It's my first time watching a movie on my own - hahah despite my mum's protests all these while - but hey, it was fine, quite unsurprisingly. Initially, it felt strange not having anyone sitting next to me and I have to admit, the crowded theatre made me pretty self-conscious of the conspicuously empty seat next to me as well.. but once the lights in the theatres dimmed and the movie started, it didn't really bother me much. I just settled back into the less than comfy chair and enjoyed the movie!
The movie was a reasonable watch (kudos to the action scenes) and I enjoyed it quite a lot. The running scenes were well-executed and the pace of the movie appropriate. My only grouse is the ridiculously expensive $12 movie ticket.. The seats weren't even that comfortable (Lido has great seats in comparison, albeit too upright) and more importantly, I think they skipped the carpet-cleaning for the week (hopefully, not weeks). There was this stale carpety smell all around me (dismal sigh) and it was difficult to even breathe normally. This is at Bugis Shaw by the way!
I really wanted to watch this movie (which explains why I watched it alone because nobody else wanted to watch it and it's ending its run in the theatres soon) for 2 reasons:
1. I read the entire series (by James Dashner)
2. The lead's Dylan O'brien!
(aww yes, I do too)
The movie does justice to the series (the work with grievers was so awesome - they were hideous and damn freakin' scary) and manages to bring most of the major characters to life but.. I just feel that depth is lacking in some of the main characters. In particular, Newt, Thomas and Minho (Alby and Gally were killed off so I shall exclude them). It could be the inexperienced actors or the lack of time (just 113 minutes!) but the filmmakers were not too successful in developing both the plot and the characters concurrently. They did a great job with the setting and background story but there were simply too many characters crammed into those 113 minutes, so something/someone inevitably had to make way (sadly, it was character development). Overall, it wasn't too bad though (: I'm looking forward to the next instalment already!
If I had to pick out some stuff I didn't like:
- The female lead when asleep, looked disturbingly like Kristen Stewart (of Twilight fame and whose acting I dislike) and she got so little screen time, she might as well not have been in the first film! I don't recall her role being that insignificant..
- I also don't recall Newt being a British boy (I have to revisit the book). It was so odd to hear Dylan speaking in his American accent and Newt replying in that posh English accent (doesn't help that it reminds me of Hermione every single time)! Newt also looks awfully young (I can't believe he's a 90-liner because he looks like a tall little boy) and that distracts me from his acting because I'm so not convinced that this is the Newt I know in the series. And then we have the Korean speaking with an American accent stronger than Dylan's and... the rest with I don't know what other accents haha
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How is this a 24 year old? He looks 16! He looks like Jeremy Sumpter!
- I think Lee Ki Hong does a great job of looking like Minho but.. he should work more on his facial expressions. I can't tell when he's smirking or when he's genuinely upset because he has this smug, amused expression on most of the time. His friend just got banished into the Maze and he looks more confused/lost than distraught haha Then again, he's not a newbie actor so emoting shouldn't be the real problem - perhaps the script?
- Lastly, more dialogue (especially with the lead, Thomas) and less action with saliva-spitting, gooey and slimy Grievers please!
ALL HAIL DYLAN! (melts into a puddle of pudding)
And because I can never get enough of Dylan... here's what he feels about the The Maze Runner series.
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