There is nothing better for a thriller than plunging the viewer into the action, and The Maze Runner begins with a close view of steel mesh from inside a cage. It’s an elevator going up, trapped inside is a scared teenager who has no idea of where he is, how he got there, or where he’s going. Suddenly, all goes dark and then the screen fills with a blinding light, and a crowd of young male faces looking down. There is a post-apocalyptic Lord of the Flies feel to this moment, and if I were in the protagonist’s shoes, I’d do the same thing he did as soon as the cage was opened: run.
Director Wes Ball makes some good choices in his feature debut, an adaptation of James Dashner’s eponymous YA novel, the first in a trilogy. Ball immerses the viewer in a very coherent visual world with an authentic feel. Taking the viewer into this world from the vantage point of the protagonist, 16 year old Thomas (Dylan O’Brien), forcibly thrown into an unknown environment, one experiences it as he does, in all its ominous mystery: a green glade surrounded by a huge wall with one narrow opening. This wall, and the opening leading into the maze is the defining image that sustains the narrative and action, one easily shares in Thomas’ curiosity.
Life in the glade, if one ignores the fact that these boys are effectively held captive here by powers unknown, is not too bad. This band of boys leads a Robinson Crusoe-like life, making shelters and tools from the materials on hand, augmented by supplies that arrive once a month in the elevator box, along with a new member for their small community. It’s summer camp without counselors, and no end in sight. Thrown together by serendipity or unseen forces, the community has its leaders and its rules, life can be pleasant in this rustic realm, as long as one obeys the rules.
Thomas is a very likeable hero, one readily identifies with his bewilderment and burning curiosity to learn more about the maze. The more his questions are deflected with dire threats (no one survives a night in the maze), the more he wants to explore. Genial leader Alby (Aml Ameen) and new pal Newt (Thomas Brodie-Sangster – just as adorable here as in Love Actually) offer him the benefit of their experience, showing him the ropes while suggesting that he just chill and sublimate in the physical labor of DIY treehouse construction. Gally (Will Poulter) is suspicious of Thomas from the start, viewing him as a threat to their perverse yet somehow pastoral existence – and nothing builds a hero better than an obnoxious opponent. As one learns more and more about life (and death) in the glade, the underlying question loom large and loud: what the hell is going on here?
The curiosity, suspense, well-timed portions of CGI and great visuals had me at the edge of my seat for most of this film, almost as eager as Thomas to discover the reasoning behind this weird mini-world. Breaking every rule and becoming a leader of sorts, Thomas’ search to find a way out culminates in a fast-paced, mildly gory and immensely satisfying action sequence. Sadly, the dénouement is a big let-down; even the presence of Patricia Clarkson does not compensate for the gaps in logic and heavy-handed clumsy melodrama of the ending.
The novel is the first of a trilogy, and as the last few confusing and annoying minutes of the movie make clear, a sequel to The Maze Runner is sure to follow. I am intrigued to know how Thomas and friends get on in the next chapter of their adventures, and who knows – after the critical bashing I am sure they will get on the conclusion of this film, they may even redeem themselves and come out with a sequel that is even stronger than the first in the trilogy.
The Maze Runner (USA, 113 minutes, 2014, English with Hebrew subtitles)
Directed by Wes Ball; Screenplay: Noah Oppenheim, Grant Pierce Myers, T.S. Nowlin; Based on the novel by James Dashner; Cinematography: Enrique Chediak; Editor: Dan Zimmerman; Music: John Paesano; Cast: Dylan O’Brien, Kaya Scodelario, Thomas Brodie-Sangster, Will Poulter, Patricia Clarkson, Aml Ameen, Ki Hong Lee, Blake Cooper, Dexter Darden, Chris Sheffield.
