Most of the characters are from what I remember, named after inventors, philosophers, mathematicians and scientists. Newt after Isaac Newton, Gally after Galilieo Galilei, Thomas after Thomas Edison, Alby after Albert Einstein, Winston after Winston Churchill, Teresa after Mother Teresa, Chuck after Charles Darwin, Ben after Benjamin Franklin, and Frypan was also known as Siggy in the novels after Sigmund Freud. Minho however is named after James Dashner's niece's husband. You'll meet Aris and Harriet later in the series who are named after Aristotle and Harriet Tubman. And since they don't include this in the films, I'm technically not spoiling anything but Sonya (who you'll meet in the second movie) and Newt are twins. There's actually a tragic piece of backstory for Newt's limp that I won't talk about, in the books, which you can look up if you'd like.
@@jrdnlyr yeah, it's in the prequels. Is the reasoning behind Newt's limp mentioned in the main three, it's time for a reread because I cannot remember.
Rare to see such a reasonable, level-headed character in a YA adaptation. The fact that Thomas tells him "I screwed you over," and his immediate reaction is "Yeah, but you're different now" is just so great. It makes me f e e l e m o t i o n s
I love how this reaction paralleled the movie with Stella having incomplete and flashes of memories of events (like Thomas), while everyone else in the "reactors glade" had to figure it out with little idea of what to expect. A great reaction.
The reason why the grievers came in during the night, with all the walls opening, is to get Alby. It's because after he was stung, he rememered things which WCKD did not want the other gladers to know/remember. And due to Alby being immune, they would have taken him out of the maze and studied his brain in ways you will see in The Scorch Trials. After they got Alby, they took him and the grievers left.
Thats only in the movies though. In the books the grievers would come back each night taking one glider at a time until Thomas and the rest of the main cast decided to live.
I've never thought about that. I always guessed it was due to the trigger happening with Teresa arriving after killing the griever. You also have the doors staying open when they first discover the exit. This is a bit of a hot take and due to the difference in the movie and the book we can never be sure what is exactly right or wrong
The reason why they pushed Ben into the maze instead of killing him is because he’s still a glader, and it goes against their second rule: never harm another glader
I actually really liked your guys’ take on Gally because a lot of people just straight up hate him but he does have a lot of rights to be mad at times at Thomas. And you can’t even blame him for chuck because he was stung. He would’ve never killed chuck if he wasn’t stung. Newt is probably my favourite character in this series of movies from beginning to end because he’s just so good, he’s nice, he takes a chance in Thomas, he’s smart. And I love the actor who plays him he’s been in so many things.
The fact that he doesn't hold a grudge in movie 3 shows that he's not that kind of person. He could easily kill them all, but he actually pend a hand is crazy
Gally did became a favourite character of mine once I reached Death Cure. Honestly he's just scared, angry and fiercely loyal, which made for a bad combination when it came to Thomas. But really he had been looking out for everyone else.
This is one of the best adaptations of any YA in my opinion, although there are many changes from the books, the movies stand alone on their own in a great way. I am so happy you guys are checking it out!
There are a five books in The Maze Runner series. The Maze Runner, The Scorch Trials, The Death Cure, The Kill Order and The Fever Code. While Maze Runner, Scorch Trials and Death Cure are the main story, Kill Order and Fever Code are prequels as they're based on when the Flare first struck and Thomas's life before the maze. Also at 52:28, the man sitting on the right to Ava Paige (on the left of the screen) is James Dashner, the author of The Maze Runner books.
Fun fact: In the book instead of the walls staying open and the Grievers going on a massacre right away, instead they'd pick off one person every night until they finally tried to escape. Obviously that'd be harder to make interesting in the time frame of a movie, but I kinda prefer what the book did
They could have pull it off if they wanted to, they did great with the suspense as it is in the movies. I still remember the fear reading the book when they are all in the tower as quite as posible in complete darkness while they hear the grievers climbing it and moving around just waiting for anyone to be taken in a flash. Oof **shivers** such a great sequence.
I always wondered if part of Thomas' selective memory was having him feel a sense of urgency along with his curiosity. Maybe WICKED is running out of time so they allowed him to remember the feeling of impending doom.
37:06 what most people glance over is that since they brought the tracker back the system saw it as a grieved returning from patrol, therefore starting to change the maze to open a new section and close the old one
I love Maze Runner, the books are so different to the second and third movie, this first one is the more accurate, but I think they're great still. Love them both
What made me the saddest in this movie is about how many people died, they were just background characters but they were still young boys with families and feelings and it's just so sad they went out like that
The grievers construction is very smart to have a monster that is both organic and mechanical is genius, it inspires more fear than either category on its own.
If you enjoyed Dylan O'Brien and want another apocalyptic movie, I highly recommend Love and Monsters if you haven't yet seen it. My favourite movie of 2020.
Love this series. I remember me and my sister got lucky and was able to see the premiere screening at San Diego Comic Con. Was such a cool experience and we got to see the cast afterward. One of my favorite series and all changes from the book were approved in full support by James Dashner himself. He had a lot of hand in helping bring his book to life
I absolutely loved the Maze Runner movies as a teen, I still think that Dylan is so perfect for the role, he does an amazing job Very fun rewatching and reliving this movie with you four
Dylan O is definitely easy on the eyes but women are fond of him because he has a gemstone of a personality to go with it .. he was never attention seeking he just enjoys using his talent in acting and he is probably the most underrated actor in the entire film industry in my opinion! He blew my mind in American assassin even though the movie wasn’t up to his level he made it his own. I had the pleasure of meeting him when he visited Egypt he is a kind humble intelligent man, basically all you’d expect him to be and more. Looking forward to watching your reactions to the rest of the Maze Runner series. Cheers white noise crew.
Newt is the best! Very bestfriend material. Gally is something else. The movie sets him up as kind of villain-y and antagonistic but his arguments are actually sound. He's intense but in such situations, his reactions are actually reasonable especially from his perspective. As an audience who've spent more time with the main characters, I know better so his reactions can be kind of annoying, but if I were in his shoes only knowing what he knows, I'd be mistrustful and extra cautious to the point of paranoia too. In any case, this is perhaps one of the better YA adaptations I've seen in that there's not much romance. In a dystopian setting, I feel like most survivors would be too preoccupied with dealing with the dangers around them to be lovey-dovey with someone..but with teens, I guess it could make sense.
You’re reactions on the channel for the latest films/series continue to get better and better now that Hailey and Stella are participating in them. Hopefully you get to have them in your future animated movie reactions, even if they have their own priorities and reactions.
After THG came out, it felt like so many YA dystopian films were being made. A lot of them ran together for me, so I'd love to see more YA fantasy films being made again instead.
for real .. kinda sad that this era seems to be over. I mean especially in the fantasy department but also in general. I mean all these amazing YA novels by John Green for example. So good to read
@@mrsfahrenheit I'm a big fantasy fan, so sci-fi stuff usually isn't my forte, so perhaps that's why I didn't like this era. The Mortal Instruments, for example, deserved a better movie treatment than what we got.
That's how it goes. One genre does well and then everyone tries to copy it. Just like how now everyone wants their own MCU. Eventually another genre will come along and do well, then every movies will try to copy that.
