Review: 'The Maze Runner' starring Dylan O'Brien, Kaya Scodelario, and Will Poulter

It's undeniable there are some surface similarities between The Maze Runner and others in the sci-fi fantasy genre; dystopian future, social commentary, one mysteriously powerful kid who flips the balance of power. Been there, done that, right? Not so; with its focus on a contentious male-dominated society and a continuously thrilling mystery in the vein of Lost (the early seasons, anyway), The Maze Runner is an impressive start to what could be an even better franchise.

Based on James Dashner's bestselling books and directed by first-time feature helmer Wes Ball, the film gets your heart racing right from the very first moment. In pitch darkness we hear what sounds like gears of an elevator shaft, followed by the introduction of Thomas (Dylan O'Brien of MTV's Teen Wolf) as he wakes up in a cramped freight with no memory how he got there.

"Rise and shine, greenie.” is the unwelcome greeting he receives from Gally (Will Poulter), who muscles him out of the transport and into a giant greenland known as the Glade. There are other boys in the same predicament; stuck in this place with no idea how they arrived or how to leave. And it's a veritable Rainbow Coalition of ethnicities, too, another nice change-of-pace. The leader, Alby (Alm Ameen), takes charge of showing Thomas around, seconded by Newt (Game of Thrones' Thomas Sangster). The Gladers, as they call themselves, have set up their own little community in this place, each with their own jobs. The toughest job is also the most dangerous, belonging to the Runners. The Glade is surrounded by a gigantic, shifting maze of which there seems to be no escape. It's the Runners' job; led by the speedy and brave Minho (Ki Hong Lee) to map the maze, but only if they can survive the Grievers, spidery creatures that stalk the labyrinth.

The premise established, Ball and screenwriter Noah Oppenheimer (also a writer on the Divergent movies, coincidentally) set about building tension amongst the group. This being a community built purely of testosterone, conflict begins almost immediately upon Thomas' arrival. While everyone else is content to merely endure their predicament, Thomas starts asking the questions they've all tried to forget. His bending of the rules puts him at odds with Gally, who fights to maintain the status quo. When the elevator arrives unexpectedly and drops off Teresa (Kaya Scodelario), the first girl ever in the Glade, it only signals more trouble on the horizon.

Refreshingly, the introduction of a female into the mix does not mean we're treated to the typical "love triangle" nonsense. At no point is Teresa torn between two guys, pining for their attention. The focus is solely on getting out of the maze, figuring out why they're in the Glade, and what makes Thomas so special. In one pulse-pounding sequence he gets trapped in the maze along with Alby and Kinho, helping them do the unthinkable and survive overnight. The Grievers, which look like the spiders from Lord of the Rings, are a constant and dangerous threat. But the biggest danger is the maze itself, made of giant concrete walls and metallic blades that transform at a moment's notice. Ball built his career with the short film, Ruin, and the visual expertise he showed on that is brought to brilliant display in his feature debut. The Maze Runner isn't flashy but Ball makes the Glade a believably intimidating place, part Lord of the Flies with a touch of The Hunger Games. Even though we know Thomas isn't taking a dirt nap any time soon, a good job is done establishing the others so that when some of them die (and many do) we feel the impact.

Those who have never seen MTV's Teen Wolf may be caught unawares by O'Brien but he brings an edge to the role of Thomas. He's surrounded by a cast full of either unknowns or those taking on new challenges. Poulter, who is still probably best known for playing nerdy wimps in The Chronicles of Narnia and We're the Millers, bulks up and makes for a believable bully as Gally. Ameen exudes confidence and will probably find he’s getting a lot of Hollywood attention after this and the same goes for Hong Lee who has real presence despite limited screen time. Scodelario, who was breathtakingly good in Wuthering Heights just a couple of years ago, doesn't get much to do as Teresa. It's likely her role will take on greater importance future movies but for now she's little more than an important background character. As far as veteran actors go, Patricia Clarkson appears in brief flashbacks as Ava Paige, whose role is best left for audiences to discover themselves. Unfortunately, her every appearance signals the movie's one big weakness. It doesn't take long to figure out who Paige is and what she has to do with the Glade. The revealing of answers could have been handled much better, but to be fair that's a problem The Maze Runner's peers also have.

