Monday, September 22, 2014

The Maze Runner- Movie Review

 
I made it out to the Maze Runner movie this weekend.  We skipped the IMAX showing for it because I didn't really think this movie was IMAX worthy. I almost wasn't going to go and see this movie .. only because I didn't love The Maze Runner book.  A friend of mine really wanted to see it so I went ahead and attended.  It didn't disappoint. 
 
I really enjoyed the movie and perhaps that is because I went in with low expectations.  I had heard the movie was supposed to be released in February and got pushed back all the way till September.  If you have no idea what this is about.. basically some teens find themselves in a maze with no memory except their names.  They come up in a cage and then are left in the middle of a maze to fend for themselves.  Once a month the cage will come up with a new member and some supplies.  We follow a character Thomas as he enters the maze and what happens after that. 

What I enjoyed most about this film was seeing the maze come to life.  The CGI was really well done.  The excitement was there.. I felt like I was in the maze. I thought the movie was well paced unlike the book.  In the book we don't get any answers about what is going on till the end of the book and in the movie the answers are presented in a reasonable amount of time.   The one thing this film will probably remind people of is the large number of dystopian movies that have come out lately.  Hunger Games/Divergent.  

I will say I haven't read past the Maze Runner.  Though I was interested at the end of the book and this movie about what happens next.  I still may pick up the next book before the second film comes out (if it gets made).   I give this movie a B. 



Maze Runner Book Review

34 comments:

  1. The books become more frustrating. More questions and no answers.

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  2. Nice review! I've never read the book, but the film looked mildly intriguing. Maybe a rental for me.

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  3. I barely have seen anything about this movie which is surprising. Not even a commercial on TV. But I wasn't that impressed with the book, so I wasn't planning to see this in theaters. Maybe I'll watch it on Netflix, if it is a bit better than the movie. I'm glad it was enjoyable for you!

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  4. I haven't read this book yet, but I would like to see the movie. Thank you for this review.

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  5. I'm in the same boat as you are: didn't really care for the first book, didn't finish the series. The trailer for this film looks pretty good, though, and I was curious if they would answer more questions than the book does. Thanks for the review!

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  6. I don't think it's out in the UK yet... and I haven't heard about the story, but it sounds like a must read and/or must see for me. Love the idea for the story.

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  7. Thanks I saw this as a preview last month and it looked good, so Wehrenberg here I come :)

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  8. Glad you had fun, Angela! I haven't read the book yet either, and I was debating whether to see the movie. I think it sounds more like a Netflix than a theater-movie for our household, though.

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  9. That's good to know. I may see this like I did with Divergent- just something to do, then will probably want to read the books. :) Although if the movie is more forthcoming with answers maybe I'll just stick with that. The clip I saw did look good...

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  10. Ughh... good to know. I just think I will wait for the films then. I liked the pacing of the film and the excitement so I think I would enjoy them more then I would enjoy the rest of the books series.

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  11. I would recommend this movie. It was a lot of fun. I think people who haven't read the books will get a lot of enjoyment out of it.

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  12. The whole marketing thing for the film was odd. I mean.. it got pushed back. And then finally it comes out. There wasn't a lot of trailers on the TV which is too bad because it is actually a really good film.

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  13. I haven't seen Divergent since it came out of theaters, but I can't wait to watch it again. I always like to watch it again when I get home because sometimes when I am in the theater I am excited so the movie is better then it is when I watch it at home. It always happens to me! LOL!

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  14. Oh yeah... the movie doesn't mess around. It brings you right into the answers. You don't get pulled around the entire film like in the book. I thought that it really did a good job. My husband wants to read the books now but the wait list at the library is long and so he was talking about just buying the series and I was like NOOOOO!!! Don't do it! :)

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  15. Humm... not sure about the UK. I did see that the film is going through with making the second movie so that is good news.

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  16. WOOT!! I think it was a fun escape movie. Exciting.. just fun. I haven't seen too many reviews on it yet but looks like audiences gave it good reviews on Rotten Tomatoes.

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  17. Oh yeah.. this would be a fun movie night. We have a home theater in our house so movie night is always a good time.

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  18. Well... I want to tell people to skip the book but a lot of people liked this book. So I guess it's just up the reader whether it is good or not. The books are long so that is another reason I didn't continue in the books. Just seemed like they were too long to not be great for me.

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  19. Haha! I'm looking forward to seeing the film now, but I definitely second your stance against purchasing the books!

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  20. agreed. By the end of it I felt like the series was just scrambling for action and plot and didn't know how to resolve what it started.

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  21. Theresa's character barely got any screen time. I agree she should've got a little more. I am assuming that in the next film she will be in it more. Of course I haven't read that book so I actually don't know this for a fact. I am glad you are enjoying the books. There are a lot of people out there who do.

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  22. I would recommend seeing the movie. It was great!

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  23. I think you should give the books a chance. It does do the book justice.

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  24. Hmm... I had expected it to be a turkey based on it being pushed back but you do make the movie sound worth seeing. I doubt we'll be able to get to see it in the movie theater now but I will definitely make a point of renting it as soon as it comes out!

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  25. I feel like the oddling who doesn't know anything about Maze Runner (other than it was all the rage several years ago). Glad you liked it--going in with low expectations sometimes does the trick. We'll probably just rent it when it comes out...maybe. :)

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  26. I too thought that the push back was bad. I mean... it was like December and there were no trailers or photos out and it was supposed to come out in February. then they pushed it back and I was like WHA???? I wasn't even going to see it but a friend really wanted to go and I am actually glad I did go. Rent it for sure. You should enjoy it.

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  27. LOL... maybe!! Or wait for HBO. One of the people I went with was someone's date and she had no idea what this movie was. She didn't even know about the book. She did still enjoy the movie though. So you will probably still enjoy it.

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  28. I really enjoyed the first book, the second got a bit scarier/intense at times, but the third really took down the whole series for me. I try to remain positive in my memory about the first, but I really disliked how things went. I don't actually plan to see the film, though, despite enjoying the first (it's great you enjoyed it more than the book- do you think, had you loved the book, you would have liked the movie more or less, though?), because none of the trailers make it look like a film I would enjoy. I am pretty pleased with the casting, though, I guess.

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  29. I just saw this movie and I liked it. I hadn't read the book so I was curious to hear from people who did read the book. I thought the movie was good with the CGI and I was able to follow the story. I am tempted to start the series but I just don't have the time. So hopefully they will make the next movie. If they don't then I'll have to read the series. Nice review!!

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  30. Interesting to read about the other two books and how you felt about them. I am trying to stay away from gore/murder lately so I will for sure avoid those books now. I just feel like lately I haven't been reading anything that makes me feel good. Yes I am entertained but does it make me happy or feel better about life? That is what I am looking for.

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  31. The books are really thick. So if you have other books.. yeah you won't have time for these. Glad you liked the movie too. I heard the next movie is supposed to come out next year so you shouldn't have to wait long for it.

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  32. I thought the previews looked pretty good but had no idea this was based on a book until after the previews had run for awhile. I don't have any interesting reading the book but the movie looks good. If it is then I might pick up the book. Glad to see you gave this a B.

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  33. That is such a good choice to have made for yourself, Angela. I hope you're finding some really fantastic books. x

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