SPOILER FREE
Twilight and Hunger Games are to blame for the new trend of turning books into movies scenario that Hollywood has been so hellbent on lately. The rule in Hollywood is if a movie comes out and is a huge success, then everyone must follow suit afterwards. Hunger Games is more responsible for this than Twilight, because now we have a stream of books turned movies, that are trying to formulate their own trilogies such as Divergent, The Giver, and now Maze Runner. Divergent was decent, not great but not terrible. I respected it and i'll go see the follow up out of curiosity to see what else happens in the story. That's because they had characters in that film who were somewhat interesting. Didn't see The Giver yet so I can't comment on that one, but now I can weigh in on The Maze Runner.
The Maze Runner was Ok at best, but not really that good of a movie. The problem is even though it's based on a book, it feels quite generic and a rip off to the other movies listed above. Everyone is trying to copy the same dark and gritty Holocaust atmosphere that Hunger Games presented. Those movies are good but even they're overrated to a certain extent by the die hard fanatics. My issues with Maze Runner is not only is it generic, but you don't really care about the characters in this film. There is not one character that sticks out in your mind or feels memorable. The Hunger Games trilogy had Jennifer Lawrence, and Liam Hemsworth to keep you engaged. You cared about them and their dilemma. Divergent had Shailene Woodley whose not a bad actress if I may say so. She did very well in Fault in Our Stars. There was also a strong supporting cast backing it up such as Kate Winslet, Tony Goldwyn, and Ashley Judd. Hunger Games had Donald Sutherland, Philip Seymour Hoffman, and Stanley Tucci. Those had appealing actors to keep you engaged in the story. Maze Runners storyline feels dry, and recycled. There is no real actor you can latch onto or care about. Character development is almost nonexistent and dry here.
The pros of the movie that can be said are the dark setting in the Dystopian future. It's appealing and the creatures are interesting to watch. The acting was decent given the source material the actors had to work with, as well as the people chosen for the parts. Cinematography is good but that can also be said about Divergent and Hunger Games. It's not much different. Maze Runner is ultimately a product of the success of the other two movies mentioned, meaning that it wouldn't be made if the other two didn't appeal to the wide masses the way they did. Overall, the film can be summed up as being a watchable piece of entertainment, but that doesn't mean it's a film that'll stick out in your mind long after it ends. Not giving it a full thumbs down but not giving it a thumbs up either. Lovers of the book will like the movie, but casual moviegoers are going to find this one to be completely generic.
6/10
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