What works for The Hunger Games, other than having a star like Jennifer Lawrence, is the detailed building of a complex, believable world. The Maze Runner may only take place in one small corner of a much larger apocalyptic society, but it's just as elaborate and full of great characters that we'll want to see again in the sequel, The Scorch Trials.

 Rating: 3.5 out of 5

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First Trailer and Poster for 'The Maze Runner' Starring Dylan O'Brien

The YA landscape has been dominated by female leads, and thus so have the many film adaptations. While it's been good to see a lot of strong women characters, it's also made it difficult for any particular franchise to stand-out, which may explain why so many of these movies have failed. The Maze Runner offers something a little different in that it's largely centered on a group of males, but is that enough to separate it from the genre pack?

The trailer for the Wes Ball-directed adaptation has been released, along with the first poster. Set in (you guessed it) a dystopic future version of Earth, the story follows Thomas (Teen Wolf's Dylan O'Brien), a teenaged boy who wakes up in a community of young men known as The Glade. With no memory of his life on the outside, he comes to learn they are surrounded by a giant stone maze from which there is no escape. Everything changes when a girl, the first girl they've ever seen, arrives with an important message.

James Dashner wrote an entire trilogy of novels plus a prequel, all of which we'll see on the silver screen if this one does reasonably well. Also starring Kaya Scodelario, Will Poulter, Thomas Brodie-Sangster, and Patricia Clarkson, The Maze Runner opens September 19th. We'll update this post with the trailer later.

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Billy Bob Thornton Joins 'Entourage'; Topher Grace goes 'Home'; Adrien Brody Leads 'Manhattan Nocturne'

* HBO's Entourage was all about cool stuff, cool places, and cool people, so it only makes sense the movie would have more than its share of celebrity cameos. With the gang all set to return for the film by series creation Doug Ellin, one new addition will be Billy Bob Thornton, taking on the role of a cowboy billionaire and financier for Vinnie Chase's Dracula movie. He's making a Dracula movie? Uh, okay? Thornton will also have a son who is sent to oversee the expensive production. Adrien Grenier, Kevin Connolly, Jerry Ferrara, Kevin Dillon, Scott Caan, and Jeremy Piven will be back, and Deadline notes that Perrey Reeves will return as Ari Gold's put-upon wife. [THR]

* Is Topher Grace on the verge of a comeback? He's already lined up a role in Christopher Nolan's Interstellar, and now he's set to star in Home, a haunted house thriller from the maestros at Blumhouse Productions. Written and directed by Adam Alleca and Dennis Illiadis, the duo behind The Last House on the Left remake, the film centers on a man recently released from a mental institute, who inherits his parents' mansion only to come to believe it's haunted. Patricia Clarkson is also in talks for an unspecified role. Not even Grace can screw up a Blumhouse film, right? They always make money. [THR]

* Adrien Brody will star in an adaptation of Colin Harrison's novel, Manhattan Nocturne, written and directed by Brian DeCubellis. Co-starring Yvonne Strahovski and Roger Dodger duo Campbell Scott and Jennifer Beals, the story follows "a devoted husband and accomplished journalist who is asked by a seductive stranger to dig into the unsolved murder of her husband." [Variety]

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Patricia Clarkson joins eco-terrorist thriller, The East

Over the last year or so we've really gotten to see the other side of Patricia Clarkson. Not just a great dramatic talent, she's proven to be equally hilarious in both Easy A and Friend with Benefits. She can truly do it all, and any chance there is to see her in action is a pleasure. Fortunately, she keeps pretty busy, and has now hooked up with rising star Brit Marling for her eco-thriller, The East.

I was no fan of Marling's Another Earth, but The East sounds like it's right up my alley. She stars as a security agent infiltrating an eco-terrorist group led by Alexander Skarsgard.  Clarkson will play Marling's boss, while Ellen Page and Toby Kebbell co-star.

