Discussing with one friend, I told him that the Maze Runner movies took the best part of the books (or what better translates to a visual media) and really use it to its full potential
Exactly. The people who complain about the films not following the books apparently don't grasp the fact that a literary work and a film are two different art forms. I can't help but think they're incredibly naive. What does it matter if a film doesn't follow a book exactly? There are obvious reasons why this is rarely possible, and it's often not even desirable. What works in a book doesn't necessarily translate to film. There also are different creative impulses at work in each. People need to understand TMR 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 différence!! If all is done well, and the films were done very well, it doubles the fun. So, grow-up and enjoy! I hear the same sort of b*tching about "The Shining." Of course, there, even Stephen King doesn't "get it!"
I definitely intend to go back and watch them again at some point, it would be my third time (if you don't count me sifting through clips to edit this 😂) they're just really entertaining
Can we also talk about how good the acting is and the soundtracks by John Paesano? I’m honestly surprised they don’t get as much recognition. It might be because it falls under the "Teen Dystopian" era of movies...
Yeah the acting is great, they make it feel so real. And the musical score works really well too. In addition to genre, I would say another reason they lack recognition is because there was such a large overlap with the three main dystopian series and also a large gap between scorch trials and death cure, causing it to sort of fade from memory.
Well, there's a bias amongst hoity-toity professional critics and reviewers against Sci-Fi and Horror. They only value straight Drama. Although a television series, "The Haunting of Hill House" was totally ignored by the awards establishment, and it's, undoubtedly, one of the best things ever done for television. But it's been labelled "Horror" so it doesn't register. Likewise, consider "The Shining," one of the best films ever made. Initially, it was very poorly received. Subsequently, it's become regarded as a masterpiece and very influential. Even the contemporary viewing public often are absolute dolts when it comes to great films. It's not part of the Sci-Fi/Horror genre, but Hitchcock's "Vertigo" bombed at the box office when it first came out. Today it's recognized as a classic and a masterpiece of filmmaking, another GOAT. Other classics like "The Treasure of Sierra Madre," "The Night of the Hunter," "The Thing (1982)," "It's a Wonderful Life" and "Citizen Kane" also bombed initially, not finding an audience that was sufficiently sophisticated until much later. Of course, TMR films did not suffer that fate. They were quite successful in fact. Although you'd never know it, they were made on the cheap, costing about 1/2 what films of that type normally cost. But, yes, they're severely underrated and underrecognized at present. Apparently, there's a fourth film in the works. Let's hope they do it right! If they mess it up, it might spoil the trilogy. Think "Star Wars."
This is the best series ever and there is still room for theory’s but enough information to not being confused but I do really like Tresea and the scorch trials is my favorite anyways great video and I do think the the death cure is the worst movie out of all of them and I agree that Thomas Tresea and Brenda are just a no for a romantic triangle once again great video
Agreed, TMR trilogy is awesome. It has great ensemble acting by a very attractive cast, a very adult and quite deep story beautifully told and filmed coupled with an excellent score that complements the action. The films owe a great deal to the myth of "Theseus and the Minotaur," "The Lord of the Flies" etc. I disagree about the story dragging at some points, though. I suppose this is due to short-attention-span-itis. Also, there is absolutely no Teresa - Thomas - Brenda love-triangle present. There is an emotional bond between Thomas and Teresa but it's not romantic in nature, it's due to their shared past. Because his memory was wiped, the only connection Thomas has with his past is WCKD - Teresa, a colleague, and Ava Paige, who was Thomas' foster mother if you will. That's why they're important to him even if they both, to put it mildly, disappoint him. Think how that would be like to remember only fragments of your past at most? For Thomas, Teresa IS his unknown past, and he can't give that up willingly even if it's a checkered past. It's worth remembering that when Thomas was WCKD, he designed the Maze, he put the Gladers in the Maze, and he ran the Trial. That's why when Ben and Alby partially regain their memory, they attack Thomas. Ben even wants to kill him. It's also why Alby asks Thomas why he's in the Maze. Thomas being there makes no sense to Alby because he knows Thomas ran the Trial. Ava Paige wouldn't be talking to some nobody WCKD staffer. If she's personally telling Thomas not to go easy on the subjects, it means Thomas is direct-report and top-tier WCKD. So, earlier, Thomas was no angel, either, although eventually he had a change of heart. On the flip side, would Teresa betray Thomas if she loved him? No. Betraying an immune to WCKD means torture and possible madness at best. More probably it means death, sooner or later. It's possible Teresa hoped against hope that Thomas would see the light and rejoin WCKD, but it seems a forlorn hope. Thomas was a genius and a brilliant doctor/medical researcher in his own right. Since, he might help discover a cure, you can understand why Teresa and Ava Paige would want him back in WCKD. No, Teresa is wedded to WCKD alone, and above all things she wants to