The Maze Runner

Young teenaged boys are randomly trapped in what they call “the glade” – a prison of sorts that is surrounded by a massive labyrinth. They have no memory of who they are, who sent them or why they have been sent there. The one thing they do know is that they want out and that the only way seems to be through the maze.


This was interesting. Admittedly, I did not read these books and went in blindly knowing nothing of the story. One could see how this was likely a better novel than film and I am curious to know what the fans thought of the adaptation. Nevertheless – as I read most books on screen here is my take:

The story was odd, it was as if they took  Lord of the Flies and mixed it up with the video game Contra (that is going back to the old school NES days, kids) and sprinkled in a bit of The Hunger Games. Let me break it down; Like Lord of the Flies it is an island of young teenaged boys that have battled amongst themselves for leadership, created a set of rules to keep the chaos at bay, and administer punishment to those that deviate. The characters, the plot, the sacrifices and the symbolism even are all very similar. For those of you that remember Contra – I swear the set design was totally based on it AND “the Grievers” taken right from the game. Finally, as in The Hunger Games, someone is pulling all the strings while chanting ‘may the odds be ever in your favor’.

The special effects are decent and again I would be curious as to how they hold up to the imagineering of the book. A tad underwhelming and very predictable but I suppose it’s a semi-entertaining movie.

** ½ Rentable

Rated PG-13 (for violence and language)

Official Site: http://themazerunnermovie.com/