Oh man what an awesome experience this series is .. I watched all of it just the other day and was wondering who else haven’t seen it yet! This is a treat guys. Hope you have a blast.
i made my dad read this series when i was a teenager, and we would go see the movies in theatres together and compare them to the books. i remember that the first one is actually very close to the book, but after that it definitely starts diverting- sometimes in small but story-altering ways. one example from this first one is the fact that it rains. in the first book, they very specifically state that it NEVER rains in the glade. not sure why they changed that lol, it would've been very easy to just... not have it rain. after the 2nd or 3rd we decided to just enjoy it as its own story rather than as an adaptation of the books. while the general plot stays the same, i think the films lose a loooot of the nuance and moral ambiguity that made the books so interesting to me (which, tbf, isn't uncommon with movies that come from books). regardless, i still enjoy the movies quite a bit! i think the casting fits all the characters so well, and the films are also visually very beautiful. each installment has kind of its own color scheme. the first is obviously very green, and the others are also very distinct! i like that the movies really ran with that aspect.
I just read the first Maze runner book and watched the movie with my sister and a couple of friends, I had already seen the movie and a lot is different, they skip past a lot, there is only so much of a book that you can shove into an hour-2 hours. But something that was in the book that was a huge plot point was that Thomas and Teresa have some sort of Telepathic communication, they talk in each others heads throughout the whole book.
Tbh, as many times as I have read the books I still always forget about the Telepathy... It doesn't really do much for the main plot in general for what I recall. Honestly the Telepathy was always a weird thing to put in the story, to me at least.
@@sofialu226 I agree, it is just so weird that they have it in the first place. I'm glad they didn't put it in the movie tbh, it would have been a bit too far fetched.
The movies are based on a book series and came out around the same time as The Hunger Games series (2008/2009). The Maze Runner series was only made into a trilogy because the actor that played Thomas hurt his leg during filming and had to heal for a LONG time then had to spend an even longer time doing physical therapy. That’s why there was such a huge pause between the movies when they came out. The studio considered releasing a 4th movie, but the cast voted and decided not to. They liked the part who the story stopped in the 3rd movie.
just a tiny point ehe but the reason why they don't kill Ben when he changed is that the rules say to "never harm another glader" and the rules are all they have to live in peace with each other
You guys are in for a major ride with the next two in the series..hold on to your hats cause it’s a huge thrill ride…this is my second favourite trilogy of all time just under LOTR…make no mistake while this trilogy is amazing on every level, it does have a few rough spots here and there but still Wes Ball the director and the entire crew created a true work of art Edit: i forgot to mention that not one character in the next two are throw aways. Every character whethet you love them or hate them was so well executed that every character you can understand their motivations for doing or thinking something..Everybody was so perfectly cast in this series that now I could not see anyone else playing these parts…Ugh im so excited for you all to experience these next two! Ahh! Its just so many edge of your seat moments!
The saddest part about Chuck’s death is that Gally was only there because he finally saw reason and went to help save his family and escape with them, but was stung as he got there, forcing him to turn on the only people he knows, the only thing he’s ever known. Gally had it rough
I SAW THIS POP UP ON MY FEED AND SQUEALED! l live for the maze runner series, both the movies and the books. (Saw the movies first then the books. Way better experience in my opinion haha.) Hope you guys thoroughly enjoy the rest of the movies. In the meantime, I'll watch this video!
I agree!! It's better to watch the films first and then read the books, you'll never see a film the same way again if you try to compare it to the books. Even with the changes I still love them both 🥹
Being 25 now wow... Gally wasn’t an asshole he was unsure of the path being taken and WAS NOT wrong about shit going sideways when Thomas arrived but he was also too scared to do what actually needed to be done. Maybe as a teen I didn’t understand him and simply remembered him being a dick in a new movie.
Thanks for reacting! I remember the first time I've watched this: I literally had the movie pulled up on my PC, and then I hear "Um, you know there's a book, right?', so I literally went and read the book before watching haha After HP I'm very sure that the book is always better, and I prefer to know beforehand if some details were omitted, so yeah :) But still, the movis is great. Dylan and Thomas (not to mention Kaya) are SO DAMN TALENTED OMG. Love them, love the interpretation, love the movie
The Maze Runner was the first book series that I enjoyed all the way through. It's so good and I'm very happy that the movies turned out great. I remember them vividly because I went to see it in theatres with a large group of friends, I think we took up a whole row of seats lol.
If you guys take audience requests, would you be interested in reacting to Mr Magorium’s Wonder Emporium? It has Dustin Hoffman and Natalie Portman and I firmly believe it’s an absolute hidden gem. Very fun and sweet movie, one of my favorites
@@destinywolfofficial1191 seriously!!! Haha! They’re most likely the best reactors out there given their critical views and honest opinions all while having a good time! I was so hyped when they announced they were going to do my favorite films finally!❤️😂
@@deede2378 I’ve been watching a lot of reactors lately, specifically of the Maze Runner series and I was just waiting and hoping that these guys would react to it. When watching they’re videos, you hardly notice anything missing from the movies they watch. Even if the movie is two hours long you still feel like you seen the whole thing in one. I love their editing.
Prequel book spoiler alert ‼️ In the prequel book that was released after the series we actually find out that Thomas worked with WICKED to build the maze. WICKED had all these kids with them and were studying them. He was friends with like Newt, Gally, Alby and the others before the maze and they didn’t know about it and they were sent in the first lot of people into the maze (they first sent a bunch of kids and then one every month). When they found out that their memories would be taken away and that Thomas was behind it they all felt betrayed and was mad at him. When Gally and the other guy were stung by the grievers they didn’t get all their memories back but they remembered hating Thomas and that he did something bad to them and that’s why they hate and attack him. The prequel book is actually really good and adds so much to the story
The maze runner saga is just beautiful. The script, the performances and the characters. Although this movie has many inconsistencies despite how good it is!I find it very unbelievable that Gally reached the final scene with no idea what the maze was like before... he literally knew nothing about it and they decided to put it in the final scene.
In the books is differnet though, in the books one day Gally just desappears from the Glade and is not seen again until the end. He was nowhere to be found, and if I rememeber correctly everyone thought he lost his mind and went into the maze to die or something. Then we see him again at the end with a Dagger (not a gun) acting all weird and such to then throw the dagger at Thomas, but Chuck gets in the way diying. Then Thomas looses it and jumps at Gally strangling him and then puching him so hard and so may times that Gally's face disfigures looking almost dead. Side note about Gally's character: In the books Gally was stung once a long time before and remembered Thomas having something to do with their situation, thats also one of the reasons he had such a personal thing against him. He told him that at some point. And if you are wondering why was he fine if he was stung, is because in the books the same Two suerums Theresa had in the movie, were sent each month with all the supplies.
54:24 I’m so late to this reaction but they deliberately did this so you would feel and see the same as the characters, it was made to make you feel like you’re there and experiencing it with them. It’s the same for the lack of knowledge, so whatever the characters know, you know too and what they don’t, you don’t either. It’s an amazing concept and I wish more movies would take it on and not give all the info out to the audience in one go.
