Notwithstanding that I was out of town
last week, as a sci-fi fan, I wasn't running to the theater to see
“The Maze Runner.”
The trailer first seen at WonderCon and 20th Century Fox press conference I attended at Comic-Con earlier this year didn't generate nearly as much anticipation as “The Hunger Games” or “Divergent.” And the story
didn't come across as thought-provoking as “The Giver.” Compared
to other YA dystopian adaptations, this one seems to be as simplistic
as a bunch of boys trapped in maze, banding together to survive and
escape, mixed with trite teen drama. To my surprise, the movie
ends up like “Ender's Game,” as in way better than I
initially thought.
Directed by Wes
Ball, The Maze Runner” is adapted from James Dashner's novel. A
teenage boy, Thomas (Dylan O'Brien), wakes up in an underground
elevator. The elevator ascends to a meadow called the Glade,
partially bordered by a forest and enclosed by towering walls. He
doesn't know who he is and has no memories of his past. Shortly after he's
surrounded by other boys, who have had similar experience and been
forced to live there for the last three years. In other words,
they're inexplicably trapped there. Each month a new boy arrives the
same way, accompanied by some supplies.
The Glade is
encircled by a massive, menacing maze. The entrance to the maze is
open during daylight and closed at sundown. At nighttime, scary
flesh-eating monsters, alien-like mechanical spiders, troll through
the maze. Anyone who has spent the night in the maze never returns
or lives to tell the tale.
Thomas finds a
makeshift society functioning, run by a self-anointed leader, Gally
(Will Poulter), along with his right-hand man, Newt (Thomas
Brodie-Sangster). People are assigned to certain functions to help
sustain their living, such as food-gathering, plant-growing,
shelter-building and glade-guarding. And perhaps most importantly,
there are “runners,” designated to enter the maze during daytime,
mapping out and memorizing routes in hopes that they would eventually
be able to find a way out.
As the sun sets
and the maze entryway closes, one runner, Minho (Ki Hong Lee), tries
fruitlessly to make it back towards the Glade. He's weighed down by
an unconscious fellow runner, Alby (Aml Ameen). Alby was the first
boy to arrive at the Glade. Thomas sprints towards them to help and
ends up trapped inside the maze. What happens next is one of the
most thrillingly terrifying scenes, a hide-and-seek and face-off with
a Griever.
When Thomas makes
it out alive, he collides with rules-enforcing Gally, but also makes
friends with those who now look up to him. He especially bonds with
the youngest in the bunch, Chuck (Blake Cooper). Complicating the
situation is the arrival of the latest member, unexpectedly, a girl
named Teresa (Kara Scodelario), holding a note that she will be the
last person to arrive at the Glade.
Officially
appointed as a runner, Thomas goes back into the maze along with
another runner to piece together clues and uncover an escape route.
If only it were that easy. Peril lurks at every turn. Both boys
find themselves running for their lives, as metal plates and stone
walls closing in, breaking apart or crushing down on them. Later
that night, for the first time ever, the Grievers come out from
hiding and attack.
For the most part,
indeed, the movie is about a bunch of boys trapped in a maze, banding
together to survive and escape. But all the elements, terrorizing
set pieces, claustrophobic atmosphere, capable acting, and well-shot
wall-to-wall action scenes, add up to constant suspense. And there's
a clash of ideals running through – security and comfort versus
risk and freedom. Would you stay in your comfort zone knowing that
you're reasonably safe and alive, or would you risk it all and fight
to the death as necessary for a chance of freedom?
While the
larger-picture ending provides more questions than answers, it does
give out a level of explanation to the remaining survivors about what
happened to them and why. The story, of course, doesn't end there.
Mystery remains as they take off to an unknown destination. It's
intriguing enough that I'm now anticipating the next installment,
“The Scorch Trials.” The sequel is set to premiere on September
18, 2015.
