The Maze Runner (2014)

Director: Wes Ball
Starring: Dylan O'Brien, Kaya Scodelario, Will Poulter

Synopsis:
An amnesiac boy wakes up in an elevator that delivers him to a small woodland community located at the entrance of a massive labyrinth. While others are content to live in the relative safety of the Glade, he dares to challenge the Maze and seek a way out.

Impressions:
I heard good things about this movie and decided to give it a try. While I'm not an avid follower of the current YA craze, the movies I've seen have all been decent. Yes, they're all riding a fairly similar train (sometimes the adaptations being jiggered to fit onboard regardless of how the source material originally played out), but they each seem to do well enough in my estimation. Director Wes Ball supposedly pitched the movie as The Lord of the Flies meets Lost. That really is an apt description and if that appeals to you, then you should like this movie. Of the cast, I particularly liked Aml Ameen as the leader Alby, Ki Hong Lee as the head runner Minho, Thomas Brodie-Sangster as Alby's second Newt, and Will Poulter as the antagonistic muscle Gally. I generally liked the character dynamics and the overall setup of the world. There's good pacing and decent action. I'm certainly looking forward to the sequel. Give this one a watch.

Rating:
Watch It