From Books to Movies, Take 5: The Maze Runner Review

(Please note: the above image was found at Bobbins and Books.)

For this edition of From Books to Movies I am going to feature my movie review of The Maze Runner.

Release Date: September 19, 2014 (USA)

Director: Wes Ball

MPAA Rating: PG-13

Adapted From: The Maze Runner by James Dashner

Movie Website: http://themazerunnermovie.com/

MY REVIEW:

It's been awhile since I read this series but I remembered enough to know the majority of the story, though perhaps not as many small details. For the most part I was highly impressed with the way the movie was made. The action was great! The actors did an amazing job! My kids (ages 12, 10 and nephew age 11) LOVED it! So all in all I am super glad we spent the money to go watch it on our new BIG D theater screen in town.

CHARACTERS I LOVED:

Newt:

Newt is played by Thomas Brodie-Sangster. I was familiar with him from his recurring role on the HBO show Game of Thrones. Being impressed with his work there, I knew that I would enjoy him in this movie too. If Alby is the moral compass in the movie, Newt is his second in command. 

Minho:

Minho, played by Ki Hong Lee, was one of my favorite characters in the book! Though I recall more speaking lines than what he has in the movie, his presence itself is big and he filled the role well. Minho is a runner and every day from the time the walls open to the time they close he is running the maze trying to find a way out. 

Alby:

Alby was the original glader and as such is older than the other boys. He has a good head on his shoulders, looks out for their best interests and keeps peace and unity among the group. One could say he is the moral compass of the boys. Aml Ameen did a fantastic job portraying this character.

Chuck:

I'm not sure if this is Blake Cooper's debut movie or not, but I'm not familiar with him. From what I remember in the book, Chuck is the youngest glader of the group and is a fun loving, easy going kid who takes to Thomas faster than any of the others. 

Gally:

Every movie has to have a villain. Though in The Maze Runner the maze itself and the creatures known as grievers are the main villains, there's also Gally. A glader who has been in the glade for 3 years, one of the longest, and as such is a leader of the group. He certainly doesn't like change and sees everything happening as a result of Thomas' arrival. This kid has the strangest eyebrows I've ever seen! But those eyebrows make his face very expressive. He portrays an angry Gally very well!

Thomas:

Let's face it. Everyone I've ever talked to fell in love with the actor Dylan O'Brien on Teen Wolf (MTV). He is not only funny on that show, but does an amazing job during serious scenes as well. He did not disappoint in his role as Thomas. From the confused and curious greenie, to the leader he starts to become, Dylan portrayed Thomas perfectly! 

CHARACTERS I WISHED HAD MORE LINES:

Frypan:

In the book Frypan is one of my most loved characters. I would've loved to see him have more lines. Perhaps in the movie sequel he will.

FINAL THOUGHTS:

My one irritation, believe it or not, was not the small deviations from the book. Those didn't bother me. No, it was the amount of curse words, particularly the use of the word "hell" by the characters, though there are others as well. It was overkill IMO. The book has little to no curse words. The gladers all wake up with NO memory of who they were or where they came from. In fact, they all wake up with no memory of their own name. Within a few days time their name comes back to them. When Thomas wakes up in the elevator and the doors above him open he is extremely confused by the words the other boys are using. Words like "shank", "greenie", "shuck", "klunk", "slopper", etc... They have developed their own language because they don't remember anything from before. So it was disappointing to me that yet again Hollywood felt like it needed bad language in a movie that is geared toward the middle school and young adult age groups. Truthfully this movie will appeal to all age groups. It's that good of a sci-fi story. The bad language was unnecessary for sure.

There's nonstop action. There are lots of moments that made me jump and made my heart race. Nearly the whole movie had me nervous - and I read it, so I know how it ended! The scenery was amazing and very realistic! The ending was a perfect cliffhanger! My family all loved it! Very well done!

My Final Rating - 4.5  stars!