Not the best young adult film adaptation, but could have been worse.

Rating: 6/10 (18 May 2015)

I had to say, my expectations for THE MAZE RUNNER were very low before the film's release. I read the book and I did not know how the movie was going to do at the box office or with the fans of the book and critics.
The first film in the series is based on a series of books by James Dashner and it is an entertaining film, but it's not flawless.
The story follows Thomas, a boy who wakes up in a moving elevator going up called The Box. Once he arrives, he discovers a grassy area called The Glade and the people that live there called Gladers. Not being able to remember anything, Thomas discovers an opening in the wall near the glade and is warned not to enter it as it leads to a massive maze.
After Thomas learns about the monsters that wander the maze at night, he realizes that the maze may hold the key to getting out. When a young girl, Teresa arrives in the box, Thomas's memory starts to come back and he realizes what is really going on and sets out to try and find a way out.
I wasn't totally against the movie, I was very interested to see how this movie would turn out, so my sister went out one night and bought a couple of movies from RedBox and she bought this movie. My sisters, Ricardo and my mother Tiffany actually saw this film. I literally did not see this movie until long after I read the book and until it came out on DVD.
This movie is OK. But it is not without it's flaws. This is a throwback to teenage thriller movies as it features an entire young cast of teens who present themselves well on the large movie screen.
The idea with the film is fun and it is designed to give us an adrenaline pumping story. That is a major flaw, it is supposed to be a film based on an young adult novel.
The creatures in the maze are called "Grievers", they look really cool and amazing, but they also look like cyborg-like scorpions that bare a striking resemblance to the bugs in "Starship Troopers" and that is just crazy.
Another problem is the Grievers, we don't see much of them until one of them is killed in the second act of the film. This sequence becomes the drive to finish the story and that's all we get because we don't know a lot about and they attempt to play an important role in the film and this creates a major plot hole.
The one major problem that these young adult movies keep having is that in every teenage movie, there has to be an antagonist and this goes to Will Poulter as Gally and he plays the role like an idiot and he does not make me feel sympathy for him at all.
Why you put a stupid-ass character in the movie? That's just bad writing, but this is THE MAZE RUNNER , so, no hard feelings.
There are some cool scenes in the film. When Thomas goes into the maze after dark and is chased by the "Grievers", it's a cat and mouse sequence that keeps you going. The last sequence is when they try to get out of the maze and they attack in numbers and that is kinda cool.
The third act in the film is just stupid and typical, but also good. You can see what the ending is going to be and it is no exception. The sequence at the end makes no sense and you should see this to know what I am talking about and it involves one of the characters.
The ending is when they get out of the maze and they go into another maze. That is bullcrap! Is that supposed to set up a sequel because if it is, I'm paying to see it on DVD! The acting is good and bad, the supporting cast is out there and makes a lot of effort to put on good performances, but the only two that really shines out is Dylan O'Brien and Kaya Scodelario and they have great chemistry.
Overall, I enjoy THE MAZE RUNNER. I don't think it's a perfect film by far and it is not as good as Hunger Games, Twilight or Divergent, but it could have been a hell of a lot worse and I DO MEAN WORSE.
The film tells us a story that we already know, but it is amazingly well-directed and really fresh. Sure, it has it's major flaws, a stupid character and a very confusing ending setting up a sequel, titled "THE SCORCH TRIALS", for a September release this year and I can't wait, it is still watchable.
I give THE MAZE RUNNER a 6.5/10.