When I got the notification for your newest video I was like FINALLY! THEY FINALLY REACTED TO MAZE RUNNER!! Haha can you tell I was very excited 😂. But seriously these movies (in my opinion) are awesome. I only watched these movies myself a month or two ago and I fell in love with them immediately. I’m actually in the middle of reading the series right now. Almost finished Scorch Trials. You guys seriously NEED to read the books. I know a lot of people probably commented this exact same thing, but the books actually explain a lot more of the story than shown in the movies. The end scene was also very different from the movie. I won’t elaborate because (spoilers) if you decide to read the books. I am absolutely STOKED for your reactions to Scorch Trials and Death Cure!! James you called it Maze Runner 2 😭. It has a name 😂. Well that’s all I’ve got to say as far as I can tell. AAAAHH 😂. You finally did it! Can’t wait until Scorch Trials and Death Cure reactions!!
Y’all should definitely finish the rest of the trilogy. The great thing is that the director didn’t split the last book into 2 movies. He didn’t believe that the last book needed 2 movies to flesh out the plot so he left it at one movie. And he didn’t want to break the last book up just to make more money. He cared more about the storytelling than the money. So all three movies are incredible and action packed.
I just realized I know the tentacle scene in the hut from Stranger Things (they have a lot of pop culture references), it's funny, because they're almost the same 😄🙂
I really hope one day they turn the 2 novel prequels into movie adaptations. For those who haven't read them, (the kill order) revolves around the events of the solar flares and the virus that ultimately caused this apocalypse and (the fever code) is about the creation of the maze, definitely would recommend the read 📚 😀 👌
Yay, I'm so glad y'all are watching this finally....I can't wait to see you react to scorched trials and the death cure and I'm obsessed with this movie 😊😊😊 and FUN FACT: The Maze doors, were real, they are functional and can open and close
TH-cam finally notified me of cersent activities from your channel. Saw you reacted to the 2nd mazerinner. So i check for your first reaction. I remember seeing these novirs a while back and after the 3rd one came out I got the combo pack on DVD that had all the movies.
I think the way Thomas was doing things, although it absolutely was reckless, were filmed to kind of show it was an impulse. He wasn't thinking and he just felt the need to run into the maze. Plus, as Alby said, he's curious.
I don’t know about you but the fact you guys started reacting to the Maze Runner films just 5-6 days after ANGELINA (another reactor) did her reaction to this film feels more of a coincidence.
@@whitenoisereacts She’s another reactor that reacts to films who currently is at 150k subs, and to be fair I’ve also have been subscribed to other reactors not only you that have also released reactions to films and series on the same day or 4-5 days to a week before or after your reactions. So there’s nothing wrong with you or anyone reacting to the same movie the same day or several days apart, I just notice this as an observation and coincidence.
If you know your classics, the "Maze Runner" is a pretty close retelling of "Theseus and the Minotaur," of course. Naturally, Thomas is Theseus, the hero. Turns out, Thomas, in his pre-Glade life, was also Daedalus, a creative genius. Daedalus created the Labyrinth for Minos, just like Thomas created the maze for WCKD. Daedalus also betrayed Minos, just like Thomas did WCKD. Daedalus was condemned by Minos to the Labyrinth, just like Thomas was sent by WCKD into the maze. The Glade and the Gladers are Athens and Athenian youth of the myth, 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, as noted above, is King Minos. In the myth, 7 youths and 7 maids are sacrificed to the Minotaur every year. This strongly implies the existence of an all-female maze. The number 7, which has significance in the film, is undoubtedly an allusion to the myth, too. 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 (LOTF)" than classical Greece. The Glade is, after all, an island inhabited by boys in the midst of an ocean-like maze. Who can forget the pig that arrived with Thomas, either? 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. Thomas seems to be a combination of LOTF's Ralph and Simon. His Simon attribute leads us to believe that at some point in the trilogy Thomas will die. Gally, in the first film, probably represents LOTF's Jack. The Gladers eventually split between Thomas (Ralph/Simon) and Gally (Jack) just as in LOTF. Late in the film, Gally proposes to make Thomas an offering to the Grievers/Maze. In LOTF's, Jack proposes to make Ralph's decapitated head an offering to the beast, which represents darkness/fear/the innate primordial savageness of the boys. Despite his sometimes impulsiveness, Thomas represents rationality, individuality and morality. Gally denotes groupthink and emotionalism.The significance of the names that are the closest surrounding Thomas' on the wall will become clear in the later movies. George's crossed-out name, indicating he's dead, and the discovery of his body is highlighted for us, so perhaps we should also remember it? When Thomas and the others arrive in the Glade, they're essentially born into it, actually and symbolically. The water (oxygenated perfluorocarbon fluid?) is the amniotic fluid, the glass cylinder represents the placenta, and the person is the foetus. The lift is the birth canal. Like newborns, the Gladers arrive as brand-new persons. They have no identity except a name, which they were assigned by WCKD. So, when Alby says that the creators only let them remember their name, he's not exactly correct. They don't remember their actual name, only their WCKD name. That's why no two Gladers have the same name. You want to be able to distinguish your test subjects for analytical purposes. Since we saw in this film that WCKD can monitor brain function of the Gladers remotely, we can conclude all the Gladers have brain implants of some sort. Clearly, they also would have an implant that would track/geolocate them. You'd want to be able to follow your subject. It's also safe to conclude that an implant is what affects their memory, and it can presumably be turned both on and off. The party the Gladers throw on the day Thomas arrives is his "birthday" party. As Newt tells him, the party is in his honor. Once a month, the Gladers have a celebration. The average Gladers is reluctant to answer Thomas' questions from ignorance and fear. The people who know answers, albeit very imperfectly, are the runners, Ably and Newt, and perhaps some of the other keepers. Alby maybe reluctant to answer Thomas because he's afraid of what Thomas might do. The runners function as a sacred priesthood in the Glade. Their map-hut is off-limits to the average Glader. Only when Thomas is anointed runner does Minho reveal to him what is known of the maze's secrets. Why is Newt willing to answer Thomas' questions? We see from the get-go, there's an attraction, a closeness developing between Newt and Thomas. After Thomas is first introduced to Newt, Thomas keeps looking after him as Newt walks away. Even Newt seems to glance back at Thomas. Thomas and Ava Paige tell us the maze is an experiment to stress and test brain function in order to find a cure for the Flare. The "Maze Runner" trials mean to develop, isolate and produce a curative enzyme that only occurs in immune's brains so humanity can be saved, even if it means killing the immunes. The Flare is the trilogy's MacGuffin. In any experiment, you need a treatment group and a control group. The control group is the benchmark against which you compare the treatment group. The control group must be non-immunes, the treatment group immunes. Some of the Gladers are immune, others are not. The immunes are naturally immune to the Flare. The Griever sting cannot be Flare because all the Gladers have to be at risk of death for the sake of the experiment. Griever sting is similar in effect to the Flare, but it's 100% curable by WCKD. Also, it can't be communicable since WCKD would not want all the test subjects to die if one were stung. Thomas is clearly bothered by Ben being banished. He doesn't approve at all. In fact, it's a triggering event for Thomas. Our tragic hero, Thomas, is super intelligent, very curious and completely selfless. He is so selfless we might consider him impulsive. After Ben, Thomas has decided there'll be no more maze deaths if he can help it. That's why he jumps into the maze after Minho and Alby. Which brings up the question of why Minho is bringing Alby back if he's been stung. The three rules of the Glade make no reference to being stung. There is no punishment for being stung per se. We know the Gladers holds court to decide punishments since Gally prosecutes Thomas for entering the maze in front of such a court. Ben was banished by a court because he tried to kill Thomas, not because he was stung. Minho was bringing Alby back to the Glade out of duty and affection. A court would later have to decide if Alby was deserving of banishment or some other sentence arising out of the second rule. On the other hand, Minho was not obligated to commit suicide to save Alby. He should have left him when it was obvious they couldn't both make it out of the maze, but he waited too long. Later, of course, fear take over, and Minho abandons both Alby and Thomas to their collective fate. Theresa is an anomalous figure in the first film. She's a girl, her arrival is untimely, and she heralds the end of the Gladers' supply lifeline. She completely breaks the Glade's paradigm. What to make of all that? After Thomas and Minho first open the #7 gate using the Griever key, they trigger a reconfiguration of the maze which will funnel the Gladers to the #7 gate. This means the experiment is entering its final phase. Common sense tells us the sequence the runners noted previously, but starting at 7, will be the correct code. Only those subjects who successfully exit the maze are candidates for the second trial. 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. Tragic heroes suffer, and so Thomas will suffer throughout the films. Another aspect of 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. As you watch the films you might ask yourself: Who's closest to Thomas? The trilogy manifests several themes. One that runs through all the films, and is the main theme, is the question of whether the end justifies the means, a principle often associated with totalitarianism. 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. Another theme, which we see in this film in particular, is the question of how do different people deal with fear/unknown? This is also very much a theme in LOTF.