find a cure to Flare. That is her only priority and her life's work. After she discovers Thomas is the long-sought-after cure, her priority shifts to save him not because she loves him but because he's the cure. Her life's work! Brenda, on the other hand, probably does love Thomas. He saved her life twice. Once from the Crank in the ruined city and then from the Flare, a fate worse than death. In the books, it is suggested that Thomas and Brenda do become a couple. That's not the case in the films, however. Thomas considers Brenda a good friend but nothing more. That's not to say there isn't a love story in TMR, but it's subtle and understated. A characteristic of adult films is that they have depth and are subject to interpretation. For example, you can regard the films as a 3-act play. "Maze Runner" is the set-up, "Scorch Trials" is the confrontation, and "Death Cure" is the (partial) resolution. Another way to regard the trilogy is to say it's about childhood, adolescence and adulthood. Or, alternatively, you might say it's about escape, survival and attack. You could even say the films are akin to an ancient Greek trilogy such as the Oresteia where each film takes on a different aspect or genre. At a very basic level, you might say they're action-adventure. Many themes are explored in the trilogy. These include betrayal v. loyalty, selflessness v. selfishness, memory and identity, stability and order v. change and chaos, hope v. despair, loyalty and self-sacrifice v. self-preservation and survival, friendship, how different people react to the unknown, mazes as an allegory for life's many twists and turns, same-sex love, man v. nature, curiousity v. apathy, the nature of morality etc. "Does the end justify the means" represents WCKD's agenda and is the central theme of the "Maze Runner" trilogy. It's a principle often associated with totalitarianism, and the phrase has its origin with Machiavelli, although the idea is much older. 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. Teresa/WCKD adhere to this end-means principle rigidly. This principle is, unfortunately, a too common belief today. It allows people to believe their actions are justified regardless of how they go about achieving their desired end result. This is essentially the viewpoint of WCKD and Theresa, although they are dealing with an end of great significance. WCKD and Theresa are totally ruthless in their pursuit of a cure. Thomas, on the other hand, believes that the means are just as important, or, maybe, even more important, than the end. His viewpoint is if the means are morally objectionable in themselves, then this outweighs any potential benefit from the end. In other words, the "how" is just as important as the "why." Thomas, just like WCKD, wants to find a cure to the Flare, he's only opposed to how WCKD tries to do it. Thomas is willing to sacrifice himself to obtain a cure and save humanity. He's not willing, however, to sacrifice the unwilling. Teresa's/WCKD's morality is relativistic and man-centric, whereas Thomas' morality is based on absolute principles and God-centric. Even so, the trilogy challenges both WCKD's and Thomas' perspective, and makes us wonder which one is "right." I'm reminded of Pilate when he said: "What is truth?" We have man's truth, and we have God's Truth. 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. Likewise, Newt is in love with Thomas. 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 betrayal of WCKD precipitated his downfall and the tragic course his subsequent life followed. At this point, we might ask what effect did Newt's death have on Thomas? It's profound. Thomas is palpably different afterwards. He presents a diminished lifeforce and sadness. Not only did Newt die, but Thomas did, too. He will never again be the same person. Newt's death marks a turning point. From that time forward, Thomas will focus on being "the cure." He's not staying in the Safe Haven, he's leaving to save mankind. Thomas is determined to complete WCKD's mission, and we have yet another instance of immense tragic irony when Thomas, for a second time, offers himself to Ava Paige in lieu of the immunes. This time she accepts, and mankind might have been saved then and there, but Jansen, out of pure selfishness, kills her, and destroys the opportunity. The interplay between selflessness and selfishness is another aspect of the trilogy. What's the "boon" in the trilogy? Obviously, it's Thomas himself or, more specifically, his blood. He can potentially save mankind. Thomas has come to accept this as his destiny which he will meet even if it means his death. Tragic heroes almost always die, and Thomas is a tragic hero. This is without doubt what the epilogue of the final film means. Thomas is going back to the Crank-world, and he is going to offer himself up as a cure even if it means his life is forfeit. Even though WCKD's HQ was destroyed along with the city, there were more than one WCKD lab and installation referenced in the films. Ask yourself, where was WCKD evacuating to in the third film? The fact that the trilogy doesn't end with a conventional happy-ending like boy-gets-girl or vice-versa, if that's your preference, also sets it apart. Another reason these are adult films. Nevertheless, many people do crave happy-endings. Instead, the film ends on a hopeful note. Thomas is going back. He's not going to stay with Brenda in the Safe Haven, which, if you think about it, is really a new Glade. He's going to venture out into the maze again, the crank-filled-world. He's going to try to save, in this case, not Alby and Minho, but the world. It's an open question whether he'll succeed. We hope so, but we don't know. This time the maze might defeat him. The end of the trilogy brings us full-circle, and we're back at the beginning.