Zal Batmanglij, who worked with Marling on the festival fave Sound of My Voice, is directing. Clarkson has had a busy 2011 already, with the aforementioned 'Benefits', and co-starring in the Anne Hathaway/Jim Sturgess romance One Day. She also made her first appearance on the...well, I'll just call it uneven, NBC comedy Parks & Recreation. [Variety]

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Red Band trailer time: Friends with Benefits, starring Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis

Screen Gems has released the new trailer from Will Gluck's follow-up to Easy A, Friends with Benefits. As you can no doubt tell from the title, it's about two friends who decided to add a whole new dimension to their relationship and start bangin'. The desired goal, as is always the case in these situations is to not ruin the friendship in the process. Haven't we learned anything from Seinfeld and years of male/female interaction? It's just not possible.

The friends in question are the disgustingly attractive duo of Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis. The comedy co-stars Emma Stone(obviously a Gluck favorite now), Woody Harrelson, Patricia Clarkson, and Andy Samberg. I seriously wanted to hate this trailer, but dammit all if it ain't sexy to watch Kunis drop the "F" bomb.  Let's just hope Gluck has as masterful a command of the sex issue this time around as he did with Easy A.

Friends with Benefits is due in theaters on July 22nd, 2011.

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Legendary

When I first heard that Patricia Clarkson would be starring alongside WWE superstar John Cena in anything other than a public service announcement against steroid abuse, I figured it had to be a mistake. Surely they meant Kelly Clarkson, right? If the thought of the versatile indie actress sharing the screen with Cena wasn't weird enough, then came the realization that this would be a feature completely devoid of slow motion explosions and gunfire. Doesn't sound like anything appealing to the typical wrestling fan audience(of which I'm a member), but that might be exactly what's needed. Legendary is the most earnest, heartfelt film ever under the banner of WWE Studios. It's also their best, and makes an impressive case for John Cena as potential breakout star.

Cena engulfs the screen as Mike Chetley, a former amateur wrestling superstar trained from the ground up by his legendary father, Mac. When Mac is suddenly taken away by a car accident, Mike's life hits the skids. He's estranged from his spitfire of a mother, Sharon(Clarkson), and his pencil thin brother, Cal(Devon Graye). Mike's life has turned dark, working sporadic jobs and living in a rundown home that looks like it hasn't seen a broom in years. When Cal decides to follow in the footsteps of the other Chetley men and join the wrestling team, he seeks out Mike for help. Sharon isn't going to be happy seeing another one of her boys get lost in the world of competitive grappling, so the two decide to keep his training a secret.

Legendary follows in the same well worn path as other sports related dramas, with life lessons learned through strength on the field(or mat, in this case) of battle. Cal isn't simply interested in achieving success. In fact that appears to be secondary to his main goal of reuniting his family by any means necessary. Mike doesn't make it easy. So used to being a winner, he's been turned dark and brooding by his inability to handle loss of any kind. If the Chetley clan is ever to be together again, he'll have to bring Mike back to the man he used to be. Cal is assisted in his task by a wise old mentor(Danny Glover), with a mysterious link to the Chetley family.

The script by James Posey isn't going to throw any curveballs your way. It's clear where the story is going from the start, and some scenes feel like they were ripped direct from the Hallmark Channel Hall of Fame. The honesty and sincerity of the actors are the true strength.

We've seen Cena flex his muscles and flash his wide smile in a couple of regrettable films(12 Rounds and  The Marine). He'll receive the bulk of the attention for obvious reasons, but Cena isn't the centerpiece of the story. That distinction goes to Graye, and he's eventually solid after an awkward beginning. Clarkson's veteran presence is a welcome addition, elevating Cena to his most convincing performance yet. I'm not sure whether or not he's the natural acting talent of someone like Dwayne Johnson, but in his first real dramatic role there's no doubt of his potential.

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Trailer for Legendary, starring John Cena and Danny Glover

Way back in December I wrote about Legendary, the next WWE film starring multiple time Heavyweight champion John Cena. The film starred Cena as a a former convict, trying to make amends by teaching his little brother how to become an amateur wrestler. Some might say that Cena is still an amateur, but I digress....

For once it seemed like WWE was putting some backing behind the flick, bringing on two legit actors like Danny Glover and Patricia Clarkson to co-star alongside the usually awful Cena. In fact, I thought that Legendary sounded like it might be the first WWE film that has a shot at breaking out into the mainstream.

