these arguments are not valid. One person argued that the movie was horribly boring. As someone who personally has the urge to skip sections of films, I personally did not have a moment where I wanted to fast forward. While the movie is not always packed with action 24/7, the movie does contain enough suspenseful moments that keeps the audience on their feet. For example, the part where Thomas (the main character) is trying to escape a Griever that was out to kill him. I mean watching someone trying to escape death can't possibly be boring. Another person critiqued the movie not being suitable for anyone over the age of 10. However, this argument definitely contradicts the fact that the movie is PG-13. I mean, I do not think a normal 10 year old kid (or younger) would like to watch violence and something that is classified as a thriller. I would also believe they would not get the plot as it gets pretty complicated towards the end.
Now you must be wondering why I am writing a review on a movie that came out years ago. Well while I was on the plane back to Honolulu from my trip, I obviously wanted to take advantage of the free movies available on the flight. With that in mind, I got all settled with my blanket, jacket, and neck pillow to keep me warm and pulled out my cheap earphones I got in from my trip (that worked way better than the complimentary ones the flight gave out to everyone). While flipping through all the movie selections, I just so happened to run into the movie Maze Runner.(Not a pun I swear) After remembering all the hype people gave the film when it first came out, it convinced me to give it a try. My first reaction was, "Wow, this is some hunger game movie" when I saw the main character trapped in a mysterious elevator. Like those dystopian style movies, the movie Maze Runner is very high in action, suspense, and unexpected twists. Luckily for me, I enjoyed those types of movies. As Dylan O'Brien emerged from the light, the look of panic surprised me and quickly got me intrigued to what was to happen next. He struggled to find a way out but quickly gave up after realizing that he had no way to go. When he finally arrived at his destination, the Glade, he would come to be one of the most important boys in that community. This definitely interested me and had me wondering how the newcomer would come to finding the solution to the issue everyone had been trying to solve for years.
While there seems to be a lot of critical reviews on this movie, one should definitely give it a try despite these negative critics. You never know unless you try! With the actors' compelling emotions, shocking plot twists, and visuals, this movie definitely is worth a try. Legs are an essential to life, this movie definitely shows how legs carry you the most exhilarating moments of your life. In conclusion, the Maze Runner is definitely a movie that is worth watching because of its compelling visuals, action packed plot, and unexpected twists.