Escape to the Movies: The Maze Runner - Where's a Minotaur When You Need One?

[MovieBob]

The Maze Runner - Where's a Minotaur When You Need One?

The Maze Runner starts off strong, but starts to fall apart towards the end.

Watch Video

 

[Thunderous Cacophony]

Hasn't Bob said in the past that he hates numerical scores? This new format seems odd for him.

Also:
0:00 to 1:03- Footage from the movie
1:03 to 3:56- Actual Review
3:56 to 4:20- More footage
4:20 to 4:48- Credits, a couple jokes

I know Bob has been padding his reviews for a while, but sticking in 1 1/2 minutes of filler in a video less than 5 minutes long is insane.

 

[Evonisia]

Hasn't Bob said in the past that he hates numerical scores? This new format seems odd for him.

Especially if we get another Man of Steel/The Dark Knight Rises affair, and the number will obviously stay the same despite Movie Bob's opinion changing.

This description also appears to be in last week's video too. Though it is welcome, besides the score.

 

[Mr. Q]

Dear lord, October cannot come fast enough. If only to bring use closer to Shlocktober. Also, any chance Bob will start it early on Tuesday, September 30th? I know October will come the next day but the month only has 4 Tuesdays and it would suck to have 4 episodes. Besides, department stores put up the Halloween items a month in advance, so why not?

 

[Rabidkitten]

Is it me or are they sort of just retelling the same basic narrative over and over with these films.

I want some Box Trolls next week bob.

 

[KissingSunlight]

I demand another film to be made but this time with an all female community instead of an all male community, because clearly my opinion is more important and the studios owe it to me and if they refuse I'll bash them for being sexist.

If they ever do a movie like that, people will complain about women doing bad or stupid things. They will also complain if any of the women are too skinny, too fat, too pretty, too ugly, etc. *ahem* Frozen. In general, They will have more to complain about than, "Why isn't there a movie about an all-women community?"

I refuse to believe that a bland, mediocre YA movie is the best thing in the theater this weekend. I saw This Is Where I Leave You. It was funny and realistic family dramedy. There are also: Walk Among The Tombstones, The Drop, Skeleton Twins, and Zero Theorem. Come on! Just because something isn't geek fare. That doesn't mean your audience will not be interested in it.

 

[RJ 17]

Is it me or are they sort of just retelling the same basic narrative over and over with these films.

At this point it's a "get rich quick" scheme...I can only hope the target audience of these books/movies finally matures and realizes the utter crap that they've been getting fed.

I refuse to believe that a bland, mediocre YA movie is the best thing in the theater this weekend. I saw This Is Where I Leave You. It was funny and realistic family dramedy. There are also: Walk Among The Tombstones, The Drop, Skeleton Twins, and Zero Theorem. Come on! Just because something isn't geek fare. That doesn't mean your audience will not be interested in it.

You say that as if YA stories somehow are geek fare as opposed to...you know...mindless drivel.

 

[gorfias]

Looks like one to watch on UHF some day.

Going to the theater, for me, is a huge investment of time, effort and money. I can just grab my hostess snack cakes, fritos and beer, kick back on my comfy chair and watch something great over my PS3. I can pause it if I need to use the facility.

The theater? Don't bring your own snacks, sit in the chair they give you, stay sober as you're going to need to drive, miss some of the movie if you need to use the facility. Pay $12.50 to see it.

That given, the movie better be damn good.

When Movie Bob says, "meh... what else you going to do but see this, it's as good as the theaters' got at this time" that isn't enough.

 

[KissingSunlight]

Is it me or are they sort of just retelling the same basic narrative over and over with these films.

At this point it's a "get rich quick" scheme...I can only hope the target audience of these books/movies finally matures and realizes the utter crap that they've been getting fed.

I refuse to believe that a bland, mediocre YA movie is the best thing in the theater this weekend. I saw This Is Where I Leave You. It was funny and realistic family dramedy. There are also: Walk Among The Tombstones, The Drop, Skeleton Twins, and Zero Theorem. Come on! Just because something isn't geek fare. That doesn't mean your audience will not be interested in it.

You say that as if YA stories somehow are geek fare as opposed to...you know...mindless drivel.

The Maze Runner tried to be geek fare. It turned out to be mindless drivel. Seriously, I was bored senseless by the clips the Bob showed in the video.

 

[Falseprophet]

I demand another film to be made but this time with an all female community instead of an all male community, because clearly my opinion is more important and the studios owe it to me and if they refuse I'll bash them for being sexist.

