Maze Runner Leaves Viewers on Their Toes

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MCT

20th Century Fox/MCT

Morgan Heley, News Editor

For some, the edge of a seat is the most exhilarating place to exist. The feeling of adrenaline coursing through veins as quickly as a character is dashing from their doom is the greatest form of entertainment to ever occur upon earth.

Based on the novel by James Dashner, The Maze Runner is an epic tale of a boy named Thomas, played by Dylan O’Brien, who awakens in a maze with no knowledge of his past aside from his name.  The beginning of the movie was a bit confusing and did not lay out the process of how the society works within the glade, the center of the maze and the only place safe from grievers (half mechanical spider creatures).

Once Thomas arrives, life in the maze begins to change. First, a boy gets stung by a griever in daylight. Then when Alby, the leader of the boys who survived a whole month on his own, is stung, the action begins to pick up. Thomas spends a night in the maze and is the first to come out alive and a girl arrives before the month is up revealing that she is the last child to be placed in the maze and no new supplies will be brought for the boys to survive.

Although the movie was meant to be action-packed and over the top, it lacked reality. There were multiple accounts of over exaggeration which made the movie a bit less relatable and made it difficult to put oneself in the shoes of the protagonist. One question raised is how people were allowed to place children in the maze in the first place. The constant struggle was repetitive and watching one bad thing happen after another got old. This, along with the occasional bad acting ultimately took away from the movie.

Aside from a few differences in the plot, the movie followed the book fairly well and lived up to its standards with ease. It kept the audience entertained and intrigued to find out what happens next. Overall, the movie was very intriguing and the ending to the movie leads into the sequel leaving viewers on their toes.