Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 62% (Critics) / 78% (Audience)
Directed By: Wes Ball
Written By: Noah Oppenheim, Grant Pierce Myers, and T.S. Nowlin
Starring: Dylan O’Brien, Kaya Scodelario, Will Poulter, Ki Hong Lee and Thomas Brodie-Sangster
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Synopsis:Thomas is deposited in a community of boys after his memory is erased, soon learning they’re all trapped in a maze that will require him to join forces with fellow “runners” for a shot at escape. – (Source)
The Good:
Having never even heard of the book series this film is based on I came into THE MAZE RUNNER totally blind and that sense of the unknown served this movie well for the most part. It has been a while since I can say I have been completely in the dark about any film I am watching so I enjoyed not knowing what was coming next.
I also think Dylan O’Brien worked well as the lead in this. I am a fan of his from MTV’s TEEN WOLF and he was able to transfer his small screen charisma to the big screen with no problems. Actually the entire cast of young actors were really good and held things together through some of the movie’s rough patches.
The Bad:
As much as I liked the unknown aspect of the movie at a certain point things should start to make some sort of sense but I walked out of THE MAZE RUNNER not really having any clue what the hell was going on. The film offered an explanation of the purpose of the maze and why the kids were sent there but it may have been the most idiotic explanation for anything ever. And based off of that explanation so much stuff that happened just seemed like time filling nonsense to me.
Don’t even get me started on the absurdly over-complex idea behind The Grievers.
The Ugly:
Kaya Scodelario is a heck of an actress but you wouldn’t know it from the barely there role she had in this movie. Hopefully the upcoming sequels give her more to do.
Final Verdict:I really enjoyed the newness of THE MAZE RUNNER and the young cast all performed admirably but the movie was a rollercoaster of overly complicated silliness that didn’t seem to know how to balance providing answers to the audience with leaving enough things open-ended for the sequels. Hopefully they get it right with the next one.
Grade: C
Crustula 
I pretty much agree, total sh*te – although I was sure ‘the ugly’ part was gonna be will poulter! Couldn’t decide which was worse, the stupidity of the film – one of the worst I’ve ever seen – or the annoyance of having to look at his ugly mug for two hours. in the end poulter won hands down. also, it kept bugging me where I’d seen it before. when I got home and looked him up I realised it was in The Millers. Didn’t bug me when he played a dork, but once seen is enough. he should stick to comedy, he could be the next jimmy Durante (Google images). Of course some people disagree – it’s amazing how ugly famous people attract admirers, although the poulter fan poster I saw had similar looks! still, villains are also often typecast as ugly. just wouldn’t have worked as the lead hero, would have made the film even worse, if possible. Have to check out cast lists to avoid him in the future. like the home alone kid (who at least started out ‘cute’) he’s not getting any prettier. maybe in his fifties one op may come up – the lead in a remake of Sin City!
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