If they ever do a movie like that, people will complain about women doing bad or stupid things. They will also complain if any of the women are too skinny, too fat, too pretty, too ugly, etc. *ahem* Frozen. In general, They will have more to complain about than, "Why isn't there a movie about an all-women community?"

Well, not really. There might be a little of that, because you can always find someone to complain about anything, that's the Eternal Flame of Rage that powers the internet. But by and large, the more female characters you have with speaking roles and distinct personalities in a work, the less each one has to be held up as a standard-bearer for her whole gender--that's more likely when you have the one token Smurfette in an ensemble cast. E.g. I don't recall a whole lot of criticism directed at The Descent just because some of the women were in conflict with each other.

 

[i4njw]

Noooo! I was looking forward to your review of Tusk.

 

[KissingSunlight]

I demand another film to be made but this time with an all female community instead of an all male community, because clearly my opinion is more important and the studios owe it to me and if they refuse I'll bash them for being sexist.

If they ever do a movie like that, people will complain about women doing bad or stupid things. They will also complain if any of the women are too skinny, too fat, too pretty, too ugly, etc. *ahem* Frozen. In general, They will have more to complain about than, "Why isn't there a movie about an all-women community?"

Well, not really. There might be a little of that, because you can always find someone to complain about anything, that's the Eternal Flame of Rage that powers the internet. But by and large, the more female characters you have with speaking roles and distinct personalities in a work, the less each one has to be held up as a standard-bearer for her whole gender--that's more likely when you have the one token Smurfette in an ensemble cast. E.g. I don't recall a whole lot of criticism directed at The Descent just because some of the women were in conflict with each other.

Two of my favorite comedies in the past 10 years are Bridemaids and The Heat. (I just realized that they are both directed by Paul Feig.) I have no problems with female-centric movies. I just remember Tammy from this year was really underrated. I do get annoyed by the same people who complain about not having female characters in movies and videogames. Being the same ones who nitpick to death any movie or videogame that have prominent female characters.

 

[Grabehn]

It lookd mediocre until I heard "cliffhanger ending" FUCK THAT! A while ago I watched the Golden Compass on TV and it was fine (so it before, but somehow being in Spanish made it a bit better than in English) and It was watchable until the "Oh yeah, there's no ending cuz franchise" which obviously didn't happen, and all my GF said was "OH FUCK THIS MOVIE" and that was about it.

I get that these studios gamble on the "let's hope teens watch this shit cuz *other franchise* made it" but at least give your shit movie a proper ending if you don't actually know if you're gonna make it to the second one, that at least gives it a chance to be a good experience on its own... Fuck The Golden Compass.

 

[SilverUchiha]

The Maze Runner - Where's a Minotaur When You Need One?

The Maze Runner starts off strong, but starts to fall apart towards the end.

Watch Video

When you say it's one of the only movies worth watching this week, does that mean that the new Liam Neeson movie isn't good or that you didn't see it? Because as interesting as this movie looks, I'd rather watch Liam Neeson kill people. Because somehow that hasn't stopped being entertaining to me yet.

 

[hermes]

Is it me or are they sort of just retelling the same basic narrative over and over with these films.

Not so much the movies, but the books they are adapting. And yes, the same way Harry Potter spew a myriad of imitators with pre-adolescent boys discovering they secretly are special players in a supernatural world, and trying to find their place; Hunger Games gave incentives to a lot of writers to do new stories about young adult/teenagers that live in post-apocalyptic worlds far removed from us but still close enough to make weak analogies to the modern social order. Or movie producers looking at everything that can be adapted into that template, to try to capture lightning a second time...

 

[WhiteTigerShiro]

Is it me or are they sort of just retelling the same basic narrative over and over with these films.

Movie adaptations of teenager-oriented books is the hip thing in Hollywood right now. As Bob talked about a while ago while discussing his disinterest for Divergent (I honestly forget if it was in Escape to the Movies or Intermission. Edit: Never mind, I found it. [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/moviesandtv/columns/moviebob/11176-Divergent-More-Like-Why-Vergent]), books aimed at teenagers are all generally about the same things, but since teenagers haven't read as many books or seen as many movies to know that they're being fed what is basically leftovers, they eat 'em up anyway.

 

[PunkRex]

Doe's anyone else think the image used for the title card makes it look a bit like a comedy? The way the main character's looking at the camera like 'Doh, here I go again!'

Is it me or are they sort of just retelling the same basic narrative over and over with these films.

I want some Box Trolls next week bob.

Second, Box Trolls was very fast paced compared to both Coraline and Paranorman but still so ridiculously creative. The villains ending in particular was one of those 'will they, won't they' moments that had me and my sister literally on the edge of our seats, tensed up. I really hope it does well.