For all hardcore readers who are loyal to their books, I haven’t read “The Maze Runner.” I don’t have any biased opinion as to whether the book is better than the movie, so I’m strictly here to talk about the movie as a whole.
Within the past few years, there have been several film adaptations of dystopian novels. “The Maze Runner” falls under the same category: it’s dystopian fiction targeted at young adult audiences. If you’re tired of the dystopian fad, don’t let the fact that “The Maze Runner” falls under the genre hinder you from seeing it. The film is filled with intense, action-packed content and unique themes.
The setting of the movie takes place in an extremely intricate maze, and at the center is a grassy and wooded “Glade.” The Glade is surrounded by the towering walls of the maze, which change every night in order to confuse its occupants. Its occupants happen to be a bunch of teenage boys who don’t remember why they’re there or who they were before they ended up at the maze. Think “Lord of the Flies” circumstances, but “The Maze Runner” characters have a much stronger sense of community and no cannibalistic tendencies. The intensity and suspense of the movie are high from the opening scene; Thomas, the main character, is raised up from the ground into the Glade from a metal crate. He quickly decides that he wants to be a “runner,” someone who runs throughout the maze and memorizes its patterns, looking for a way out.
The entire movie is loaded with action and suspense. Thomas must choose between fitting in with the system and the boys in the Glade, or figuring out why and how they all happen to be in the maze together and who put them there.
If you’re looking for a lighthearted entertaining movie to indulge in, this movie will bring the entertainment, but it may not be so lighthearted. “The Maze Runner” tackles some dark, profound themes. There’s a lot of violence. Huge mechanical beings called “Grievers” wreak havoc on the boys, and like “The Hunger Games,” the teens are the recipients of what turns out to be adult-inflicted death and pain. The characters deal with the same types of emotional pain that young adults deal with in reality today. While trying to juggle life and death situations, the boys are on their own journeys to find their identities and roles in the life that they’ve been dealt. The characters struggle with failure, anger, abandonment, finding redemption and what it means to fight for what they believe in.
“The Maze Runner” follows the dystopian fad, but that doesn’t mean that only teenagers will find it entertaining. The storyline is raw, unique and compelling, and it’s delivered via fast paced conflict, violence and action.
