What's your favorite YA Novel adaptation?? - Leave A *LIKE* On This Vid! - Full Movie Reaction Watch Along & MORE For *SS* Rejects www.patreon.com/thereelrejects - *Follow Tara Erickson* on RU-vid: www.youtube.com/@TaraErickson Instagram: instagram.com/taraerickson/ twitter: twitter.com/thetaraerickson
I’m biased bc I loved the books, the movies weren’t all that great, but for me it’s Percy Jackson EDIT: a close second would be the City of Bones movie as well as the Shadowhunters show which is in the same universe
liked him from maze runner and american assassin so i went back to watch teen wolf. he’s a great actor and one of my favorites currently acting. i’ve heard of him when i was younger as i had older girl cousins who loved teen wolf. i didn’t expect to like love and monsters as much as i did but dylan made it enjoyable.
While everyone was obsessing over The Hunger Games and Divergent, the Maze Runner franchise was my obsession! Still one of my fav franchise of all time
I remember that Dylan almost died during filming the third MAZE RUNNER movie following an ATV accident and filming had to be delayed for a year. Luckily, he survived his injuries and MAZE RUNER 3 was released.
Such an underrated franchise as much as the movies changed up the story this was surprisingly good. I honestly think the decision to cast all people in their 20's was a very interesting but good decision.
As much as the cliches of teen dystopia dramas are very evident in the narrative, particularly in the later films, the set pieces of these movies were really impressive. The stunt and camera work feels very handheld and improvised to match the panic and fear of the situations, added positively by some excellent vfx and lighting plus a classic horror-fantasy score.
The Glade does have Lord of the Flies vibes. But Maze Runner is based on the Greek myth of Theseus and the Minotaur. If Maze Runner seems similar to Hunger Games, it's probably because they're both based on the same source material.
FACTS!! American Assassin is definitely 1 of my favorites, but I will always n forever know him as Scott McCall's right hand man & partner in supernatural crime "Stiles" lol.
@@BlackFire901 YESSSSSS TOTALLY TRUE! His role in Love and Monsters PEAK TOO! It always astounds me that he’s the voice of Bumblebee in the solo movie! But Stiles shall forever be iconic
Newt actually used to be a runner. It wasn't mentioned in the movie, but in the book its mentioned that a few months before Thomas was put into the maze Newt broke his leg inside the maze. It never healed right so he retired as a runner. You can see Newt limping after Minho and Thomas get back from the maze after he asks 'What happened in there'.
This movie stuck with me because of how horrific the deaths were. Not because of the giant robot spiders, but because these kids literally don’t remember anything prior to their life in the Maze. To some, their legacy is waking up in a glade surrounded by four walls and surviving for a few months. Imagine dying knowing that you’ve only been conciously “alive” for such a short period of time. I’d rather die with my memories, thank you.
Of all the YA dystopia stories that came out of this era, MR has always been my favorite. In a weird way I think the story has become more relevant/terrifying in the wake of the pandemic. While the premise of the later books seemed a bit ridiculous (although entertaining) at the time they were published, after 2020 the concept of the Flare virus hits too close to home, and the idea that humanity is flawed enough to respond to such a disaster in the worst way possible doesn't seem that far-fetched. It does a surprisingly good job in the later installments of highlighting the moral/ethical grey areas of navigating survival in this kind of environment as well as pointing out the absolute depravity of how the kids were exploited in the name of science. Not to mention that it gets worse in one of the prequel books, where it's revealed that the virus was originally unleashed as a form of population control that got out of hand. Point is, the series may not be quite on the same level as more classic works in the same genre but as an intro to the tough questions dystopian lit often poses, I actually think it does a much better job than people initially gave it credit for. It's a story about how ironically human beings are sometimes at our worst when trying to do what we believe is best for the world, and how that can create unintended collateral damage. Depressing af but there's a necessity to being reminded of that every now and then
Basically the key fob thing is given to a greiver in each section, when the key fob gets close to the home, it notifies the maze to change and close off that area, since they killed the greiver of section 7 it never returned, hence why when they brought it close enough section 7 started to close up
They simplified the books a lot but I think it was a solid choice, and this is one of the best book adaptations I have seen. Thank you for reacting to it!
One of my favorite movie trilogies. So excited that Tara & John are reacting to these movies. 😊 This first one definitely give you "Hunger Games" vibes.
I just watched these movies for the first time recently. As someone who was the age demographic during the whole teen dyspotia book to movie craze was happening, I have no clue why this trilogy wasn't more hyped!! It's such an interesting story!
