Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		3.5

The Maze Runner Blu-ray Movie Review

Critic pans labyrinth?

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman December 13, 2014

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.

For all of the ways that The Maze Runner is ostensibly different from its “young adult” kin (like those two aforementioned franchises), curmudgeons may well be prone to seeing more similarities than variances in several key plot points. Thomas is a plucky outsider who’s not afraid to tweak the rules and swing for the veritable fences (and/or mazes, as the case may be). He immediately gets on the wrong side of Gally (Will Poulter), and after Thomas doesn’t just forage into the maze surrounding the Glade (something that’s a definite no-no, due to marauding beasts the kids call Grievers), but has the audacity to survive and tell the tale, Gally is even more convinced that Thomas is going to spell disaster for what has become a relatively stable and peaceful existence for the kids. In other words, put Thomas through a sex change operation, give him a crossbow and arrows, and a certain Katniss Everdeen may spring to some minds.

Interestingly, there’s actually not the oppressive dystopian ambience of either The Hunger Games or Divergence on display— at least initially—in The Maze Runner, and instead the film details Thomas’ slow acclimation to his new living conditions, as he becomes more and more obsessed with penetrating the labyrinth surrounding the Glade and solving the mystery of why they’re all there in the first place. There are a number of subplots woven into the overall escapade, with a number of other boys playing various parts in Thomas’ self-awakening. Ultimately a lone female named Teresa (Kaya Scodelario) appears in the Glade, and like any teenaged girl surrounded by a bunch of hormonal boys, she takes to the high ground with defensive capabilities. There’s some intrigue about her appearance, as well as the fact that she seems to know Thomas, while Thomas has absolutely no recollection of ever having met her.

The film offers a number of nicely executed action sequences, including a great showdown between Thomas and a Griever surprisingly early in the film. But for all of its CGI wonderment, The Maze Runner turns out to be something of a character study, detailing kids in a kind of organic Skinner Box who are frankly becoming annoyed with being some kind of lab rats. The biggest complaint some may have with The Maze Runner is that after an expected series of revelations shows up late in the film, it almost feels like the entire two or so hours of The Maze Runner has been nothing more than a mere prelude, a tease even, for what really seems to be going on, which will no doubt be elaborated upon in the film’s already announced sequel. In other words, it’s not just Thomas trying to make his way through some convoluted architecture to finally get to some answers.

The Maze Runner Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

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 Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

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.

The Maze Runner Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Audio Commentary with Director Wes Ball and Co-Screenwriter T.S. Nowlin offers some good background on things like the adaptive process as well as aspects of the shoot.


• Deleted Scenes with Optional Commentary by Director Wes Ball (1080p; 18:31)


• Navigating the Maze: The Making of The Maze Runner (1080p; 42:29) is a good multi-part documentary that gets into some of the nuts and bolts of the production, including casting and special effects.


• The Chuck Diaries (1080p; 5:29) focuses on the casting of Blake Cooper as Chuck, a process which involved Twitter.


• Gag Reel (1080p; 6:43)


• Visual Effects includes:

  Visual Effects Reel (1080p; 30:19) includes optional commentary by director Wes Ball.

  VFX Breakdown by Method (1080p; 3:44)

• Ruin (1080p; 8:29) is available in both 2D and 3D formats with an optional commentary by director Wes Ball.


• Galleries include:

  Wes' Glade Photos (1080p)

  Wes' Favorites (1080p)

  Storyboards (1080p)

• Theatrical Trailer (1080p; 1:50)

Note: There is a Maze Runner comic book with a story called "My Friend George" included in the keepcase.

The Maze Runner Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

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.