And I say this with all honesty...WOW! This is the tween movie to end all tween movies. Forget Divergent, The Hunger Games, and Harry Potter. The Maze Runner is probably one of the best tween movies I've ever seen. Without hesitation 5 out of 5 stars. Keep reading...
Dylan O'Brien plays a kid put into the "Glades" out of nowhere. Turns out the Glades are in the middle of a giant maze. In the Glades are boys also trapped. Trapped in a maze? What is going on? Let me explain further.
Every month for the past three years one boy gets sent up into the Glades with a box of food and water. There's a leader named Alby, he was the first to come up. Then there are Runners whom go into the maze every day tracking the maze (at night the maze doors close, and it changes. Also at night Grievers go into the maze tracking to see if there are any runners inside the maze...they will be killed. Think of Grievers are giant deadly spiders). There's a second in command, Newt and also a medic, weapons experts, food gatherers, builders, the list goes on. For some reason Dylan's character is there AND all hell ensues. The big twist at the end sets up for the sequels!!!!!!
Performance wise Dylan commands the screen. His claim to fame is nerdy Stiles on MTV's Teen Wolf. Not gonna lie if they didn't make Stiles bad last season to showcase Dylan's acting chops I wouldn't have thought he could pull this role off. He not only pulls it off, but you wanna see him onscreen all-the-time! The other notable performance has to be Chris Sheffield. Aml Ameen's Alby is good as the Leader as is Ki Hong Lee as Minho the Main Runner, but Chris' character ties it all together. And his performance left me speechless so you can imagine my enjoyment when Chris & Dylan shared an intense scene. The minor twist in the movie comes from Kaya Scodelario. She looks like Jena Malone meets Kristin Stewart and acts like Chloë Moretz Grace (which is a good thing).
My new favorite thing in Hollywood is having visual artists direct. Frank Miller & Robert Stromberg (visual director of Avatar & Alice in Wonderland, director of Maleficient). Wes Ball being a visual director himself takes us on a visual journey that most directors wish they could IN HIS DIRECTORIAL DEBUT. Simply breathtaking!
This movie keeps you guessing until the very end; it's smart and engaging...which says a lot for tween movies. I loved it, and may see it again. If you haven't go see it. Take your teen nephews, nieces, or kids. This is one they and you as an adult will thoroughly enjoy.