Mine too! I watched Hunger Games and I was like ya I really like this. It’s definitely worth watching again. Then I watched Maze Runner and I’m doing a read through of the books for the first time and I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THEM!!!
Great reaction guys! Maze Runner is my favourite YA Dystopian book/movie series. I really liked your interpretation, especially how you managed to see things from not just Thomas' point of view However, you have to remember that this was an experiment and this entire movie went according to plan. An experiment which was a success and wicked wanted to succeed. it was never supposed to last indefinitely, cuz there are was a fixed amount of children and time was also a factor. So they were always meant to find a way out. Among other reasons (that I will not mention cuz spoilers), that is why Thomas was the last male sent into the Maze. He was the "best" and the favourite according to Ava and Alby. Thomas' biggest strength are his instincts, so while reckless he was right and he was the "trump" card so to speak. They wanted to see if the other kid would find a way out before the time ran out. Thomas was sent last because they knew he would be the one most likely to succeed, but they still wanted to monitor the others first (if they managed without Thomas). If Thomas somehow did not figure it out, then Theresa would be sent in a months time and force them into the maze by her being the last and the box not moving. Since Thomas figured things out in a matter of days, they immediately sent Theresa to give the final clues. That is also why the scanner did not open the password sequence when Minho and Thomas first came at section 7. There wasn't enough people with them, and the scientists knew how many were left in the glade. So they sent the griever swarm to force a larger group into the maze (that part/stage of the experiment). Since they were monitoring everybody, they wanted to see how each person would fare in the maze and when confronted with a griever, only the runners did that, but before the experiment ended they wanted to see everybody in that situation, so they basically forced everyone to become runners. Even Ava said at the end that she did not expect so many survivors. So evidently, Minho and Thomas were not enough at that moment, and wicked wanted to see who else had what it takes to go through the maze and get out. I imagine, if the rest died during the attempt, and only like 3 people were left, then the door would still open, cuz by the experiment rule, they were the only ones to get to the exit and then that would be enough, cuz all subjects would by that point gotten through all the stages.
What was your favorite YA book when you were younger??
Probably the Battle of the Labyrinth. The fourth Percy Jackson novel
I quite enjoyed Holes. Don't know if it's classified as YA though.
either the graceling series or harry potter! graceling totally needs to be made into movies
Percy Jackson (classic) or the Hunger Games. I read those over and over
When I was a kid it was Harry Potter. Now that I'm older, my favorite is Throne of Glass series - 7 books not counting a small prequel novel
Most of the characters are from what I remember, named after inventors, philosophers, mathematicians and scientists. Newt after Isaac Newton, Gally after Galilieo Galilei, Thomas after Thomas Edison, Alby after Albert Einstein, Winston after Winston Churchill, Teresa after Mother Teresa, Chuck after Charles Darwin, Ben after Benjamin Franklin, and Frypan was also known as Siggy in the novels after Sigmund Freud. Minho however is named after James Dashner's niece's husband. You'll meet Aris and Harriet later in the series who are named after Aristotle and Harriet Tubman. And since they don't include this in the films, I'm technically not spoiling anything but Sonya (who you'll meet in the second movie) and Newt are twins. There's actually a tragic piece of backstory for Newt's limp that I won't talk about, in the books, which you can look up if you'd like.
This is one of my favorite details they left out of the movies!
is the sonya and newt being twins thing in the prequel books or sumn cuz i only just recently read the three main books and i dont remember that
@@jrdnlyr yeah, it's in the prequels. Is the reasoning behind Newt's limp mentioned in the main three, it's time for a reread because I cannot remember.
@@Chloe-wu8wl yes its mentioned in the third book if i remember right
Who is Sonya named after?
Ugh I forgot how much I adore Newt. Just all around an amazing character 🥺
Agreed what a champ
Yeah, Ferb Fletcher is such a good bro
Rare to see such a reasonable, level-headed character in a YA adaptation. The fact that Thomas tells him "I screwed you over," and his immediate reaction is "Yeah, but you're different now" is just so great. It makes me f e e l e m o t i o n s
I love how this reaction paralleled the movie with Stella having incomplete and flashes of memories of events (like Thomas), while everyone else in the "reactors glade" had to figure it out with little idea of what to expect. A great reaction.
😂😂
The reason why the grievers came in during the night, with all the walls opening, is to get Alby. It's because after he was stung, he rememered things which WCKD did not want the other gladers to know/remember. And due to Alby being immune, they would have taken him out of the maze and studied his brain in ways you will see in The Scorch Trials. After they got Alby, they took him and the grievers left.
Thats only in the movies though. In the books the grievers would come back each night taking one glider at a time until Thomas and the rest of the main cast decided to live.
I've never thought about that. I always guessed it was due to the trigger happening with Teresa arriving after killing the griever. You also have the doors staying open when they first discover the exit. This is a bit of a hot take and due to the difference in the movie and the book we can never be sure what is exactly right or wrong
As soon as I saw Dylan in the tv series Teen Wolf, you could tell he had star quality. I love this film.
Stiles Stilinski
Didn't notice him
The reason why they pushed Ben into the maze instead of killing him is because he’s still a glader, and it goes against their second rule: never harm another glader
I actually really liked your guys’ take on Gally because a lot of people just straight up hate him but he does have a lot of rights to be mad at times at Thomas. And you can’t even blame him for chuck because he was stung. He would’ve never killed chuck if he wasn’t stung.
Newt is probably my favourite character in this series of movies from beginning to end because he’s just so good, he’s nice, he takes a chance in Thomas, he’s smart. And I love the actor who plays him he’s been in so many things.