I watched the first movie through dvd and I absolutely loved it. And since it was around the time the sequel was playing in theatres, my dad brought me to watch the second movie, the scorch trials and I was genuinely surprised how it was almost like a zombie movie. That shit proved to be fucking terrifying with enhanced audio and everything but it was also an awesome sequel so I’m glad to see you two reacting to it! Definitely excited for the death cure reaction. If you know, you know.
I remember my english teacher recommended me to read the books when this movie first came out. I had only heard about it because my sister was obsessed with Dylan O'Brian. Im glad that i took the time to read the book before i watched the movies. I think it made the experience more enjoyable for me
Interesting reaction and discussion at the end. I'm still not understanding what you guys were expecting. It has intrigue, it has drama, mystery, it stretches the tension, strong overall theme, it has some humour, it feels real (no stupid jokes or nonsense slang from the "hood"), it puts you in the shoes of the characters and forces you to ask yourself questions, decent CG, decent acting, decent soundtrack, decant film making and directing... I mean it's not an academy award winning movie, but at least it tries to be real and genuine to the story that needs to be told. There is even some tragedy and serious ethical questions raised in this. I think it nails what it attempts to do and should be praised, at least way more than some of the nonsense that is highly praised out there these days. It does not have to be a new idea to be a good movie idea, it just needs to be done well.
I completely agree. It's an excellent film and an excellent series of films. I wonder if these films aren't over-the-heads of some reactors. (All three books and films spoilers follow, so be warned.) If you know your classics, the "Maze Runner" is a retelling of Theseus and the Minotaur, of course. I'm not alone in making this connection, but it's a surprisingly select club. That's rather sad. Naturally, Thomas is Theseus, the hero. The Glade and the Gladers are Athens and Athenian youth, respectively. The Grievers are the Minotaur, the monster that feeds on the Athenian youth who have been offered as sacrificial victims. The Minotaur is half man, half bull. The Grievers are half organic, half machine. The WCKD mechanism that's found in the crushed Griever is Ariadne's thread, the key out of the maze. WCKD is King Minos, which rather coincidentally sounds like Minho. The maze motif is repeated in the "Scorch Trials" and "Death Cure." The Glade's Athens is, however, more like "The Lord of the Flies" than classical Greece. Themes in that well-known classic include the tension between groupthink and individuality, between rational and emotional reactions, and between morality and immorality. Things which we do see play out in Thomas and the Gladers. Consider Alby's interactions with Thomas. He sees Thomas as different, curious. He seems to be warning Thomas not to be a nonconformist. Alby makes Thomas sign a contract of sorts with the Glade by having Thomas etch his name on the wall. The crossed out names may represent prior non-conformists. When Thomas notices them, Alby says somewhat menacingly: "Those were dark days." George's name is highlighted for us. Later, Thomas finds George's partially buried remains. Interestingly, this dark place of death is where Ben attacks Thomas. In the second film, we discover George is Brenda's brother, and George looks like Thomas. So was George a Thomas-like precursor in the Glade? Did George break the rules and did that lead to his death? Thomas is the archetypal tragic hero. Tragic heroes are characters of elevated stature, both in birth and morality. Like most heroes, he has above-average intelligence, which means he has situational awareness; he's determined, which means he is firmly set in opinion or purpose; and he has a loyal close friend who guides, advises and helps him as he faces his trials. In the films, Newt clearly fits the role as Thomas' helper, his Ariadne. The Theseus myth also emphasizes the power of love. Ariadne helps because she has fallen in love with Theseus. As a tragic hero, Thomas is subject to a collective fate, the will of the gods, if you will, which had precipitated the solar flares that scorched the Earth and indirectly brought about the Flare virus. A common attribute of the tragic hero is that he once held a lofty position from which he has now been cast down. Thomas' hamartia has visited his own individual fate upon himself which prompts his present adventure-journey. His moral choices while part of WCKD led him to immoral behavior, the torture and deaths of his friends. In this way, Thomas assumed the role of a god over the Gladers. That's hubris. Humans, even if they're heroes, have to be taught they are not a god. Thomas' eventual rebellion precipitated his downfall and the tragic course his subsequent life followed. Tragic heroes suffer, and so Thomas suffers. He suffers because of his lost status, he suffers because of his past actions, he suffers because he's lost his identity and been condemned to the trials, he suffers because he's been betrayed, and he suffers most because of the deaths of companions he lost along his adventure-journey. Although Thomas' flaw is great, he has our sympathy, and we pity him. Ultimately Thomas' suffering leads him to an epiphany at the end of the third film. By this time, Thomas has gained the strength to accept his destiny which he will meet even if it means his death. Tragic heroes almost always die. This is without doubt what the epilogue of the final film means. Thomas is going back to the WCKD world, and he is