The Maze Runner (2014)
12-month trend
12-month trend
Monthly article views
2025-09 to 2026-08
A boy with no memory awakens in a mysterious maze and must navigate a dangerous labyrinth to find a way out.
The story
The story follows sixteen-year-old Thomas, who awakens in a rusty elevator with no memory of who he is, only to learn that he has been delivered to the middle of an intricate maze, along with many other boys, who have been trying to find their way out of the ever-changing labyrinth—all while establishing a functioning society in what they call the Glade. The Gladers have formed a rudimentary society, each taking on specialized roles. The boy learns that a vast maze encircles the Glade and is their only means of escape. During the day, designated "Runners" search the maze for an exit and return before its gate closes at sunset.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Thomas awakens in a Glade surrounded by a massive maze. After a confrontation with Gally, he learns his name and is assigned as a Runner. After a series of dangerous encounters with Grievers—biomechanical creatures—and the discovery of a girl named Teresa, Thomas and other Gladers realize they are part of an experiment by the organization WCKD. Following a breach in the maze's security, the Gladers are forced to flee through the labyrinth. They eventually reach a laboratory where a recording by Ava Paige explains that the Gladers were test subjects to find a cure for the Flare virus. The survivors are eventually rescued by soldiers and transported to a ruined city, while the remaining WCKD officials declare the experiment a success and announce the start of Phase Two.
- First release year
- 2014
- Runtime (minutes)
- 113
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Wes Ball
- Writers
- Noah Oppenheim · screenplay; Grant Pierce Myers · screenplay; T. S. Nowlin · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Dylan O'Brien · Thomas; Kaya Scodelario · Teresa; Aml Ameen · Alby; Thomas Brodie-Sangster · Newt; Ki Hong Lee · Minho; Will Poulter · Gally; Patricia Clarkson · Ava Paige; Blake Cooper · Chuck
- Genres
- dystopian; science fiction; action; thriller
- Themes
- survival; identity; experimentation
- Tone and mood
- dark; mysterious; claustrophobic
- Premise and plot tags
- dystopian; survival; mystery
- Source material / true-story basis
- James Dashner's 2009 novel
- Franchise connections
- The Maze Runner
- Reception
- The film received positive reviews, praised for its direction, performances, and tone, and was considered better than most young adult book-to-film adaptations.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 66% · review count: 173; Metacritic · score: 57 · scale: 100 · review count: 34
- Production trivia
- The film's music was released on September 16, 2014, and contains 21 tracks.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
Your lists
Loading your lists…