The fact that he doesn't hold a grudge in movie 3 shows that he's not that kind of person.
He could easily kill them all, but he actually pend a hand is crazy
Gally did became a favourite character of mine once I reached Death Cure. Honestly he's just scared, angry and fiercely loyal, which made for a bad combination when it came to Thomas. But really he had been looking out for everyone else.
@@itzelwisteria1819makes even more sense when you find out he was controlled by WICKED to kill Thomas, but Chuck got in the way…
@@JohnM...that’s only in the books, and chuck was controlled to save thomas too
@@ranniwolves Ahh! Riiight!
This is one of the best adaptations of any YA in my opinion, although there are many changes from the books, the movies stand alone on their own in a great way. I am so happy you guys are checking it out!
This movie is fine imo but they did an ABSOLUTE disservice to the scorch trials
There are a five books in The Maze Runner series. The Maze Runner, The Scorch Trials, The Death Cure, The Kill Order and The Fever Code. While Maze Runner, Scorch Trials and Death Cure are the main story, Kill Order and Fever Code are prequels as they're based on when the Flare first struck and Thomas's life before the maze.
Also at 52:28, the man sitting on the right to Ava Paige (on the left of the screen) is James Dashner, the author of The Maze Runner books.
There is one more book - Crank Palace: A Maze Runner Novella (a book about Newt).
There’s also The Maze Cutter, the first in a spinoff series set 75 years after the Maze Runner series
Fun fact: In the book instead of the walls staying open and the Grievers going on a massacre right away, instead they'd pick off one person every night until they finally tried to escape. Obviously that'd be harder to make interesting in the time frame of a movie, but I kinda prefer what the book did
They could have pull it off if they wanted to, they did great with the suspense as it is in the movies. I still remember the fear reading the book when they are all in the tower as quite as posible in complete darkness while they hear the grievers climbing it and moving around just waiting for anyone to be taken in a flash. Oof **shivers** such a great sequence.
I always wondered if part of Thomas' selective memory was having him feel a sense of urgency along with his curiosity. Maybe WICKED is running out of time so they allowed him to remember the feeling of impending doom.
37:06 what most people glance over is that since they brought the tracker back the system saw it as a grieved returning from patrol, therefore starting to change the maze to open a new section and close the old one
I love Maze Runner, the books are so different to the second and third movie, this first one is the more accurate, but I think they're great still. Love them both
What made me the saddest in this movie is about how many people died, they were just background characters but they were still young boys with families and feelings and it's just so sad they went out like that
The grievers construction is very smart to have a monster that is both organic and mechanical is genius, it inspires more fear than either category on its own.
If you enjoyed Dylan O'Brien and want another apocalyptic movie, I highly recommend Love and Monsters if you haven't yet seen it. My favourite movie of 2020.
I watched it and I absolutely love it. Dylan has a knack for playing characters that run away from monsters while looking back at them 😂😂.
@@destinywolfofficial1191 haha he does tend to look back, doesnt he
@@runawayz28 😂 he really does
loved that movie
Such a good, funny movie! Loved it! 😀😀
I love how people are like 'why don't they just kill him', as if killing a friend that has done nothing wrong is so easy to do.
42:40 love how Stella is the only one who can see what Thomas is planning while the others are talking about something else.
Ikr other female kinda talks tad bit tm
@@Onemorerep03we have a basement dweller here
Love this series. I remember me and my sister got lucky and was able to see the premiere screening at San Diego Comic Con. Was such a cool experience and we got to see the cast afterward. One of my favorite series and all changes from the book were approved in full support by James Dashner himself. He had a lot of hand in helping bring his book to life
16:15 Hayley's Puppet History tumbler is so cute💙
I absolutely loved the Maze Runner movies as a teen, I still think that Dylan is so perfect for the role, he does an amazing job
Very fun rewatching and reliving this movie with you four
Dylan O is definitely easy on the eyes but women are fond of him because he has a gemstone of a personality to go with it .. he was never attention seeking he just enjoys using his talent in acting and he is probably the most underrated actor in the entire film industry in my opinion! He blew my mind in American assassin even though the movie wasn’t up to his level he made it his own. I had the pleasure of meeting him when he visited Egypt he is a kind humble intelligent man, basically all you’d expect him to be and more. Looking forward to watching your reactions to the rest of the Maze Runner series. Cheers white noise crew.
Dylan O
@@sassylittleprophet yes!
@@sassylittleprophet autocorrect typo
@@TheMaskedChef7 LMAO 😂
@@sassylittleprophet Daniel is my cousin so autocorrect is more familiar of the name than Dylan that’s all smart ass lol
Newt is the best! Very bestfriend material. Gally is something else. The movie sets him up as kind of villain-y and antagonistic but his arguments are actually sound. He's intense but in such situations, his reactions are actually reasonable especially from his perspective. As an audience who've spent more time with the main characters, I know better so his reactions can be kind of annoying, but if I were in his shoes only knowing what he knows, I'd be mistrustful and extra cautious to the point of paranoia too. In any case, this is perhaps one of the better YA adaptations I've seen in that there's not much romance. In a dystopian setting, I feel like most survivors would be too preoccupied with dealing with the dangers around them to be lovey-dovey with someone..but with teens, I guess it could make sense.
In the book the grievers had a shut off switch in their back also thomas and teresa had a psychic link and could through their minds
There is a lot of small details that enlarge the story
This channel has been one of the best group reaction channel as of late I love them keep up the good work guys ❤
Did you guys recognize Newt’s actor Thomas Brodie Sangster? He also played Benny in The Queen’s Gambit!
You’re reactions on the channel for the latest films/series continue to get better and better now that Hailey and Stella are participating in them.
Hopefully you get to have them in your future animated movie reactions, even if they have their own priorities and reactions.
Nobu: - Ohhhh They are forcing them to gooo
All: - Ohhhhhh
I rewatched this moment too many times 😂
25:09
Watched this pretty unique movie in 2014, almost 10 years ago, and I still remember it as the best movie theatre experience
After THG came out, it felt like so many YA dystopian films were being made. A lot of them ran together for me, so I'd love to see more YA fantasy films being made again instead.
for real .. kinda sad that this era seems to be over. I mean especially in the fantasy department but also in general. I mean all these amazing YA novels by John Green for example. So good to read
@@mrsfahrenheit I'm a big fantasy fan, so sci-fi stuff usually isn't my forte, so perhaps that's why I didn't like this era. The Mortal Instruments, for example, deserved a better movie treatment than what we got.
That's how it goes. One genre does well and then everyone tries to copy it.
Just like how now everyone wants their own MCU.
Eventually another genre will come along and do well, then every movies will try to copy that.
@@melodramatic7904 It'd be neat if we hit a period of successful manga Hollywood adaptations.
