Film review - The Maze Runner

Yet another young adult novel makes it to the big screen, this one based on the first novel in James Dashner’s popular trilogy. And that’s probably the first thing to be aware of: like The Hunger Games, Divergent and Ender’s Game, Wes Ball’s The Maze Runner is most suitable for older teenage audiences, because of its violence—much of it with weapons.

But unlike some other young adult movies, there’s no romantic angst to be had in this one, with just one major female protagonist and none of the often overdone relationship subplots.

When Thomas (Dylan O’Brien) wakes to find himself trapped alongside a massive concrete maze with a group of other boys, he has no memory of who he is, although he does gradually remember his name and eventually his past association with a mysterious organisation.

Here, of course, is the central theme of any young adult story: identity. Psychologists say the chief goal of teenagers is to discover who they are in the wider world, outside of their own family. Along the way, there are plenty of obstacles to overcome, difficult and confusing choices to be made, and more than a few wrong turns taken at times.

What better way to demonstrate this quest for identity than the story of a young man trying to find his way through a literal maze and with no solid connection to where he came from? It’s been done before, of course. Remember that classic ’80s movie Labyrinth in which 15-year-old Sarah had to navigate her way through another puzzling and Bowie-infected environment.

The Bible tells us our true place in this world is as the most important part of all God’s creation—made in God’s image. We are also told that God intends us to know him, not merely be vaguely aware of the possibility of his existence. Which is why God makes his existence clear first of all in nature, why he told us his story (and ours) in the Bible, and why he sent Jesus to fill in some more of the gaps in our knowledge. We may think that we’re searching through some confusing maze to find out who we are; the reality is that God shows himself to us so we can find our true selves in him.

Mystery is at the heart of The Maze Runner, and as part one of three, there’s clearly a sequel in the offing, so don’t head into this one expecting everything to be resolved. Having said that, this is a cracking, suspenseful and inventive story, one that invites audiences to think about a lot more than just what’s on screen.

Review by Christina Tyson

The Maze Runner
Genre: Family/Fantasy/Science Fiction/Thriller
Director:  Wes Ball
Rating: M (violence)
Run time: 1 hour 53 mins