The Maze Runner

Based on the book by James Dashner, The Maze Runner follows Dylan O’Brien’s Thomas as he awakens in an enclosed area with no memory of how he got there or even who he is – with the narrative subsequently detailing Thomas’ efforts, alongside his fellow captives, at escaping the maze on said enclosed area’s outskirts. Director Wes Ball kicks The Maze Runner off with an impressively engrossing pre-credits sequence that seems to promise a better-than-usual teen dystopian thriller, and yet the movie, though generally watchable, quickly segues into a meandering midsection that could (and should) have been trimmed down considerably – with the film’s padded-out 113 minute running time often threatening to cancel out its more positive attributes. It’s worth noting, then, that the picture benefits strongly from O’Brien’s charismatic performance and a smattering of above-average action sequences, with, in terms of the latter, Ball infusing the narrative’s high-octane moments with a refreshingly coherent sensibility that proves impossible to resist (eg there is, for example, a chase through the titular maze that packs a far more visceral punch than one might’ve anticipated). The rampant familiarity running through the proceedings (ie there’s little here to differentiate it from the Hunger Games and Allegiant series) stands as a continuing impediment to The Maze Runner‘s ultimate success, however, and it doesn’t seem likely, given the revelations contained in the climactic stretch, that this feeling will change in the series’ remaining two installments.

**1/2 out of ****