Oh man what an awesome experience this series is .. I watched all of it just the other day and was wondering who else haven’t seen it yet! This is a treat guys. Hope you have a blast.
i made my dad read this series when i was a teenager, and we would go see the movies in theatres together and compare them to the books. i remember that the first one is actually very close to the book, but after that it definitely starts diverting- sometimes in small but story-altering ways. one example from this first one is the fact that it rains. in the first book, they very specifically state that it NEVER rains in the glade. not sure why they changed that lol, it would've been very easy to just... not have it rain.
after the 2nd or 3rd we decided to just enjoy it as its own story rather than as an adaptation of the books. while the general plot stays the same, i think the films lose a loooot of the nuance and moral ambiguity that made the books so interesting to me (which, tbf, isn't uncommon with movies that come from books). regardless, i still enjoy the movies quite a bit! i think the casting fits all the characters so well, and the films are also visually very beautiful. each installment has kind of its own color scheme. the first is obviously very green, and the others are also very distinct! i like that the movies really ran with that aspect.
I forgot how much I love Minho like Kihong Lee, damn the man that you are
These are low key the best movies to come out of the 2010s YA novel era
I just read the first Maze runner book and watched the movie with my sister and a couple of friends, I had already seen the movie and a lot is different, they skip past a lot, there is only so much of a book that you can shove into an hour-2 hours. But something that was in the book that was a huge plot point was that Thomas and Teresa have some sort of Telepathic communication, they talk in each others heads throughout the whole book.
Tbh, as many times as I have read the books I still always forget about the Telepathy... It doesn't really do much for the main plot in general for what I recall. Honestly the Telepathy was always a weird thing to put in the story, to me at least.
@@sofialu226 I agree, it is just so weird that they have it in the first place. I'm glad they didn't put it in the movie tbh, it would have been a bit too far fetched.
The 1st move and book were both rly good but I feel like the 2nd one and the 3rd one were sooooo much better done in the books.
The movies are based on a book series and came out around the same time as The Hunger Games series (2008/2009). The Maze Runner series was only made into a trilogy because the actor that played Thomas hurt his leg during filming and had to heal for a LONG time then had to spend an even longer time doing physical therapy. That’s why there was such a huge pause between the movies when they came out. The studio considered releasing a 4th movie, but the cast voted and decided not to. They liked the part who the story stopped in the 3rd movie.
These movies and the Teen wolf series just made me love Dylan O brien he is a great actor! He's great In teen wolf
Them, during every second of the movie: @0@ "OMG, that's so crazy and cool!"
Them, during the wrap-up: "I wasn't blown away."
bro im so happy yall are watching these 😂 i love the 1st & 3rd one, the 2nd is okay but still enjoyable
Y’all are in for a treat! You begin to grow with these characters in just three movies!
just a tiny point ehe but the reason why they don't kill Ben when he changed is that the rules say to "never harm another glader" and the rules are all they have to live in peace with each other
Hell yes! Love this series you guys will not be disappointed. Hope you guys have a great weekend.
Omg! The Maze Runner books were my favorite. Can't wait to watch your reaction to the movies!
I was hoping this trilogy would come at some point, this is very exciting 😀
You guys are in for a major ride with the next two in the series..hold on to your hats cause it’s a huge thrill ride…this is my second favourite trilogy of all time just under LOTR…make no mistake while this trilogy is amazing on every level, it does have a few rough spots here and there but still Wes Ball the director and the entire crew created a true work of art
Edit: i forgot to mention that not one character in the next two are throw aways. Every character whethet you love them or hate them was so well executed that every character you can understand their motivations for doing or thinking something..Everybody was so perfectly cast in this series that now I could not see anyone else playing these parts…Ugh im so excited for you all to experience these next two! Ahh! Its just so many edge of your seat moments!
Oh wow....that's absolutely wild lol
Wow! Finally! I haven’t watched this channel in a long while. Glad TH-cam recommended this one.🤗
The saddest part about Chuck’s death is that Gally was only there because he finally saw reason and went to help save his family and escape with them, but was stung as he got there, forcing him to turn on the only people he knows, the only thing he’s ever known. Gally had it rough
Everybody compares it to Hunger Games when really this is much more like Divergent.
I SAW THIS POP UP ON MY FEED AND SQUEALED! l live for the maze runner series, both the movies and the books. (Saw the movies first then the books. Way better experience in my opinion haha.) Hope you guys thoroughly enjoy the rest of the movies. In the meantime, I'll watch this video!
I agree!! It's better to watch the films first and then read the books, you'll never see a film the same way again if you try to compare it to the books. Even with the changes I still love them both 🥹
yesss!!! i absolutely adore the maze runner. i’ve been waiting for this ❤️❤️
As of comments I looked to see when first saw them, Will was son of rambow and Thomas was feather boy, Dylan was teen wolf, I like them all
I'm soo happy yall are finally reacting to this!
Being 25 now wow... Gally wasn’t an asshole he was unsure of the path being taken and WAS NOT wrong about shit going sideways when Thomas arrived but he was also too scared to do what actually needed to be done.
Maybe as a teen I didn’t understand him and simply remembered him being a dick in a new movie.
Thanks for reacting!
I remember the first time I've watched this: I literally had the movie pulled up on my PC, and then I hear "Um, you know there's a book, right?', so I literally went and read the book before watching haha After HP I'm very sure that the book is always better, and I prefer to know beforehand if some details were omitted, so yeah :)
But still, the movis is great. Dylan and Thomas (not to mention Kaya) are SO DAMN TALENTED OMG. Love them, love the interpretation, love the movie
Ooooh, looking forward to your reaction to this. I enjoyed this one!
omg i requested this and it happend love u guys so much
So excited for this!!
The Maze Runner was the first book series that I enjoyed all the way through. It's so good and I'm very happy that the movies turned out great. I remember them vividly because I went to see it in theatres with a large group of friends, I think we took up a whole row of seats lol.
The maze runner books got me into reading- absolutely breathtaking.
If you guys take audience requests, would you be interested in reacting to Mr Magorium’s Wonder Emporium? It has Dustin Hoffman and Natalie Portman and I firmly believe it’s an absolute hidden gem. Very fun and sweet movie, one of my favorites
Top 10 movies tbh
Omg yessssss I love that movie
OH MY GOOOODDDD!!!!!! Finally!!!!😂❤❤❤🎉🎉🎉🎉
I’ve been waiting for this reaction for too long!!!!
Huzzah! ❤
I KNOW RIGHT!!!!! I WAS SO STOKED when I saw the notification on my phone earlier today!!!
@@destinywolfofficial1191 seriously!!! Haha! They’re most likely the best reactors out there given their critical views and honest opinions all while having a good time! I was so hyped when they announced they were going to do my favorite films finally!❤️😂
@@deede2378 I’ve been watching a lot of reactors lately, specifically of the Maze Runner series and I was just waiting and hoping that these guys would react to it. When watching they’re videos, you hardly notice anything missing from the movies they watch. Even if the movie is two hours long you still feel like you seen the whole thing in one. I love their editing.
Prequel book spoiler alert ‼️
In the prequel book that was released after the series we actually find out that Thomas worked with WICKED to build the maze. WICKED had all these kids with them and were studying them. He was friends with like Newt, Gally, Alby and the others before the maze and they didn’t know about it and they were sent in the first lot of people into the maze (they first sent a bunch of kids and then one every month). When they found out that their memories would be taken away and that Thomas was behind it they all felt betrayed and was mad at him. When Gally and the other guy were stung by the grievers they didn’t get all their memories back but they remembered hating Thomas and that he did something bad to them and that’s why they hate and attack him.
