'The Maze Runner' Release Date, Cast News: Will Film Take the Young Adult Genre Crown?
"The Maze Runner," a science fiction action thriller film based on James Dashner's book of the same name, has been gaining traction among moviegoers who are into young adult adventure genre, which has been made popular ever since the "Twilight" and "Hunger Games" movies came out.
"TMR" is a "fairly straight-up, boy's own action movie about survival in an enclosed community called the Glade," according to Digital Spy.
Directed by Wes Ball and script written by Noah Oppenheim, "The Maze Runner" stars "Teen Wolf" actor Dylan O'Brien as Thomas, who woke up without any memory of his past. He finds himself in a center of a giant maze where a horde of vicious creatures called Grievers lived; giant, hairy, and resembling a tarantula, these critters patrol the dark and dank spaces of the of the labyrinth.
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Soon after, the lead character meets a girl named Teresa (Kaya Scodelario) whose mind Thomas can read. Together with other boys, including "Game of Thrones'' actor Thomas Brodie-Sangster playing Newt, they form a "special bond" as they will try to escape from the dangerous realm of the maze.
The movie, which was originally set for release on Feb. 14, was postponed for a September 19, 2014 premiere showing date. Reviews have been mixed so far.
"The Maze Runner might have been pegged as the new Hunger Games but on the evidence of this debut outing, it's another YA franchise that's a pretender to the crown," Digital Spy reported.
"If the rites of passage feel a touch perfunctory and hasty — well, you can never go wrong telling teenagers that they're different, special and chosen to lead a broken world forward into 'The Maze Runner, Part Deux,'" Variety wrote.
