The Maze Runner – Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Chris Eberle

Synopsis

Thomas wakes up on an elevator speeding upwards not knowing who he is or where he came from. When the doors open, he finds himself surrounded by a group of boys his age. He’s landed in the Glade, a society of young boys who all have no memories except their names. The Glade is surrounded by enormously high walls that lead into a vast maze. Only the runners are allowed inside. If they don’t return by sundown, they’ll die in the maze at the hands of monstrous cybernetic beings known as Grievers.

When Thomas starts asking questions, the peaceful co-existence between the boys and their surroundings is shaken up. Society leader Alby becomes trapped in the maze one night so Thomas and Minho rush in to save him. They manage to survive when Thomas kills a Griever for the first time. They recover a mysterious device that seems to activate more doors in the maze possibly leading to a way out. Eventually circumstances force the group to attempt escape or die trying.

Commentary

This is yet another film based on a series of popular novels that casts young boys and girls in the hero role. I won’t go as far as to say it’s completely formulaic but a lot of common elements are there. The Maze Runner is a little different in that you get almost no back story. In fact, you have no idea what’s going on outside the maze until the very end of the movie. At that point a mysterious scientist appears and says only, “It’s time for phase two.” Yes, the sequel is already filming for release in 2015.

The Lord of the Flies vibe is quite strong in the boys’ society with them taking on distinct roles of leadership, worker, maze runner and so forth. Thomas, of course, is the one who’s different than the others thanks to his curiosity. I enjoyed all the actors’ performances which given their young ages and lack of experience is pretty impressive. Overall this is a very enjoyable film that will definitely leave you wanting more. Recommended.

Technical

The image takes on a cool tone throughout; and especially during sequences in the maze. There is still plenty of depth thanks to excellent contrast but I found the transfer just the tiniest bit soft. Detail doesn’t jump from the screen and comes up a little short of reference quality. I appreciated the film-makers’ efforts in not creating a super-dark and murky environment. Even inside the maze you could see shapes and faces clearly.

The DTS-HD Master Audio encode comes in 7.1 though it sounds just fine in a 5.1 configuration. The track is a slam-fest from beginning to end with tremendous depth and fantastic use of the sub and surround channels. Not only is the soundstage completely enveloping, you can clearly hear sounds overhead. The original film was mixed in both Dolby Atmos and Auro 11.1. You don’t get those encodes on this Blu-ray but it sounds so much better than films done in typical Dolby surround.

Extras

Bonus features include audio commentary by director Wes Ball and screenwriter T.S. Nowlin, a making-of documentary, deleted scenes, a gag reel, an 8-minute short film called Ruin, still photo galleries and a theatrical trailer. The edition I received also included a nicely-done comic book.