American film director Wes Ball has made his feature directorial debut with young-adult post-apocalyptic science fiction film The Maze Runner, which hit Chinese mainland screens on October 28.

The film opens as a teenage boy named Thomas (Dylan O'Brien) finds himself transported via a mysterious elevator into a forest clearing known as the Glade, which is surrounded by towering cement walls.

Behind the walls lurks a vast, treacherous and everchanging maze where spiderlike mechanical monsters called "Grievers" roam at night and attack intruders. The doors of the maze open in the morning and shut at night. No one who's been trapped in the maze has survived.

Thomas is greeted by a group of boys living in the Glade. They have no memories of their former lives except their names and they call themselves Gladers. Among them, those who explore the maze for an exit are called "Runners." Each month, a new boy is brought to the Glade along with some supplies through the elevator, which they call "the box."

 A scene from the film The Maze Runner Photos: CFP

 

Thomas makes friends with Alby (Aml Ameen), the Gladers' leader, Newt (Thomas Brodie-Sangster), the Gladers' second in command and Chuck (Blake Cooper), a young Glader.

Alby is attacked by a Griever while running the maze with Minho (Ki Hong Lee). Minho struggles to drag the unconscious Alby out of the maze. With the doors closing on them, Thomas makes a desperate effort to help, but ends up being trapped in the maze with Minho and Alby.

In the maze, Thomas saves Alby from a Griever, which he then kills. When the maze opens the next morning, Minho and Thomas return to the Glade with Alby. Thomas is promoted to Runner for his heroic deeds.

However, one of the team leaders named Gally (Will Poulter) believes Thomas' arrival has put their community in peril, and he obstructs any attempts to escape the Glade.

A girl named Teresa (Kaya Scodelario) arrives in the Glade with a cryptic note in her hand that reads, "she is the last one ever." The girl seems to already know Thomas and have a mysterious connection with him.

Thomas retrieves a computerized cylinder from the body of the slaughtered Griever, which he finds may help them unlock the secrets of the maze.

After convincing some Gladers that looking for a way out is their only hope for survival, Thomas and his friends lead their followers into the maze to face off against an army of Grievers.

Whether it's a Griever clutching a victim with his pincers, or Thomas squeezing through narrow paths that nearly close in on him, near-death peril and intense running scenes keep us holding our breaths in anxiety.

Director Wes Ball makes good use of his background in visual effects in creating the ominous sprawl of the gloomy maze world. Imposing, stonily grey mechanical walls block out the horizon, while fears of the unknown grip us in suspense and add a dark, eerie tone to the mystery.

The film goes beyond a surfacelevel escape story by asking if staying in your comfort zone is better than exploring uncharted territory.

Having formed rules and leadership in the idyllic society, the Gladers have achieved their own sense of peace and order. But it's an insatiable curiosity and longing for freedom that keeps them moving forward, even if that means risking their lives and confronting their fears.

Equally effective is the tense score by John Paesano, which heightens the tension and keeps us on the edge of our seats. Unfortunately, the cliffhanger ending spins more mysteries than it unravels, leaving most of the key questions for a sequel, which harms the completeness of the story.

The film also spends too much time setting up the large post-apocalyptic world while leaving little time for fleshing out the individual characters. Thomas is not given much room to develop, leaving the character dry and weak. Teresa does little more than serves as a passerby who appears halfway through the film. The purpose of her arrival is unclear to us, nor does she add much to the story.

While you may initially have a fun time solving the mysteries of The Maze Runner, once the thrills have died down, you may feel the effort that you spent wasn't quite worth the payoff you received at the end.

A poster for the film Photos: CFP

Everyone's a critic

Qian Lei

17, student

"The film is a thrilling adventure that blew me away. The excitement, mystery, confusion, suspense and ominous feeling hanging in the air kept my eyes glued to the screen for the entire film. The effects are well done. The story got confusing at times but that added to the fascination. I can't wait to see what they do in the sequel."

Chen Jingjing

28, HR manager

"I usually have a low expectation for young-adult adaptations, but this one was handled quite well. It avoids clichéd teen romance subplots, and explores some thought-provoking issues, such as friendship, courage, persistence, freedom, death, order versus chaos, and complacency versus breakthrough."

Viki Ye

25, PR specialist

"The plot of putting kids through trials has been overdone quite a few times. The film didn't resonate with me at all. How could the boys win in a fight against those giant mechanical monster by just using wooden sticks? The ending is another letdown. I found it to be kind of lame, flat and ridiculous."