The prequel book is actually really good and adds so much to the story
The maze runner saga is just beautiful. The script, the performances and the characters. Although this movie has many inconsistencies despite how good it is!I find it very unbelievable that Gally reached the final scene with no idea what the maze was like before... he literally knew nothing about it and they decided to put it in the final scene.
In the books is differnet though, in the books one day Gally just desappears from the Glade and is not seen again until the end. He was nowhere to be found, and if I rememeber correctly everyone thought he lost his mind and went into the maze to die or something. Then we see him again at the end with a Dagger (not a gun) acting all weird and such to then throw the dagger at Thomas, but Chuck gets in the way diying. Then Thomas looses it and jumps at Gally strangling him and then puching him so hard and so may times that Gally's face disfigures looking almost dead.
Side note about Gally's character: In the books Gally was stung once a long time before and remembered Thomas having something to do with their situation, thats also one of the reasons he had such a personal thing against him. He told him that at some point.
And if you are wondering why was he fine if he was stung, is because in the books the same Two suerums Theresa had in the movie, were sent each month with all the supplies.
54:24 I’m so late to this reaction but they deliberately did this so you would feel and see the same as the characters, it was made to make you feel like you’re there and experiencing it with them. It’s the same for the lack of knowledge, so whatever the characters know, you know too and what they don’t, you don’t either. It’s an amazing concept and I wish more movies would take it on and not give all the info out to the audience in one go.
Takes getting stung with a zombifying drug to make my guy a clear villain and even then he’s tragically worthy of sympathy
A great series to get into! Can't wait to see more!
They dont make movies like these no more, its sad i love this genre
When I got the notification for your newest video I was like FINALLY! THEY FINALLY REACTED TO MAZE RUNNER!! Haha can you tell I was very excited 😂. But seriously these movies (in my opinion) are awesome. I only watched these movies myself a month or two ago and I fell in love with them immediately. I’m actually in the middle of reading the series right now. Almost finished Scorch Trials. You guys seriously NEED to read the books.
I know a lot of people probably commented this exact same thing, but the books actually explain a lot more of the story than shown in the movies. The end scene was also very different from the movie. I won’t elaborate because (spoilers) if you decide to read the books.
I am absolutely STOKED for your reactions to Scorch Trials and Death Cure!!
James you called it Maze Runner 2 😭. It has a name 😂.
Well that’s all I’ve got to say as far as I can tell. AAAAHH 😂. You finally did it! Can’t wait until Scorch Trials and Death Cure reactions!!
I actually find it scarier when you can't see the whole thing. So many "scary" movies were ruined once you see the monster in full. Like "IT".
Will Poulter also played a hilariously dumb teenager in that movie "Meet the Andersons" or something with Jen Anniston
we’re the millers lol! it’s a funny movie and he’s really good in it
omg never been this excited!!
Same!
Y’all should definitely finish the rest of the trilogy. The great thing is that the director didn’t split the last book into 2 movies. He didn’t believe that the last book needed 2 movies to flesh out the plot so he left it at one movie. And he didn’t want to break the last book up just to make more money. He cared more about the storytelling than the money. So all three movies are incredible and action packed.
I knew I’d enjoy maze runner when it came out because of Dylan..he was so good in teen wolf, I knew he would kill this role too
I have only seen a handful of videos, but this is the most talkative Nobu has been
DUDES! YES! one of my favorite series. I can't wait for the rest ❤️
And I'm Chris! 🤣
I just realized I know the tentacle scene in the hut from Stranger Things (they have a lot of pop culture references), it's funny, because they're almost the same 😄🙂
So much fun thanks a lot!
wow! i was always hoping that you guys would react to this trilogy and you did! i'm so happy yayy
I love this movie, it's an excellent adaptation!!
Guys please react to UNDERWORLD (2005), it's a very good vampire movie.
I really hope one day they turn the 2 novel prequels into movie adaptations. For those who haven't read them, (the kill order) revolves around the events of the solar flares and the virus that ultimately caused this apocalypse and (the fever code) is about the creation of the maze, definitely would recommend the read 📚 😀 👌
Great reaction can’t wait for the next 2 maze runner vids one of my all time favourite trilogy’s every movie is great
Yay, I'm so glad y'all are watching this finally....I can't wait to see you react to scorched trials and the death cure and I'm obsessed with this movie 😊😊😊 and FUN FACT: The Maze doors, were real, they are functional and can open and close
I love this series. A rare instance of the movies maybe even being a smidge better than the books :0
TH-cam finally notified me of cersent activities from your channel. Saw you reacted to the 2nd mazerinner. So i check for your first reaction. I remember seeing these novirs a while back and after the 3rd one came out I got the combo pack on DVD that had all the movies.
How much I love this movie is equal to how disappointed I was in the next two movies.
Is it worth starting this series since the other 2 are disappointing?
@@XxXDestroyerthey are not disappointing at all if you can separate the books from the movies
Ty for reacting to my childhood I love this movie with all my heart.
Can't wait till you guys watch the next two movies!
I think the way Thomas was doing things, although it absolutely was reckless, were filmed to kind of show it was an impulse. He wasn't thinking and he just felt the need to run into the maze. Plus, as Alby said, he's curious.
I don’t know about you but the fact you guys started reacting to the Maze Runner films just 5-6 days after ANGELINA (another reactor) did her reaction to this film feels more of a coincidence.
Wait seriously? Yeah never even talked to her
@@whitenoisereacts She’s another reactor that reacts to films who currently is at 150k subs, and to be fair I’ve also have been subscribed to other reactors not only you that have also released reactions to films and series on the same day or 4-5 days to a week before or after your reactions.
So there’s nothing wrong with you or anyone reacting to the same movie the same day or several days apart, I just notice this as an observation and coincidence.
If you know your classics, the "Maze Runner" is a pretty close retelling of "Theseus and the Minotaur," of course. Naturally, Thomas is Theseus, the hero. Turns out, Thomas, in his pre-Glade life, was also Daedalus, a creative genius. Daedalus created the Labyrinth for Minos, just like Thomas created the maze for WCKD. Daedalus also betrayed Minos, just like Thomas did WCKD. Daedalus was condemned by Minos to the Labyrinth, just like Thomas was sent by WCKD into the maze. The Glade and the Gladers are Athens and Athenian youth of the myth, 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, as noted above, is King Minos. In the myth, 7 youths and 7 maids are sacrificed to the Minotaur every year. This strongly implies the existence of an all-female maze. The number 7, which has significance in the film, is undoubtedly an allusion to the myth, too. 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 (LOTF)" than classical Greece. The Glade is, after all, an island inhabited by boys in the midst of an ocean-like maze. Who can forget the pig that arrived with Thomas, either? 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. Thomas seems to be a combination of LOTF's Ralph and Simon. His Simon attribute leads us to believe that at some point in the trilogy Thomas will die. Gally, in the first film, probably represents LOTF's Jack. The Gladers eventually split between Thomas (Ralph/Simon) and Gally (Jack) just as in LOTF. Late in the film, Gally proposes to make Thomas an offering to the Grievers/Maze. In LOTF's, Jack proposes to make Ralph's decapitated head an offering to the beast, which represents darkness/fear/the innate primordial savageness of the boys. Despite his sometimes impulsiveness, Thomas represents rationality, individuality and morality. Gally denotes groupthink and emotionalism.The significance of the names that are the closest surrounding Thomas' on the wall will become clear in the later movies. George's crossed-out name, indicating he's dead, and the discovery of his body is highlighted for us, so perhaps we should also remember it?