going to offer himself up as a cure even if it means his life. Unlike the books, film Thomas is not going to remain in the Safe Haven with Brenda to live happily ever after. Even though WCKD's HQ was destroyed along with the city, there were more than one WCKD lab and installation referenced in the films. It's a pity there wasn't a forth film made where we would see our hero, Thomas, noble to the end, achieve his ultimate destiny and be reunited with Newt in the Elysian Fields. That would have made a very good trio into a great quartet. It seems incredible but heroic stories often follow the same basic pattern. In his book "The Hero with a Thousand Faces," Joseph Campbell, distilled the world's myths into a common structure which he called the monomyth or hero's journey. It's very concisely summarized as follows: A hero ventures forth from the world of common day into a region of supernatural wonder: fabulous forces are there encountered and a decisive victory is won: the hero comes back from this mysterious adventure with the power to bestow boons on his fellow man. That's the "Maze Runner" film saga in a nutshell. Very broadly, the films actually do follow the outline of the books, but differ in detail markedly. Personally, I prefer the films to the books. It's a matter of taste, I suppose. The books are darker than the films. That doesn't mean I didn't like the books. They held my interest, and I look forward to reading "The Fever Code." People frequently complain because a film doesn't follow a book exactly. There are obvious reasons why this is rarely possible, and it's often not even desireable. Books and films are two different art forms. There are different creative impulses at work in each. People need to understand the "Maze Runner" books and films as depicting two separate universes which, although inhabited by the same people facing similar challenges, evolve differently. They are going to diverge, and vive la difference! If all is done well, and the films were done very well, it doubles the fun. There were a couple of striking differences between the books and the films that really stood out to me. Although book Thomas may be heroic, he's not a tragic hero like film Thomas, at least in my opinion. Book Thomas often thinks things like I didn't really know those Gladers so I wasn't affected when they died in that horrible manner. Cold and unfeeling, right? That's not film Thomas at all. Book and film Thomas are two different people. Also unlike film Thomas, it's clear book Thomas hasn't been transformed in any substantial way by the end of his adventure-journey. There's no epiphany or moment of self-realization. He's merely completed his trek. He's had adventures along the way, experienced bad times and lost travelling companions, but it's all over now, and that's that. Time to settle down. Book Thomas is more like Odysseus come back to Ithaca to be with Brenda, his Penelope. In the first film, Thomas' dream-visions hint at his backstory and make his character ambiguous. Is Gally right about him? Then there is Theresa. In our hero's adventure-journey, Theresa clearly represents the monomyth's temptress who tries to derail him. Unlike Thomas, she completely breaks the Glade's paradigm. Her arrival is untimely, she's female, and she heralds the end of the Glade's supply lifeline. Totally inauspicious. Kaya Scodelario does a good job of making her character seem suspect from the get-go. There always seems to be a mistrust-invoking aura about her. There are interesting parallels between Theresa and Thomas. Both Theresa and Thomas are betrayers. Which one is evil depends on your answer to the films' theme: Does the end justify the means? They both want a cure for the Flare. However, Theresa/WCKD are ruthless in pursuit of a cure, willing to sacrifice however many young people it takes. Thomas, on the other hand, is completely altruistic. He will sacrifice himself but not others. How can you not but admire and love Thomas? One thing about the tragic hero motif is that those nearest and dearest to the hero often wind up either in some sort of deadly peril or just plain dead. Most often, it's dead. So as you're watching the films you might ask yourself: Who's closest to Thomas? The Flare virus is the "Maze Runner" saga's MacGuffin. Therefore, you really shouldn't try to make too much out of it. The "Maze Runner" trials mean to precisely isolate and produce the curative enzyme so humanity can be saved even if it means killing the immunes. The WCKD agenda begs the question of does the end justify the means, a principle often associated with totalitarianism, which is the central theme of the "Maze Runner." The principle is part and parcel of consequentialism, a teleological theory that says whether an action is morally good or bad depends on its outcomes. The more good outcomes outnumber the bad, the better/more moral the action. Under this rubric if WCKD finds a cure, then WCKD is very good, indeed. To sum up, these are very good and quite entertaining films which touch upon deep waters. Well acted and well crafted, too. The production crew and the actors together created an excellent trilogy.
“That’s what I’m talking about, light some stuff on fire” Tara always has the most out of pocket things to say and it’s great! Awesome reaction as always! Can’t wait for you two to watch the next ones!!!
I actually really like this series and it does have a lot of switches in the other two movies. I think they did a good job with it. Minho is probably my favorite character with Newt as a close runner up. Dylan O’Brien did a really good job as well. He was injured pretty badly in the third film because he did his own stunts. They had stop filming for like 6 months or more I think.
