Beginning with the 2012 film “The Hunger Games,” a series of novels depicting a dystopian world from the American young adult (YA) fiction genre have been made into films. In this movement, the movie “The Maze Runner,” released in the United States in 2014, is also based on a YA dystopian novel.

Despite the limited budget, the film was a massive hit worldwide, grossing about 10 times its budget. The popularity of the film, combined with the fact that the original story was a trilogy, soon led to an official decision to produce a sequel. The film eventually became a trilogy of three movies.

The Maze Runner – Box Office Mojo

Budget: $34,000,000
Worldwide: $348,319,861

A film in which the protagonists run through.

If one word were to describe the characteristics of the movie “The Maze Runner,” it would be “fast and furious. As the title suggests, the main character, Thomas, and the other “Maze Runners” just kept running. The confusion of the boys, who were brought to the Glade with no memory, and the element of mystery suspense as they gradually unravel the mystery and get closer to the truth play a significant role in this work. The tension created by this, combined with the increased heart rate of Thomas and his friends as they run, has an incredible synergistic effect, causing the heart rate to rise along with the audience as they watch, creating a sweaty experience.

The film as a whole also adds to the tension here. The daytime glades are brightly colored, like a field lit by the sun, but the chilly, dark images in the maze were a contrast, inviting more tension. The contrast of the cold, dark pictures in the maze heightened the tension. The thrill of not knowing what is happening in the dark and the increased heart rate as one runs through the maze were again well combined here. The effortless act of “running” was an element that made it easier for the viewers to imagine and immerse themselves in the work.

A space created thanks to a low budget.

The low budget of the film “The Maze Runner” is mentioned here and there in the work. For example, since there was no budget to build the entire maze, the film was produced by skillfully combining only partially built sets and computer graphics. I think this “handmade” feeling, in a good sense, had a positive effect on this film. It can also be said of Godzilla-1.0. The scene in which Godzilla strolls through the streets of Shibuya combines a partially created set and CG, and the ship scene at the end is not shot on the sea. The boat scene at the end was not shot on the sea, but it was a tense scene.

The maze’s walls are much higher than overhead, giving it a genuinely fortress-like visual. Although the labyrinth changes its appearance from hour to hour, its appearance always gives people a sense of despair. This despair is an integral part of creating a dystopian setting. Only a combination of actual sets and CG could have achieved this expression. This ingenuity was even better, especially since there are many dark scenes in the middle of the maze, and many of the scenes are running, making it impossible to look closely at the background. It was so well done that it was impossible to discern how much of the scene was a set and how much was CG.

Also, the camp-like atmosphere of Greedo’s campsite was created by the boys brought there by Greedo, so it was the right decision to produce the film on this scale rather than on a large scale with a budgeted set.

High-profile young cast members play a significant role.

One of the charms of this film lies in its cast members. The cast includes actors who have appeared in major Hollywood productions or have starred in movies and whose names alone can draw an audience. However, many young actors also have solid acting skills and charisma. Looking back on the film, 10 years after its release, many cast members have expanded their activities.

Dylan O’Brien, who played the main character Thomas, appeared in a TV drama series called Teen Wolf Season and was a very popular teen actor in the US. Still, he could have been better known in Japan. It was his first starring role in a Japanese theatrical release, and more people in Japan will recognize him with this movie. Kaya Scodelario, who played the heroine Teresa, made this film her Hollywood debut. Still, after this film, she became the new heroine of the “Pirates of the Caribbean” movie series, which created a big buzz.

The appearance of British actors such as Will Poulter and Thomas Brodie-Sangster, who were active as child actors, was also very impressive. They proved in this film that they are capable of more mature performances. They, too, have been active in various films since this film, and they are now well-established as mature and talented actors.

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It must have taken a lot of courage to make a film with a cast that was still inexperienced and unknown in acting as the main cast, but this may have worked in the right direction for this film.

The film “The Maze Runner” may not have been one of the most anticipated films, having a popular original novel, a low budget, and a cast that is not very experienced or well known. However, the synergy of these combined elements works well in this film. The film depicts two opposing sides of the story: those who live in a closed world with their friends and those who try to escape from such a world. The film depicted such an axis of opposition. I could enjoy the flair of Japanese novels for about two hours without being bored.

Furthermore, the sense of speed and thrill with which the main characters run through the dystopian space makes it an exquisite work that makes your hands sweat.