The document provides a review of the movie "The Maze Runner". It summarizes that the movie has a fast pace without excessive exposition or love triangles typical of teen films. While not a great film, it is a solid adaptation of the book. The review notes that the score and sound design lack subtlety and the production design seems more like a TV show than a feature film. However, the familiar elements and sense of mystery keep the film engaging, if not outright challenging.

1. IN
THE MAZE RUNNER
Look out, look out…
The Maze Runner is not a good movie, but it
wins points for omitting much of what makes
typical teen films excruciating.
There’s no love triangle and no lengthy
flashbacks of elders barfing up loads of
mythology and exposition. It may be sad to
consider this an accomplishment, but The
Maze Runner’s spry pace is noticeable and
appreciated.
Mercifully restrained in the CGI department, Wes Ball's
feature debut reps a solid adaptation of James Dashner's
YA fantasy novel.
The Bottom Line
Managing fan expectations could turn out to be this
movie’s principal challenge.
Opens
Sept. 19 (20th Century Fox)
Cast
Dylan O’Brien, Kaya Scodelario, Thomas Brodie-
Sangster, Will Poulter, Aml Ameen
Director
Wes Ball
Overall:
3.5 Stars
Rating:
12A
Run
time:
113
minutes
The score is horrendous, and the
sound design hasn’t an ounce of
subtlety. The overall production
design – including the opening titles
– looks a lot more like TV than a
feature film. Were it not for the
expansion into the larger world in
the last few minutes, I’d compare the
movie to a season one episode of
Star Trek: The Next Generation, in
which Commander Riker loses his
memory but retains his leadership
skills (and dashing good looks) on
some crazy prison planet.
The similarities to well-known
literary works (Nineteen Eighty-
Four and Lord of the Flies among
them) and speculative fiction
thrillers (Logan’s Run, Battle
Royale and The Hunger Games,
for instance) are almost more
reassuring than disconcerting. In
fact, it’s this recurrent sense of
familiarity rather than any
distinct originality that makes the
film consistently engaging,
although never outright
challenging…
The Maze Runner has a sly way of
seeming propulsive, even if not
much happens. We enter the world
of the film alongside a befuddled
boy stricken with amnesia, placed in
a world filled with other amnesiacs.
As such, no one really knows what
the hell they’re doing, which is a
surprisingly effective storytelling
trick. Our hero is Thomas, played by
the 23-year-old Dylan O’Brien. He’s
the newest “greenie” in “the
Glade,” and arrives with boxes of
farming supplies.
CINEMAS