OMG never thought y’all would watch these movies. absolute favorites of mine growing up. i personally think they are so underrated!!! I never cared for the books but i love the movies
Dylan O’Brien has been a favourite actor of mine for years. The Maze Runner movies are such an underrated trilogy. They deserve so much love! I really hope you guys react to The Scorch Trials and The Death Cure as well! I’d love to see your reaction to all three! I’d also love to see you react to Dylan O’Brien’s other films too! He’s such a talented actor! American Assassin with Michael Keaton and Love and Monsters are brilliant if you fancy a deep dive into his filmography!
Why underrated? I'd like to hear your opinion. I agree Dylan O'Brien is a very good actor. He can do drama and comedy well. Not many actors can pull that off.
They did the book justice with this movie. I remember 1st watching this after reading the book and thinking, "This is exactly how i imagined this world, and the creatures would look". It's like i was seeing things on screen that i had imagined in my head.
Wow. Had seen this but forgotten most of the weirdness! Fabulous design details and such a great reaction from the two of you, really good fun 😁You guys gotta react to the Canadian sci-fi CUBE trilogy for ever more curious mazes but with adults freaking out. Would love a reaction on those.
Love this movie, I read these books in highschool and really enjoyed them. First YA series I actually wanted to read through twice. The movies kind of go down hill from here in my opinion. They took the overall plot in a really confusing direction that doesn’t make sense to most people who read the books, but don’t let me discourage you, they are entertaining at least.
Every once in a while, I check in to make sure that Tara is still singing the "ring the bell" song and that I continue to have a debilitating crush on John. Check. And...check.
All Im gonna say is Im still waiting for the fourth movie to come out after that hell of a cliffhanger they ended in. 😭 (Ok Im gonna lose the heart for editing but Ive been informed that its actually the 2nd movie not the 3rd that has the cliffhanger. That's my bad.)
I think one of my favorite scenes to watch people react to is when newt clocks ben with that stick, its so funny how shocked they are knowing that in the books he wasnt hit he was straight up shot in the face by a crossbow. Like that would've been wayyy more shocking to see but i understand why the people who did the movie didnt make that part book accurate 😂😂
I feel like I’m one of many that would love to see you guys watch the next two films, I know you two had your gripes by the end, but it seemed like you still enjoyed it well enough considering the video did decent, and your comments sections seems to be positive too. But I know it’s also been a year, and there’s plenty new to watch, so if you don’t we understand, but we’d still love to see you experience the next two
I would like you guys to react to The Scorch Trials and The Death Cure next, Chuck wasnt the only death I hated in the series. The action in the sequels are amazingly well done with all the running and horror.
I always saw Galley as a scared kid hanging onto the only normalcy that he knows. He’s been there almost 3 years, and has been safe doing the same things every day. Something disrupting that is scary. He’s supposed to be like 15
The second one is my personal favourite. I think that's the same for the majority of people. It expands on a lot of things and delivers a lot of awesome moments and reveals.
They kind of do that at first, but I don’t know…by the end, it’s every other post-apocalyptic world, not just YA post-apocalyptic worlds. Also, the tropes of those other movies come back in donde forced ways as well. The one thing these movies have actually done kind of perfectly altogether is the action and the stunts, s well as Dylan O’ Brien. Even when the movies didn’t get that much better, he managed to be good enough to break out into other more challenging roles.
For a RU-vid channel that essentially just sits and watches movies, and claims to love movies. I am skeptical when the video says 'first time watching', as it seems to me that you're implying that you haven't seen it before. Maybe in some of your videos its true, but I call bulshit on some of your other videos.
The Maze Runner series is like an onion. Each movie peels back another layer until you get to the center of what is REALLY going on. That's the best way I can describe the franchise.
I vividly remember staying up until 4am to finish the first book and then being mad at myself because obviously, as the first in a trilogy, NONE of my questions were answered lol. Ultimately, I found the books to be a fun time but ultimately a little underwhelming for a lot of the reasons you guys mentioned in your review. I never finished watching all the movies, though, so I'm looking forward to more reactions if they happen!
i think the book might have made you buy gally's dependence on the glade, like they've been there for 3 years, living in the glad, they don't remember anything from before that, so the glade is kinda all they know. I haven't read the books, but watching the movies, i felt like i wanted to spend more time in the glade and in the maze. Any book readers, would you recommend checking out the audio book?
Info dump filming had to be put on hold for the maze runner death cure the 3rd film. When filming Dylan O’Brien was in a care accident and took 6 month or so to heal. Kinda like when Tom Cruise broke his leg filming mission impossible fallout
