Julia Astram

Staff Writer

 The New York Times #1 bestselling novel, The Maze Runner, comes alive. The main character Thomas, played by Dylan O’Brien, is put to the test in this compelling new series. According to IMDB, O’Brien’s parents, Lisa Rhodes and Patrick B. O’Brien, were both passionate about the acting process. His father was a camera operator, while his mother was a former actress who also ran an acting school.

O’Brien took on this challenging role, combining both drama and action. Erica Ourfalian, a Junior at Foran, said, “Dylan’s acting was phenomenal, especially in the different expressions and feelings he brought to the role.”

This thriller starts off with Thomas arriving in the “Glade”, which is basically a reservation in the middle of a maze.

The only way to escape the Glade is to find the way out of the maze. This is challenging because it constantly changes paths and switches directions. After Thomas arrives in the Glade a girl, Teresa, is brought into the Glade, which was unheard of.

After that no other people were sent to the Maze, which meant that the teenagers were trapped and had to get out. No one has survived the Maze at night, which is why the character Thomas will be encountering severe difficulties.

The interesting aspect of this movie is that it was a replica of the critically acclaimed novel, The Maze Runner. According to Julia Kopstein, Freshman at Foran High School, the movie was significantly better than the book. Kopstein said, “The first half of the book was boring and slow, while the movie kept me on my toes.” The suspense definitely kept the audience occupied.

IMDB states that O’Brien recently starred in the hit television Teen Wolf as well as the movies The Internship and The First Time.

The level of intensity of his acting was first tested in his role of Stiles in Teen Wolf. According to an interview from Wolf Watch, O’Brien said, “I originally auditioned for the main role of Scott McCall for the show, but as we got into the role I realized that the sillier side of me would be perfect for the role of Stiles Stilinski. This is when the character of Stiles was brought into my life.”

The Maze Runner was a huge hit, topping the list of being most like the Hunger Games.