As Excellent an Adaptation of a Stupendous Novel as it is a Stand-Alone, Post-Apocalyptic Sci-Fi Film

Rating: 9/10 (16 March 2015)

Reviewed by: Dare Devil Kid (DDK)
Rating: 4/5 stars
Boasting a solid premise and a refreshingly dark approach to its dystopian setting, "The Maze Runner" stands out from the crowded field of young-adult sci-fi adventures. It generally has ambitious production values, is well-edited, briskly paced, decently acted, action packed, and features a thumping score. More importantly, it's a fairly faithful adaptation of James Dashner's brilliantly conceived, grim novel (the first in a trilogy if you exclude the prequel that was penned later), succinctly weaved together to satiate ardent fans of the series while being coherent enough to entertain viewers with no prior knowledge of Dashner's post- apocalyptic books.
The minor deviations from the source material, taken in the name of creative liberty and with a commitment to manage cinematic time constraints do not detract from the story, and instead churn a refreshing spin on proceedings for those already familiar with the story. Ultimately, "The Maze Runner" turns out to be a thrilling sci-fi adventure with great energy and considerable style.