12:44 PM
ArtsNFashion
Review
by James Colt Harrison
20th Century Fox has a
run-away winner in the latest adaptation of a
Young Adult book, “The Maze Runner” by author James Dashner. Probably
not since the classic book “Lord of The Flies” have so many teen boys been put
into jeopardy, but here it is visualized excitingly by cinematographer Enrique
Chediak. The film stands solidly on its own and is not, definitely not, a
bargain basement clone of either “Flies” or “The Hunger Games” novels.
Clutching the viewer immediately from
the first scene until the last, it wins accolades for being the most
thrillingly exciting and terrifyingly chilling sci-fi to come out of Hollywood
in decades. Not being much of a sci-fi fan myself, nobody was more surprised
than this reviewer that the material, the sharply-edited pace, and the likeable
kids kept our attention for the full two hours. The mystery, the action, the
scary see-but-not-see anything scenes grab you and don’t let go for a minute. Film
editor Dan Zimmerman takes us on a ride of thrills and chills as good as Jaws did years ago.
It all begins when handsome teen Thomas
(Dylan O’Brien) is found rocketing to the top of a rusty elevator shaft and
emerging into an unknown territory. He has no memory of how he got there or
why. He finds himself in a green, leafy glade populated by a community of teen
boys like himself. They are all trapped within a maze and have been trying to
find their way out for the past three years.
Threatening their escape from their
walled-in society are The Grievers, vicious scorpion-like creatures who seem to
be made of metal---and sticky goo. Not nice at all.
The labyrinth which imprisons the boys
is ever-changing and constantly baffles them about finding a way out of the
maze. Gaffy (Will Poulter) is more or less a leader and he thinks it better to
remain where they are or get killed by unknown terrors. Thomas is a forward
thinker and believes there may be a way out. Naturally, there is a conflict
between the boys who follow Gaffy and those who think Thomas may be right.
Young Poulter is a fine villain for being so young, and audiences just may well
dislike him or take his side.
Thomas joins fellow “runners” Minho (Ki
Hong Lee), Alby (Aml Ameen), and Newt (Thomas Brodie-Sangster) and some other
brave kids to dash through the maze to find an exit before the walls close in
on them. The tension is palpable as you find yourself cheering them on as if
they are in a race for their lives. Well, they are in a race to stay alive!
When solid concrete walls squeeze in on them and giant steel slabs close off
every exit, gasping in fright at their plight is a normal, heart-stopping reaction
of the audience.
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