By Matt Mueller Culture Editor Published Sep 23, 2014 at 9:01 AM

Despite being the face that launched a thousand young adult adaptations and wannabe franchises, it's easy to forget that the girl on fire's first cinematic adventure didn't exactly light the screen on fire. Sure, the box office haul was impressive for "The Hunger Games," but the film itself? Not as much. Quality wise, director Gary Ross' toothless and tripod-less first chapter left plenty of room for improvement.

That's why "The Maze Runner," at face value just the latest attempt to grab a slice of that oh-so-tempting YA box office pie, is such a pleasant surprise. If "The Hunger Games" stumbled a bit at the starting line, then "The Maze Runner" busts out of the gates with a nice comfortable sprint. It's an impressive feat: It feels fresh, edgy and exciting – despite the fact that, as the 47th YA adaptation in the last month (a rough estimate), it absolutely shouldn't.

Even though it may be playing follow the leader with Katniss and company like everyone else, for much of its running time, "The Maze Runner" doesn't feel like it. Instead, it actually feels like an equal, its own intriguingly dark and mystery-soaked kink in the formula.

Unlike many of the recent dystopian teen dramas that rummage through and recycle Suzanne Collins' material like it's a Goodwill around Halloween (cough, "Divergent," cough), "The Maze Runner" is less Peeta and fire and more Piggy and flies. "Lord of the Flies," that is, with a couple hefty dashes of "Lost" thrown into the pot.

Instead of a sprawling society with districts and cityscapes, the story here hones in on a small agrarian commune – nicknamed The Glade – of about 20 teen boys, locked away from the outside world – whatever that may be – by a massive labyrinth of imposing gray walls, crawling with mechanical demon creatures called Grievers (think Sid's baby head/spider hybrid from "Toy Story" by 100 times bigger and 1000 times more terrifying). No one knows why they are there; no one knows the way out. They make the best with what they have, creating their own little caged boys club.

Their sweaty, imprisoned peace, however, is interrupted by a new guy: Thomas (Dylan O'Brien), arriving in a remotely controlled supply elevator dazed, disoriented and with only fleeting fragments of a memory. Some, like group leaders Alby (Aml Ameen) and Newt (Thomas Brodie-Sangster, the little lovesick Brit from "Love Actually"), take well to the uber-motivated, rule-breaking newcomer who's providing glimmers of freedom. Others don't, namely Gally (Will Poulter, last seen battling an infected scrotum in "We're the Millers"), the group heavy who's grown perhaps a bit too cozy with his cage.

Almost immediately after his arrival though, things begin to change. The constantly escape-minded Thomas becomes a maze runner, finding potential clues in the labyrinth. Threats start creeping into their village and testing the boundaries of the maze. And that's even before the most baffling development, an arrival that leaves the boys even more panicked, nervous and bewildered then before: a girl (Kaya Scodelario). Now, I've never been locked in a giant maze, but as a graduate of an all-boys high school, this sounds about accurate.

Some of the basic story elements and beats in "The Maze Runner" still play by the standard rules of a dystopian teen thriller. Thomas is a fairly common YA hero, rebelling against the preordained rules and status quo of society because he’s just too much of a special and unique snowflake to be defined or reined in (just like you, angsty teens in the crowd!). Like most dystopian adaptations, much of the first half of the script also feels the best way to world-build is to explain, explain, explain. 

There’s still chunky dollops of exposition, but the movie’s trio of screenwriters – Noah Oppenheim, Grant Pierce Myers and T.S. Nowlin, all making their debut here – work it decently into actual dialogue, and the able young performers make it seem natural. O’Brien in particular serves as a charismatic sponge, absorbing his baffling situation and each new revelation with relatable fear and purpose.

The world-building may be guilty of some minor expositional hand-holding, but when it comes to the mystery and tension, "The Maze Runner" plays its cards just right. Even for the longtime residents of The Glade, it’s a world filled with question marks – most of which are deadly. The screenwriting trifecta and director Wes Ball sneakily and carefully reveal just enough, introducing new puzzle pieces clue by ominous clue with a darker, more intense edge than expected.

From the opening moments, jarringly dropping the viewer cluelessly into The Glade and introducing the imposing omniscience of the labyrinth’s walls, there’s something new and exciting about "The Maze Runner." The story holds just a touch more danger, a bit more raw bite in its teeth than the typical trip to Dystopia for Teens.

Most of that is thanks to a brilliant core nemesis: the looming enigma of the maze. Even before anyone sets foot inside of its cold, shifting inner caverns, its looming walls make for an intense, menacing presence that consistently intrigues. When it finally comes time to see what's inside, Ball and company happily deliver the goods with more clues, more intrigue and more thrilling set pieces, namely an initial Griever attack that’s terrifying and breathtakingly exciting. The mysteries only get deeper the further into the maze Thomas goes.

Unfortunately, after getting a strong start out of the blocks and creating some lean and mean entertainment for the first two-thirds, "The Maze Runner" trips up and faceplants right at the finish line. Much like its spiritual TV cousin "Lost," it’s great at developing a compelling mystery and less so at resolving it.

The script attempts to jam a lot in a little amount of time, with the clumsily rushed, confusing and unsatisfying results pleasing no one. Also, it’s a given that a franchise is the end goal with these YA adaptations, but the final scene, in its sloppy need to set up a sequel, retroactively makes the movie feel like two hours of intense sprinting without actually getting anywhere. Forget "The Maze Runner"; call this thing "The Treadmill Runner."

It’s unfortunate because the film is one of the few wannabe franchises that actually hooked me and got me interested to see the next chapter. In this recent glut of young adult adaptations, this one has a real exciting and raw primal charge to it, with more originality, mystery and edge than the most of its brethren. Even if "The Maze Runner" botches the landing so hard that it broke both ankles in the process, everything before makes it worth seeing if it can recover.

I’m rooting for it. Like any good maze, I'm intrigued to see where this thing ends (for real next time).

Matt Mueller Culture Editor

As much as it is a gigantic cliché to say that one has always had a passion for film, Matt Mueller has always had a passion for film. Whether it was bringing in the latest movie reviews for his first grade show-and-tell or writing film reviews for the St. Norbert College Times as a high school student, Matt is way too obsessed with movies for his own good.

When he's not writing about the latest blockbuster or talking much too glowingly about "Piranha 3D," Matt can probably be found watching literally any sport (minus cricket) or working at - get this - a local movie theater. Or watching a movie. Yeah, he's probably watching a movie.