The Maze Runner was always going to be rife for lampooning. Despite being resolutely entertaining the film is still pretty stupid and was clearly ordered to profit off the back of a number of other teenager-led dystopian franchises. That’s why it’s great to see that the good folks over at Honest Trailers have decided to tear into The Maze Runner with glee. Check out their downright entertaining thoughts on the film below. It’s the prefect way to brighten up your Thursday.
The similarities between The Maze Runner and the likes of The Hunger Games and Divergent franchises are so striking it’s impossible not to be impressed with 20th Century Fox’s brazen decision to profit off their success. Not only are they all packed to the brim with young actors but each of their premises revolve around this infant posse struggling to survive in a dystopian world that is run by an aged government.
And just like Divergent and The Hunger Games films, Wes Bell's The Maze Runner has plenty of elements that you can’t help but chortle at. To start off with, its plot is beyond absurd. Why have the government banished this group of male youngsters when they are apparently their only chance for the world to prosper? How the hell did a solar flare spark a zombie apocalypse? And why is there only one chubster amongst the plethora of borderline models that populate the Glade? Poor fatty. As a curvy so-in-so myself I totally felt his pain being in amongst that sea of perfectly chiseled deities. In fact, The Maze Runner follows the same path as the aforementioned movies with its government casting too. Patricia Clarkson, who has lit up and pretty much stolen every film that she has ever been apart of, is the one good actor that The Maze Runner cast.
As Honest Trailers points out, for the most part, The Maze Runner is also as clichéd as they come. There’s the handsome and brave lead character whose only attributes are being both handsome and brave at the same time. Then, despite the fact that its cast is diverse, The Maze Runner still goes with tradition and makes sure that a black character is the first to be killed off. But they don’t just stop there. No, he then dies for a second time too. Kaya Scodelario pops up as the only female Glader and shows that not only does she look exactly like Kristen Stewart but she also attended the same wooden acting school as the Twilight actress. We can only assume that both of their teachers were a strong piece of oak.
All in all though, despite these issues, The Maze Runner is still an intriguing and entertaining watch. And the fact that it made $340 million from a $34 million budget means that there will plenty of more additions to the franchise in the near future too. Starting with The Maze Runner: Scorch Trials in September 2015.
