The Maze Runner, A BHS Blueprint Movie Review!
#1 Most Viewed Blueprint Post (September)
September 23, 2014
The Maze Runner (20th Century Fox)
Running Time: 1 hr, 53 min
Genre: YA, Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi, Post-Apocalyptic, Mystery
Director: Wes Ball (Beginners, 2011)
Screenplay Writer(s):
– Noah Oppenheim (The Buried Life, 2010)
– Grant Pierce Myers (The Maze Runner, 2014)
– T.S. Nowlin (The Maze Runner, 2014)
– James Dashner (Author of the Maze Runner Trilogy)
Critics Review Ratings:
– Rotten Tomatoes: 63%
– Metacritic: 56 out of 100
– Cinemascore: A-
Box Office (opening weekend) www.boxofficemojo.com
– Domestic: 32,500,000 million (32.5mil)
– Foreign: 49,000,000 million as of 9/21/14
“Beyond the visuals, what makes The Maze Runner so compelling is it’s attention-grabbing storyline.” – Bill Zwecker, Chicago Sun-Times
“No, there’s nothing new here. But sometimes it’s enough to be merely entertained, rather than amazed.” – Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News
“With a strong foundation, superb acting and brilliant visuals, The Maze Runner is a fresh addition to the YA and dystopian genre.” – Joel Freecheck, The BHS Blueprint/Joel(B)Freecheck Blog
Imagine a white room, empty, no doors or windows, only a chair which you’re strapped to. The Maze Runner paints this picture in vivid colors as the movie begins, benefiting from the fact that the foundation of this film lacks all detail, and yet because of that fact, stays robust. Before I continue, I want to inform you i’m a passionate fan of The Maze Runner Series, if it were bad, i’d tell you, but I’m slightly biased, so beware.
The Maze Runner is an all out mystery for those who have never read the books, as Thomas is sent up into the maze, nothing is revealed, everything is obscure, all but the glader’s fear. When I refer to “the gladers”, I mean the fifty-so-so boys already within the “glade”, a sort of safe haven for the teens from the maze, which is anything but safe. Knowing nothing, Thomas must not only deal with the lethal maze and it’s eerie “grievers”, he must also remember himself, and why is stuck with these other boys within the maze. The film does a good job keeping it’s audience in pace with the fast-moving maze running protagonist, revealing subtle hints about the maze’s origins along the way. This is the movies greatest asset, other than it’s brilliant subject material.
Teen Wolf actor Dylan O’Brien leads the pack of glader’s through the action packed, griever-filled, terrifying adventure without breaking a sweat. The amount of pure emotion he was able to create aided the movie, even within the first second, as we see his face, not only absolutely horrified, but utterly confused as he makes his ascent in the “box” into the maze. This is not the time for the tough-guy act, though in some instances he may have had to use it, his vulnerability was his trump card. Allowing the audience to truly merge with his character allowed the film to progress in a rare way for YA films, considering the laughable fails of The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones and Beautiful Creatures.
For a reader, the film may have been predictable, but not as much as other adaptions such as Divergent and a few of the Harry Potter films. The screenplay had included the majority of the vital plot elements, and patched up much that need fixed. If you are like me who memorized every word of the book’s pages, you will find many events added for aesthetic purposes, or for the non-readers, whom have never had a chance to pick up and be sucked into the book.
If I were to choose the greatest achievement of this film, I would praise the visuals above all. With such a lackluster budget, what they achieved should be impossible, and yet, it all played out, in all it’s dark, twisted and astounding glory.
Overall, The Maze Runner proved a to be a worthy competitor against the likes of The Hunger Games and the Divergent series, and will most likely play out as such next year, with it’s sequel, The Maze Runner: Scorch Trials being released around the same time as the first. Here is a list of the main pros and cons of the film. For each pro, +10 points will be added to the films final score, and with every con, -10 will be deducted.
Pros:
+10 From the beginning, the Maze Runner begins to draw you in, invoking the “what’s going on” feel.
+10 Dylan O’Brien’s acting is remarkable, complimenting the other cast members.
+10 The visuals are amazing, it should be impossible for the film makers to create such a beautiful maze with only 34 million.
+10 The adaption was a crisp, true to it’s subject-material job done right.
+10 The lack of a solid foundation for both fans and non-readers alike added to the film’s mysterious atmosphere.
+10 Many of the book’s few errors were patched up, allowing a fresh experience for book fans.
+10 Wes Ball did a great job directing, helping bring one of my favorite novels to the silver screen.
+10 The film’s soundtrack was implemented in *all the right places* (Insert Megan Trainor singing overlay)
Cons:
-10 The ending was changed dramatically, confusing readers and viewers.
-10 The movie’s love ordeal was not given enough emphasis, and the removal of Thomas and Teresa’s mind link slightly lessened the script’s quality.
100 – 20 = 80/100. Earning the Maze Runner an above-average review.
BHS BOX OFFICE DEMAND:
Blaine High School has a student body of nearly three thousand kids, so I went and interviewed thirty on whether or not they were going to go see The Maze Runner at any point during it’s box office run. Here are the results, put into a t-chart for your convenience and student opinions that I managed to record are also included.
BHS student’s that said yes: (8)
“Yes, I enjoyed the book series.” – Sam G.Grade 12
“The book was great, a definite yes.” – Ashley Sinna, Grade 10
Student’s that said maybe: (4)
“I might, if I remember, it’s not that important to me.” – Katie W. Grade 10
“I was offered to go with a friend but that may not happen, who knows?” – Shad B. Grade 12
Student’s that said no: (18)
“No, but i’m curious, if I hear it’s good I may rent it when it’s released on bluray/DVD.” – Olivia Carlson. Grade 10
“I haven’t read the book, so I have no interest in it.” – Marissa Rono. Grade 10
“No, I find it a waste of time.” – Hannah Sce. Grade 10
“I have no plans yet, but I doubt it will be included.” – Miranda S. Grade 12
Thanks for reading, while here, why not answer this post’s poll, thanks, Joel Freecheck.
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