The Maze Runner proved one of the best Young Adult movies of this year, even eclipsing other popular movies such as The Fault in Our Stars and Divergent. All three movies contained romantic subplots, heartfelt morals, and tear-jerking moments, but the Maze Runner, built up the suspense to the climax more than the others.

First, the acting was superior. Despite the fact that the actors are teenagers and may not be considered as mature as other famous celebrities, I think the casting director made a wise choice hiring Dylan O’Brien, for he is a perfect combination of teenage heartthrob with superb acting skills. The movie has received positive feedback from teens everywhere who think Dylan O’Brien, star of the MTV show, Teen Wolf, is “dreamy.” He really captures Thomas’ curiosity, determination, and courage in his facial expressions and gesticulations. Dylan O’Brien depicted Thomas’ emotions without mixing them. I thought that those qualities, his curiosity and determination, should have remained separate because Thomas’ curiosity, which had a childlike innocence to it, is his main drive to get answers, whereas his determination to find a way out of the maze was full of passion and anger.

Other characters, such as Newt and Minho, are fan-favorites as well, since they trust Thomas, whom the audience knows is innocent and honest. Newt’s British accent paired with Minho’s blunt speech will make the audience swoon and laugh.

The movie’s brilliant execution exceeded my expectations and stayed true to the book. The Glade is exactly how the book described it. The walls and set were lush with ivy, and the bunks the Gladers were contained in were realistic.

It included all the crucial emotional scenes, like Teresa and Thomas’ telepathy and Thomas’ previous memories of the laboratory and the scientists that introduced him to the Glade.

There was no part in the movie that was not essential to the storyline. The scenes were put in an order that made sense. Any audience member will be able to keep up with the storyline, no matter how action-packed it gets with its deaths and plot twists.

Unlike Divergent and The Fault in Our Stars, the movie was not pretentious or advertised to be more dramatic than it actually was. The Maze Runner was the standout, must-see movie of 2014.