WOW thanks for taking the time to write this up. I'll do my best to reply. The story dragging: this doesn't have to do with short attention spans, it has to do partly with the story losing focus and partly with the structure and pacing. Like in the death cure, we spend WAY too much time with Janson and Teresa in the finale, and honestly the execution of Janson as a character doesn't feel entirely necessary across these movies. But for me, it's not a big deal that affects enjoyment of the series. the love triangle as far as I'm aware exists in the books with thomas/teresa/brenda, and it seems apparent that in the movie they tried it at least in scorch trials at a minimal level but then (thankfully) cast it aside. the bond between Thomas and Teresa is definitely portrayed as romantic, but because that shared past connection is there, I think it would've played perfectly fine had they taken out the romantic inclinations (like the kiss for example). Better yet if she'd been literal family like a sister because I agree that her being his connection to the past is important, but the story dressing it up as romance to fit in with the rest of YA dystopia felt like a disservice to their relationship. In essence, had they tried to write the same character relationship without thinking of it as a romance, the script would've come across better. Agreed, there's so many themes and ways to analyze this series. I was looking at it more from a YA dystopia lens (as this was part of my podcast episode about the genre and I compare this to other series). I personally didn't read Newt as being in love with Thomas in the movies at least, though it's possible this is something that's expressed further in the books (I only read the first book and it was a long time ago.) Unfortunately due to the structure of the final film, his death felt overshadowed by all the stuff that came after. I might have to rewatch, but the way I interpreted the ending of Death Cure was that it was much more open ended. They got to the Safe Haven, they set up a new life, they honored those they lost. There's no clear cut resolution, no solid explanation of what's going to happen next, simply the hope of a better future, whatever that future looks like considering the state of the rest of the world. I don't think the movie indicates that Thomas is going back or anything like that, but your interpretation is interesting, and yes we are back full circle which is very cool.
@@TrashTalkReverse I guess we're just going to have to disagree about the film dragging. It didn't drag at all for me. Actually, I find the sequences starting with Newt's death to the film's ending amongst the most exciting and interesting. Newt's death, which marks the beginning of the climax, profoundly affects Thomas. He's changed and is not the same as before. He now realizes his fierce loyalty to the immunes/Gladers has made him impetuous and his behavior reckless at times, resulting in Newt's unnecessary death among other things. Even though Thomas is almost superhumanly selfless, he feels deeply guilty. It's a moment of anagnorisis for him, an epiphany. Consequently, Thomas recognizes there is overwhelming merit in WCKD's objective and that as the long-sought-after cure, he must satisfy that objective. Although he's still angry, more with himself than Ava Paige/WCKD, we know he could never kill Dr. Paige. Throughout the trilogy, Ava Paige has been a mother figure for him, and he her prodigal son. Instead, he offers himself to WCKD, not as a test subject but as THE cure. This is his latest and final mission in life. Dr. Paige accepts his offer this time, which, in retrospect, she should have done at the end of "The Scorch Trials." That refusal turned out to be something tragic in itself. The story might have ended there with Paige, Thomas and Teresa escaping the doomed city to whatever facility to which WCKD was evacuating. The presumption being that the cure could be synthesized, probably resulting in Thomas' death, and mankind saved. Instead, we have yet another act of betrayal, motivated in this case by selfishness and self-preservation. Betrayal features prominently in the trilogy. Thomas betrays WCKD, Minho sort of betrays Alby and Thomas when he runs away out of fear, Teresa betrays Thomas and the surviving Gladers, Barkley betrays Jorge, Jorge betrays his crew and Jansen betrays Paige/WCKD. Actually, I've always wondered if Teresa didn't betray Thomas to WCKD at the outset. Anyway, it turns out Jansen has Flare, and he kills Paige and takes Thomas