WWE Films has released the first trailer for the inspirational story, and my high expectations have been dashed a little bit. It looks a little cheap, to be honest. Cena is delivering the same stiff, monotone dialogue he always does. At least he gets to throw a guy through a window. Huh?? Danny Glover already appears to be sleepwalking through it. Clarkson is bringing it, as always. This is just the trailer, and the final product might be better than this makes it seem.  Check it out for yourself and let us know what you think. Will Legendary be WWE Films' first hit?

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Possibly the First Good WWE Film??

Making my What the Fuck??? file for the day is this story from THR that Patricia Clarkson and Danny Glover have signed on to star alongside WWE Champion John Cena(???) in WWE Films next feature, Brother's Keeper. When I first read that I did a double take and checked my ears for leakage. Clarkson and Glover are legit actors. Clarkson one of the best female leads in the business. What the fuck is she doing here?

The PG rated family drama involves a teenage boy, who tries to reunite his mother(Clarkson) with his estranged older brother(Cena) by joining his high school wrestling team.

Mel Damski, who has a list of TV credits a mile long, is slated to direct.

Well, I look at this two ways: This could be the first real break out film for the WWE, which has put together an impressive list of duds so far, starting with John Cena's debut, The Marine. Depending on the way it's marketed, I can see real potential in the simple, heartwarming premise.

Or, this could be an opportunity for everyone to see just how bad of an actor Cena really is when he actually has to go toe-to-toe with a real actress like Patricia Clarkson. If Cena looks like a goon and can't measure up, it'll show everyone once and for all that these wrestling actors aren't to be taken seriously unless your name is Dwayne Johnson. Funny thing is, Cena used to complain about The Rock leaving wrestling to pursue his acting career, and now Cena gets a chance to show what he's got in something that doesn't involve explosions. I'll be curious to see the results.

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The Queue: Phoebe in Wonderland (2009)

I still have no idea how this got on my queue. It's not the type of movie I usually would go out of my way to see, nor would I put it anywhere near the top of my list. Fortunately I gave it a real chance, because it turned out to be a surprisingly powerful film.

Elle Fanning stars as Phoebe, a young girl who's sick of playing by the rules. Rules at school, rules at home, rules seemingly everywhere. Phoebe often finds herself getting in trouble at school, and doesn't fit in with the students around her. Her parents have their own problems. Her mother is struggling to write a thesis based on Alice in Wonderland. Her father is a writer who's sudden success causes rifts within the marriage. Phoebe's only real outlet is her vivid imagination, where she imagines herself and the people around her as charaters from Wonderland. When the opportunity arises for Phoebe to star in a play based on the story, she leaps at the chance. The play is directed by the artful Ms. Dodger(Patricia Clarkson), an enigmatic figure who sees parallels between herself and Phoebe.

Phoebe finds her true calling on stage, and flourishes. But her issues with staying out of trouble continue to haunt her. She becomes increasingly obsessive over minor details. She acts out in uncontrollable rages and bursts of cruelty that leave everyone off guard. Phoebe has a form of Tourette's Syndrome, but her parents refuse to accept it, choosing to ignore the issue for fear of having their child labeled.

This is Elle Fanning's debut in a starring role, and I gotta say that she's already showing the emotional maturity that has made her sister Dakota such a huge star. My biggest fear when dealing with any movie about a specific disease or syndrome is that the performance will be steeped in stereotype or caricature. I never felt that way for a second here. Every performance within is top notch, in particular Clarkson and Felicity Huffman as Phoebe's mom. Personally I'm sick of Bill Pullman and that droopy Dad thing he always does. The guy always looks and sounds like he just got back from a conference on water spigots or something.

I would've liked to have seen this film in the hands of a more dynamic director. Not that Daniel Barnz's approach is bad, it's just not very exciting. The camera remains pretty static throughout, and I often found myself drifting off during the quiet moments. Considering this is a film that's pretty much all quiet moments, you see my problem. But that doesn't negate the strong efforts by the cast, nor the message within. Phoebe in Wonderland is a film that would be perfect for a family movie night, or if you're trying to impart lessons to your kids about being unique and understanding those who are different. Worth checkin' out.

6.5/10

Next up on the Queue: Thomas Jane and Ron Perlman's MUTANT CHRONICLES (2009)

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