The Maze Runner

Wicked is Good.

Let me see a show of hands. Who here among you have actually read the Maze Runner books? Not too many of you? Don't feel bad, I'm right there with you. That's going to change quickly.

If you hadn't figured it out yet, I went into the movie without having read the books, a fact that I both regret and am thankful for, both for the same reason; I had no idea what was going to happen next. I love having that sense of wonder in the theater (or at home), but at the same time, I like to know what is going to happen so I can compare to the book. Do you see my dilemma here?

For those of you who, like me, haven't read the books yet, let me give you a brief rundown. Thomas (Dylan O'Brien) wakes up in an elevator with no memories of anything other than his name. He becomes part of a group of boys who have been stuck in the middle of a maze for years. He makes it his mission in his new life to help find a way out of the maze. Sounds intriguing, no?

Well, it is. The story is brilliantly written, and I attribute that to the work of the book's author, James Dashner. Fitting that a guy whose last name is Dashner writes a book about runners. But I digress. The chain of events is easy enough to follow, though there are a few twists and turns that you wouldn't expect (that is, if you didn't read the books previously).

Be Careful. Don't Die.

The same applies to the characters. They are well cast, with a few familiar faces from TV and other movies. Regardless of if the actors are known or unknown, however, it is easy to understand their points of view and their struggles. This, again, is due to the original author, but the film execs did good for their part too.

The attention to the detail is also good. The opening scene with Thomas really allows you to get a sense of how big an area the boys are in, even without seeing the maze. The scenes in the maze are amazing too. My biggest complaint is that there weren't enough of them though. I mean, the movie is call the Maze Runner, yet there's hardly any actual time spent in the maze with Thomas. I don't know if this is how it was in the book, but I don't like this fact.

I really liked The Maze Runner, so 8½ stars it gets.

Overall, the movie was awesome. It told the story from the first book and set you up to watch the next movie nicely. After careful consideration, I decided 8½ stars was an adequate rating, with points being deducted for not being enough maze sequences. Since I have not read the book yet (going to soon), I can't tell you how closely the movie followed it. However, once I have read it, I will come back and update the rating if needed. Regardless, I think this is definitely worth a rental, if not a purchase, and is available now for both.

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