Tuesday, September 16, 2014
I feel I need to express what I can of my sadness at the announcement Margaret and David will be no more after this year. At The Movies has been an institution for longer than I've been alive, something many (including myself) have at some point taken for granted.
Margaret Pomeranz and David Stratton are two of the reasons I would love to be recognised within the film industry as a critic. Their incredible depth of knowledge of film, their brutal honesty and genuine love for the art form give Australians worthy reason to respect them so highly, in much the same way Americans did for the late Roger Ebert. It's something for anyone who writes about film to aspire to.
I guess it's fitting that I forgot to put my review of the week up yesterday (or last week for that matter, which I will put up shortly). Here's what I thought of this week's new release.
The Maze Runner (M)
AS puzzles that manage to both work the
mind and body, mazes are a healthy challenge to some. But in truth,
they are a nightmare to most as claustrophobia sets in – where then
the only mind game at play revolves around personal sanity. There are
mazes in all our lives, but none quite on the scale of what this
group finds themselves faced with. It is their only way out from an
artificial world made for them by an unknown force.
Thomas (Dylan O'Brien) is the newest of
the all-male group to arrive to the Glade, and his curious mind goes
straight to exploring new escape plans. His actions are reckless but
brave, inspiring the group to consider rocking the boat of authority.
Enter token female Teresa (TV's Skins' Kaya Scodelario with a
wavering American accent), who has a connection with Thomas no one
can piece together. As things begin to change more questions emerge
than answers, and it's a fight to keep everyone working for the same
team.
It's Survivor meets The
Hunger Games as this post-apocalyptic story blends the struggle
for survival with villains that are aren't as obvious as what meets
the eye. Survival of the fittest stories have become all the rage
since The Hunger Games exploded into cinemas, and this
adventure fits right in there with targeting the young adult market.
It's an adrenaline rush with action and drama befitting the story.
Author James Dashner, who released the
first novel of his Maze Runner trilogy in 2007, was not involved in
writing the screenplay. That fell to Noah Oppelheim, Grant Pierce
Myers and TS Nowlin, who provide a script that gives room for the
main players to grow. The film retains a serious overtone that
doesn't give way to love or friendship dramas. It keeps the focus
squarely on kids beating the physical and mental monsters that stand
in their way.
In his first feature film, director Wes
Ball leaves things unexplained to good effect about the characters'
past lives and who subjected them to their fate. Set up for a sequel
(already slated for release next year), this tale does manage to
finish on a tidy note, concluding with anticipation for what's in
store for the group.
O'Brien and Scodelario are not quite
the leading pair you would expect, O'Brien given much of the film to
hold it all together. But with a good young cast, also including Will
Poulter (We're The Millers) and Thomas Brodie-Sangster (Love
Actually), the film will give young adults a story of wicked
proportions. Its intensity also serves other watchers, who will
appreciate the characters' mental fight.
Rating: 3.5/5
To be published in the Darwin Sun on Wednesday 17/9/2014.
MISSED THE LAST REVIEW? See what I thought of Magic In The Moonlight.
MISSED THE LAST REVIEW? See what I thought of Magic In The Moonlight.
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