When Thomas and the others arrive in the Glade, they're essentially born into it, actually and symbolically. The water (oxygenated perfluorocarbon fluid?) is the amniotic fluid, the glass cylinder represents the placenta, and the person is the foetus. The lift is the birth canal. Like newborns, the Gladers arrive as brand-new persons. They have no identity except a name, which they were assigned by WCKD. So, when Alby says that the creators only let them remember their name, he's not exactly correct. They don't remember their actual name, only their WCKD name. That's why no two Gladers have the same name. You want to be able to distinguish your test subjects for analytical purposes. Since we saw in this film that WCKD can monitor brain function of the Gladers remotely, we can conclude all the Gladers have brain implants of some sort. Clearly, they also would have an implant that would track/geolocate them. You'd want to be able to follow your subject. It's also safe to conclude that an implant is what affects their memory, and it can presumably be turned both on and off.
The party the Gladers throw on the day Thomas arrives is his "birthday" party. As Newt tells him, the party is in his honor. Once a month, the Gladers have a celebration.
The average Gladers is reluctant to answer Thomas' questions from ignorance and fear. The people who know answers, albeit very imperfectly, are the runners, Ably and Newt, and perhaps some of the other keepers. Alby maybe reluctant to answer Thomas because he's afraid of what Thomas might do. The runners function as a sacred priesthood in the Glade. Their map-hut is off-limits to the average Glader. Only when Thomas is anointed runner does Minho reveal to him what is known of the maze's secrets. Why is Newt willing to answer Thomas' questions? We see from the get-go, there's an attraction, a closeness developing between Newt and Thomas. After Thomas is first introduced to Newt, Thomas keeps looking after him as Newt walks away. Even Newt seems to glance back at Thomas.
Thomas and Ava Paige tell us the maze is an experiment to stress and test brain function in order to find a cure for the Flare. The "Maze Runner" trials mean to develop, isolate and produce a curative enzyme that only occurs in immune's brains so humanity can be saved, even if it means killing the immunes. The Flare is the trilogy's MacGuffin. In any experiment, you need a treatment group and a control group. The control group is the benchmark against which you compare the treatment group. The control group must be non-immunes, the treatment group immunes. Some of the Gladers are immune, others are not. The immunes are naturally immune to the Flare. The Griever sting cannot be Flare because all the Gladers have to be at risk of death for the sake of the experiment. Griever sting is similar in effect to the Flare, but it's 100% curable by WCKD. Also, it can't be communicable since WCKD would not want all the test subjects to die if one were stung.
Thomas is clearly bothered by Ben being banished. He doesn't approve at all. In fact, it's a triggering event for Thomas. Our tragic hero, Thomas, is super intelligent, very curious and completely selfless. He is so selfless we might consider him impulsive. After Ben, Thomas has decided there'll be no more maze deaths if he can help it. That's why he jumps into the maze after Minho and Alby. Which brings up the question of why Minho is bringing Alby back if he's been stung. The three rules of the Glade make no reference to being stung. There is no punishment for being stung per se. We know the Gladers holds court to decide punishments since Gally prosecutes Thomas for entering the maze in front of such a court. Ben was banished by a court because he tried to kill Thomas, not because he was stung. Minho was bringing Alby back to the Glade out of duty and affection. A court would later have to decide if Alby was deserving of banishment or some other sentence arising out of the second rule. On the other hand, Minho was not obligated to commit suicide to save Alby. He should have left him when it was obvious they couldn't both make it out of the maze, but he waited too long. Later, of course, fear take over, and Minho abandons both Alby and Thomas to their collective fate.
Theresa is an anomalous figure in the first film. She's a girl, her arrival is untimely, and she heralds the end of the Gladers' supply lifeline. She completely breaks the Glade's paradigm. What to make of all that?
After Thomas and Minho first open the #7 gate using the Griever key, they trigger a reconfiguration of the maze which will funnel the Gladers to the #7 gate. This means the experiment is entering its final phase. Common sense tells us the sequence the runners noted previously, but starting at 7, will be the correct code. Only those subjects who successfully exit the maze are candidates for the second trial.
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.
Tragic heroes suffer, and so Thomas will suffer throughout the films. Another aspect of 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. As you watch the films you might ask yourself: Who's closest to Thomas?
The trilogy manifests several themes. One that runs through all the films, and is the main theme, is the question of whether the end justifies the means, a principle often associated with totalitarianism. 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.
Another theme, which we see in this film in particular, is the question of how do different people deal with fear/unknown? This is also very much a theme in LOTF.
The maze runner really is a awesome movie.
YEEEEEEEEESSS i freaking love The Maze Runner its so damn gooooodd
so excited for the next 2 haha
The maze runner is literally my fav dystopian series
Mine too! I watched Hunger Games and I was like ya I really like this. It’s definitely worth watching again. Then I watched Maze Runner and I’m doing a read through of the books for the first time and I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THEM!!!
I barely remember anything about these movies (other than most of the main male characters being hot xD) but this movie was way better than I thought.
Great reaction guys! Maze Runner is my favourite YA Dystopian book/movie series. I really liked your interpretation, especially how you managed to see things from not just Thomas' point of view
However, you have to remember that this was an experiment and this entire movie went according to plan. An experiment which was a success and wicked wanted to succeed. it was never supposed to last indefinitely, cuz there are was a fixed amount of children and time was also a factor. So they were always meant to find a way out. Among other reasons (that I will not mention cuz spoilers), that is why Thomas was the last male sent into the Maze.
He was the "best" and the favourite according to Ava and Alby. Thomas' biggest strength are his instincts, so while reckless he was right and he was the "trump" card so to speak. They wanted to see if the other kid would find a way out before the time ran out. Thomas was sent last because they knew he would be the one most likely to succeed, but they still wanted to monitor the others first (if they managed without Thomas). If Thomas somehow did not figure it out, then Theresa would be sent in a months time and force them into the maze by her being the last and the box not moving. Since Thomas figured things out in a matter of days, they immediately sent Theresa to give the final clues.
That is also why the scanner did not open the password sequence when Minho and Thomas first came at section 7. There wasn't enough people with them, and the scientists knew how many were left in the glade. So they sent the griever swarm to force a larger group into the maze (that part/stage of the experiment). Since they were monitoring everybody, they wanted to see how each person would fare in the maze and when confronted with a griever, only the runners did that, but before the experiment ended they wanted to see everybody in that situation, so they basically forced everyone to become runners. Even Ava said at the end that she did not expect so many survivors. So evidently, Minho and Thomas were not enough at that moment, and wicked wanted to see who else had what it takes to go through the maze and get out. I imagine, if the rest died during the attempt, and only like 3 people were left, then the door would still open, cuz by the experiment rule, they were the only ones to get to the exit and then that would be enough, cuz all subjects would by that point gotten through all the stages.
When minho said he did what he had to with albys head, he meant he knocked him out
Anybody else here got a crush on Stella? Lol I certainly do! 😂❤
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