'Scuse the unnecessary capitals in the title.
I missed this movie during its cinema run, so I was quite surprised how quickly it came to DVD.
I had read the book early in 2014, and my reaction to it was mixed. The concept of a group of boys, trapped in an ever shifting maze, populated by deadly creatures was pretty damn intriguing.
But that wasn't to say I didn't have problems reading it. The quality of the writing was, for me, pretty basic. There didn't seem to be a lot of emotions expressed with the main character (Thomas as played by Dylan O'Brien in the film), and there was an overabundance of made-up slang on the author James Dashner's part.
But I wasn't the target audience. I'm no teenager, so clearly these problems were just because I was used to a more mature level of storytelling.
But when I heard it was being adapted into a film, and starring one of my favourite (and one of the best in my opinion, young actors on screen today), I thought it was worth revisiting in a more visual medium.
Fortunately the movie is much more succinct than I felt the book came across. Events have been shortened, moved or erased entirely from the finished product (thankfully along with an ESP subplot of the book) which, rather than being a detriment, is an asset.
Visually the movie is pretty damned stunning. The maze and the grievers are pretty much exactly what I had envisioned reading the novel. And the characters definitely benefit from being played rather than being read.
Newt, Chuck and Minho are two characters that seem more *ah-hem* fleshed out, for wont of a better term. And whilst none of the characters come with a backstory per-say, each are more alive on screen than on paper due to the actors portraying them. Gally (the story's main antagonist- apart from the grievers and the creators of the maze) is also more sympathetic than in the book. Teresa does feel a little rushed in the introduction department- but again, she is in the book too.
The character who benefits most is Thomas himself, for the same reasons. Although I do have some small reservations. If anyone has ever seen Teen Wolf, O'Brien is brilliant as Stiles Stilinski. He is the main reason I didn't give up after the premiere episode- which like quite a few firsts was a little weak. And Season 3B was an absolute triumph for him as he played both Stiles and the evil, sadistic and murderous Nogitsune. But TheMaze Runner doesn't quite give him (or rather us as the audience) time to get to know him. This isn't really a failing on O'Brien's part, rather it's the medium the story is played out in. Two hours isn't as much time as four seasons. But with the stage and players all introduced and set, I'm willing to bet we'll get to know Thomas, Minho and the others better in the sequels. Although if it was a mini-series can you imagine how much cooler this story could have been?
Suffice to say The Maze Runner is a very good film, the tension in those final moments of escape are palpable. And the final shot of the maze itself is almost heart-breaking, when you consider these are children, in how close they were from their much sought freedom.
No comments:
Post a Comment