Lord of the Flies meets The Hunger Games. This low-tech coming-of-age drama delightfully surprises us with the cast's raw performances and with a story driven plot that engages until the end.
In The Maze Runner, our hero is Thomas (Dylan O'Brien) who suddenly finds himself transported to an all-boys campsite called "The Glade" with no memories of his past. The ethnically diverse boys of The Glade, who arrived at the encampment at different times, are mostly Thomas' contemporary, with no memories of their past either, only their names.
The Glade is enclosed within a complex maze—and the boys, trapped in the center of the dark and mysterious maze without knowing why, have already established a social order, a smooth-running society with a leader (Aml Ameen) and a resident bully (Will Poulter). The Glade boys have designated fast runners who enter the deadly maze on a daily basis to find an exit—but they always come back unsuccessful.
The arrival of the intensely inquisitive and courageous Thomas, though, disturbs the social order, shakes up The Glade, and courageously infiltrates the maze not only in search of freedom—but answers as well.
The theme is nothing new—a controlled environment in a post-apocalyptic dystopian future. However, the film, based on Jame's Dashner's Young Adult trilogy, is absorbing—thanks to the impressively raw performances of the entire cast, whose characters drive the otherwise simple story.
Director Wes Ball not only brought out resonating characters, but he executed the plot with masterful cinematic strokes, highlighting the story's drama and sense of adventure, engrossing you so that you will leave the cinema with the sensation of still being inside the maze.
Not much gore and violence here, but The Maze Runner provides a deep sense of location, drama, and character, and, of course, thrill and excitement that comes from inside the high walls of the maze. You'll definitely look forward to a sequel.
4 out of 5 stars
Opens Sept. 17, 2017 in Philippine cinemas, including IMAX.
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