Review: 'The Maze Runner' perks up tired YA action formula

Posted: 09/17/2014 12:09:14 PM PDT

Updated: 09/17/2014 12:10:05 PM PDT

I was having problems with 'The Maze Runner' before I even bothered to see it.

Movies about dystopian, post-apocalyptic worlds being saved by heroic and terribly good-looking young people -- adapted from among the mountain of young adult novels that are seemingly required reading for kids age 10 and up -- are in danger of becoming as stale as a holiday fruitcake in July.

Then I watched 'The Maze Runner' and I couldn't help getting hooked by the combination of fine acting, intriguing premise and riveting scenery. Even if the story, at times, was a bit too easy.

Yes, it's painfully obvious the film, based on James Dashner's popular fantasy novels, borrows from 'Lord of the Flies' ... and 'The Terminator' ... and maybe even 'Alien,' and any film in which humans are unwittingly used in supersized experiments.

I didn't care. 'The Maze Runner' managed to grab my attention because it seemed plausible (until things got shaky at the end). It succeeds by taking a new approach to the otherwise tiresome YA action blockbuster.

The story starts with Thomas ('Teen Wolf's' Dylan O'Brien) waking up on a speeding reverse elevator from hell, shooting toward the surface, where 30-40 ragged young men are trapped in the Glade -- a small forest surrounded by the giant walls of a gargantuan maze. Thomas -- like everyone else there -- initially has no memory of who he is or where he came from.

Thomas quickly inserts himself into the group led by Alby (Aml Ameen). The characters are familiar -- a suspicious enforcer/bad guy Gally (Will Poulter), a younger, affable chubby kid Chuck (Blake Cooper), a potential heroic sidekick Minho (Ki Hong Lee), and, eventually, the mysterious girl Teresa who -- surprise -- is tough as nails with a heart of gold (Kaya Scodelario, who is fairly magnetic in just about every scene she's in). Her appearance disrupts the established order of the Glade, especially when her mysterious connection to Thomas is revealed.

Every day, two 'runners' take off once the gate to the Maze opens, tasked with mapping the ever-shifting labyrinth to find a way out. They must return before day's end, when the gate closes, or spend the night inside, where huge biomechanical spider-like creatures called Grievers roam, searching for human victims.

The film's ultimate theme -- so fitting for young viewers -- is the choice between accepting the safe, orderly, status quo or challenging all that to find out what lies beyond. The contrast between the lush Glade and the thick, ugly, scarred walls of the Maze highlights this. When the conflict finally materializes, the movie gets interesting. The scenes inside the Maze are so claustrophobic the moviegoer can actually feel it.

Wes Ball, who's directing his first full-length feature, does a good job of balancing the humanity of the Glade's inhabitants (though it takes a while to become invested in the characters) with the threat looming outside. Some of the action scenes, though, unfurl so rapidly it can be difficult to keep track of what's happening.

The acting is strong, though it remains to be seen whether O'Brien can carry a franchise like a Jennifer Lawrence (doubtful). Scodelario's Teresa is more nuanced and interesting, and will bear watching in the sequels. The film's ending, with its lazy cliches, nearly unravels all 'Maze Runner's' good work. Fortunately, a final surprise (at least to those who haven't read the books) helps mitigate some of the silliness.

Outside of 'The Hunger Games,' 'The Maze Runner' has the biggest potential of the YA action franchises, with more room to maneuver story-wise than 'Divergent' or some of the others. Though they might want to hurry. By the time the Star Wars and Justice League films start their box office reign, there may not be much interest in the post-apocalyptic, dystopian future genre.

Contact Tony Hicks at http://ift.tt/1aHXPrF or http://ift.tt/1oGbWEx.

'The Maze Runner'

Rating: PG-13 (thematic elements, intense sequences of sci-fi violence, some disturbing images)Cast: Dylan O'Brien, Kaya Scodelario, Will Poulter, Aml Ameen, Ki Hong Lee, Thomas Brodie-Sangster, Patricia ClarksonDirector: Wes BallRunning time: 1 hours, 53 minutes

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