6.9 | / 10 |
Users | 3.9 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.9 |
Thomas wakes up in an elevator, remembering nothing but his own name. He emerges into a world of about 60 teen boys who have learned to survive in a completely enclosed environment, subsisting on their own agriculture and supplies. A new boy arrives every 30 days. The original group has been in "The Glade" for two years, trying to find a way to escape through the Maze that surrounds their living space. They have begun to give up hope. Then a comatose girl arrives with a strange note, and their world begins to change.
Starring: Dylan O'Brien, Aml Ameen, Ki Hong Lee, Blake Cooper, Thomas Brodie-SangsterAdventure | 100% |
Sci-Fi | 69% |
Teen | 31% |
Thriller | 2% |
Mystery | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.40:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1 (448 kbps)
French (Canada): Dolby Digital 5.1
French: DTS 5.1
Italian: DTS 5.1
Portuguese: Dolby Digital 5.1 (448 kbps)
Czech: Dolby Digital 5.1
Hungarian: Dolby Digital 5.1 (448 kbps)
Polish: Dolby Digital 5.1 (448 kbps)
Turkish: Dolby Digital 5.1
English SDH, French, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, Arabic, Czech, Dutch, Hungarian, Polish, Slovak, Turkish
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD, 1 DVD)
UV digital copy
DVD copy
Slipcover in original pressing
Region free
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 4.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Many of us fathers with teenaged boys marauding through our lives might not complain that much (at least for a while) should our sons be transported to a sylvan encampment surrounded by an impenetrable stone fortress wall, where they could work through their hormonally charged behavior with impunity, quasi-Lord of the Flies style. There are no parental units in sight in The Maze Runner, a formulaic if involving thriller positing a teenager named Thomas (Dylan O’Brien), who awakens with a start inside a caged elevator that is being hoisted at a rather alarming rate of speed toward some unknown destination. Thomas is obviously completely disoriented (to the point that he initially doesn’t even remember his name) and only becomes more so once the elevator hatch opens and he finds himself surrounded by other boys and young men staring down at him and laughing at the “new greenie.” Thomas makes a mad dash for freedom, at least that is until he notices that there is no escape. He’s in a huge field with a surrounding forest, with that aforementioned insanely tall stone wall backing the treed space. The other guys are now laughing even more heartily, and Thomas’ consternation is complete. The Maze Runner offers an intriguing premise, one that plays upon well developed tropes of dystopian futures and teens coming to the rescue as have been well exploited in other young adult franchises like The Hunger Games and Divergent. A lot has been written about The Maze Runner’s supposed “darkness”, even in comparison to the not exactly cheery Hunger Games or Divergent, but ironically a lot of the film plays out in a kind of languid summery ambience that seems to suggest the boys are taking part in the latest installment of Survivor. There are hints of mayhem on the horizon, however, especially once Thomas becomes better informed about the predicament of the residents of the so-called Glade.
The Maze Runner is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.40:1. Shot digitally with a variety of cameras including the Red Epic and Arri Alexa, The Maze Runner features a very sharp and nicely modulated image that makes the most of the ironically beautiful Glade locations, as well as the dark and forbidding maze itself. A lot of the daytime imagery is suffused with a kind of buttery summer quality, with nice gradations of light dappling and excellent depth of field. Close-ups offer excellent to superb levels of fine detail, and the palette is natural looking, free from much if any overt color grading, aside from the overall yellowish tint to the outside scenes. Some of the nighttime material as well as much of the maze sequences don't offer a wealth of shadow detail or even basic detail at times, a no doubt intentional choice to up the angst level as Thomas and his cohorts attempt to find an escape route while dodging the spider like Grievers. There are no issues with image instability or any undue digital intrusion, and aside from minor detail deficiencies with the darkest moments, The Maze Runner looks stupendous in high definition.
The Maze Runner's lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 mix delivers everything you'd expect from a blockbuster sci-fi action film. From the opening moments when Thomas is zooming headlong into who knows what aboard a rickety elevator, there's a glut of surround activity with things like whizzing motors and an ominous roar from some unidentified beast. Later, once Thomas arrives in the Glade, there are beautiful, weirdly tranquil, ambient environmental effects dotting the surrounds, at least that is until the peace is interrupted by the massive movements of the maze walls "resetting" themselves or the even more disturbing howls of the Grievers. Dialogue is nicely directional as well and there are some great uses of discrete channelization when, for example, various boys are running through the maze. Fidelity is top notch, and there are no issues whatsoever on this track, which also offers fantastic dynamic range.
- Visual Effects Reel (1080p; 30:19) includes optional commentary by director Wes Ball.
- VFX Breakdown by Method (1080p; 3:44)
- Wes' Glade Photos (1080p)
- Wes' Favorites (1080p)
- Storyboards (1080p)
There's quite a bit about The Maze Runner that's overly familiar, and yet the film does manage to cast a rather creepy spell quite a bit of the time. Performances are generally quite good, though the supporting cast is perhaps more memorable than star Dylan O'Brien, who seems a bit predictable at times. Director Wes Ball keeps things moving along at a decent pace, offering good action interludes between character beats that help to establish the predicament of Thomas and the other boys (and, ultimately, girl). Some may still feel a bit shortchanged that all of the fuss and bother ends up pointing to something that's pretty much a cinematic version of "to be continued." Technical merits are first rate, the supplementary package is extensive, and The Maze Runner comes Recommended.
2015
2018
2016
2023
2018
Includes "Silent Space" version
2013
Extended Edition
2015
50th Anniversary Special
2013
2020
The Director's Edition | Remastered
1979
Collector's Edition
2013
1993
Remastered
1989
2015
2015
2014
The Divergent Series
2015
2009
10th Anniversary Collector's Edition | Limited
2014
2014