Based on the young adult novel of the same name by James Dashner, The Maze Runner is hardly the first dystopian film to hit screens. Its famous forerunners include cult hits such as Soylent Green, Blade Runner and Dark City. Centring on a group of teenagers in a dystopian future, it's also not the first to introduce a younger group of protagonists - just cast your mind back to movies such as Divergent, The Hunger Games and The Giver.
So what makes a movie dystopian? The term itself is a derivate of the word utopia - but instead of a perfect world, you get the complete opposite. Within the story of this chaotic world you will usually find that propaganda is used to control society; freedom of speech is limited to non-existent, and thinking or acting outside the box in any way or form is frowned upon at best and punishable at worst.
In The Maze Runner teenagers have their memories wiped before being dumped in a giant labyrinth. Thomas is one of these teenagers, and shortly after his arrival is promoted to Runner status – patrolling the maze for a probable escape route. The young protagonist is played by Dylan O’Brien, whom you might recognise from Teen Wolf.
Thomas Brodie-Sangster, from hit rom-com Love Actually and everyone’s favourite fantasy show Game of Thrones, lends support. You’ll also spot Will Poulter from The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader and We're the Millers; as well as Kaya Scodelario, who is slated to appear in the latest instalment of Pirates of the Caribbean.
With these intrepid survivors, you won't want to be left behind.