The Maze Runner outpaced all other movies this weekend with an estimated revenue of $32.5 million. Set in a dystopian-type future, The Maze Runner takes Lord of the Flies and gives it a special sci-fi twist.
Based on the successful YA series, we follow the story of a boy named Thomas, who holds no other memory but his name, as he arrives in a “glaze” surrounded by four tall industrial walls and that holds at least 30 other boys. He soon discovers that the only way out of this prison-type camp is through the maze. Throughout the movie, Thomas has to battle mechanical monsters, rebellious enemies, and his own memories in order to obtain the freedom they’ve all been striving for since the day they arrived.
The film is lead by Dylan O’Brien, most known for his role as “Stiles Stilinski” in MTV’s teen drama, Teen Wolf. He gives a stunning performance as Thomas and leads a very good ensemble cast of young actors. Throughout the film, his acting allows viewers to relate to the character and live the story with him as well as through him. Also very notable for his acting performance is Will Poulter, who plays the role of Gally, one of the film’s antagonists. Gally is, naturally, against anything Thomas suggests, and the way he has upset the order of things through his arrival at the Glaze.
Poulter plays his character very well, making believable the anger he holds towards Thomas, as well as making audiences hate him a little bit for it but at the same time pity him. Poulter and O’Brien play well off each other throughout the film, and their antagonistic relationship only makes it that much more enjoyable.
Filled with action packed sequences, The Maze Runner has movie goers sitting on the edge of their seats. We watch as characters run for their lives multiple times through CGI-packed settings that were too realistic for their own good. Director Wes Ball packed the film with breath-taking camera panoramas and eye-catching camera angles. Every tilt and turn of the camera aided in telling the story.
Due to its success, the franchise is already organizing their next installment, to be titled “The Maze Runner 2: Scorch Trials” and to be released on September 18th, 2015.