prisoner. Jansen has Teresa take Thomas' blood and synthesize a serum from it for his use and for a few select others. It's a moment of peripeteia or reversal of fortune for Thomas and the narrative. At this point, we're alarmed and wondering what's going to happen to Thomas? We are rather invested in him for multiple reasons. Will he survive? He is a tragic hero, and tragic heroes almost always die. Think Maximus in "The Gladiator;" William Wallace in "Braveheart;" Hamlet in, well, "Hamlet" etc. Peripeteia and anagnorisis are, after all, the most powerful parts of the plot in a tragedy. This brings us to Teresa. There are many parallels between Teresa and Thomas. They both were WCKD. Both were the most intelligent and ableist of WCKD's immunes. Both medical doctors/scientists. Both were betrayers and, ultimately, both were tragic heroes. Teresa's epiphany came when Jansen detailed his selfish plans for Thomas. Thomas wasn't cure for all but for the few. This was contrary to Teresa and WCKD's objective. At that point, Teresa lashed out at Jansen and intended to free Thomas. Teresa's raison d'etre had always been both to find a cure and to make it available to all. She does admit the cure belongs to Thomas, but we know Thomas wants to make it available to everyone. Because Thomas is the cure, Teresa works to save Thomas even if it means her death, and that's what happens. Like Thomas, Teresa is a tragic hero. Teresa was wedded to WCKD. Ultimately, her fate mirrored WCKD's fate. A considerable amount of time passes, and Thomas has just recovered from his, frankly, very life-threatening wound. Amazingly, the bad guy actually had hit his target! Thomas is going to leave Safe Haven, find whatever site to which WCKD evacuated and present himself as the cure. Newt says in his letter "[t]he future is in your hands now, Tommy, and I know you'll find a way to do what's right. You always have." Thomas looks at the vial, and then at the ship. It's clear what he's thinking and what he's going to do. This ending is consistent with the notion of the "monomyth." It's also another parallel. It parallels Thomas leaving the Glade to rescue Alby and Minho. 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 with Thomas as the "boon." Okay, having said all that, I am disappointed that Thomas didn't die in "Death Cure." He is a tragic hero, and they die! I'm sorry, where he was shot, without immediate medical care, that was a fatal wound. Even with prompt treatment, there's a good chance he'd die. That's my one gripe. It's not a big one, but if I had my druthers .... Another parallel. Thomas was shot in the same place Ben was stung. Oh, If you think back to the first film, all the Gladers who "orbited" Thomas name on the wall all died. That was a bit of foreshadowing. Anyway, the filmmakers obviously didn't want to end the film on such a downer, so they crafted a hopeful ending while also keeping the option for subsequent films open, too. There's resolution to the story and Thomas' character, but it's only a partial resolution. It's always seemed pretty obvious, to me, anyway, what Newt and Thomas' relationship was. The basis for it is found in the "Theseus and the Minotaur" myth upon which TMR is based. Thomas is Theseus/Daedalus and Newt is Ariadne. In the films it's reflected in the way Thomas and Newt act when they first meet, the way Newt, under the influence of Flare, shows he is jealous of Teresa, and then there is that poignant love letter to Thomas. Also, recall when Newt gave his locket to Thomas. That's the locket that had Newt's note to Thomas in it. Newt kept it around his neck and near his heart. And think about how he insisted Thomas take it. It was very passionate. These and other examples all say Thomas and Newt were more than just very good friends. I viewed Thomas and Teresa's kiss in the city as just a good-bye kiss at a hyper emotional moment when they both expected to die. I might even kiss Teresa at a moment like that if I were in their shoes. I'm not even sure the memory of Teresa and Thomas holding hands before being injected into the Maze is credible. WCKD planted the false memory "WCKD is good" in Thomas' head in order to lure him back into WCKD. What WCKD wanted to do was reset Thomas to the "before" Thomas who was onboard with WCKD's agenda. We also know Teresa was sent into the Maze as part of the plan to entice Thomas back into WCKD. In the monomyth, she'd be the "temptress." She didn't try to derail Thomas with sex, however, but with arguments logical and emotional.
