Analysis of The Maze Runner

Genre 

Action, Thriller, Science Fiction, Adventure

The use of the sudden sounds makes the start of the trailer jumpy and creates a sense of urgency immediately. This implies to the audience that there will be jumps and the film will be quite intense. This is a stereotype of an Action film. Also at the beginning there is a sound that could be connoted as a heart beat, this could make that the audience feel tense, this implies that it is a thriller.

The way that the sound is used, with the loud bangs and sudden silences creates tension and tells the audience right from the beginning that the film will be tense and there will be action, this implies that it is an action/thriller

The fact that this is a dystopian film and that there is the use of mechanical creatures and unknown technology implies that this is a science fiction film. There is a sense of make believe which again links to science fiction films.

Towards the end, the trailer gets faster and faster, this shows that it is an action film also the fact that the setting gets darker and more sinister makes the audience tense.

This is part of the thriller genre as it creates suspense and excitement. There is also an investigation about an “enigma” which is another convention of the thriller genre

The reason that this trailer/film is part of the science fiction genre as it incorporates hypothetical themes that are a main part of the plot. This is a dystopian film. 

Representation

The contrast of the dark and light lighting could link to the idea of religion. You ascend to heaven and the white lights could represent heaven. However this is not the case it is the complete opposite, Tomas does not appear in heaven. This is a juxtaposition.

The black guy (Alby) is seen as quite and a leader. He is shown to know the most about the maze and why they are there. This is shown when he says “they are never going to let us out” this makes the audience wonder who they are. Although he is in charge of the glade, he is not in charge of the bigger picture. Also Tomas seems, through the trailer, to end up taking over the leadership position. They are both show to be leaders as the other people in the glade listen to them and respect them.

The girl is represented as weak by the boys in the glade as they protect her. This links to Propp’s theory of the Damsel in distress/ princess. The girl is also seen as a significant as she is the only girl that has ever been to the glade and also knows Tomas’ name when she arrives whereas when Tomas arrived he could remember nothing.

The maze could represent how teenagers are threatened by society. The maze also shows how separated from the world these boys are and it adds another obstacle to them finding their way out. 

Narrative

The white lighting gives the impression of coldness and harshness. This could imply that no one cares about these boys and they have been sent there as a punishment. It also gives it quite a clinical clean feel, as if the could be an experiment.

The establishing shot of the “glade” shows them to be surrounded by a huge concrete wall, this supports the idea they are in prison.

The use of the spinning camera work and the overlapping of the picture implies to the audience that the character doesn’t know where he is. It shows confusion that both the audience and the character are experiencing this for the first time.

A character then says “welcome to the glade” this shows that the people there are ‘local’ and native to this setting as they say it with ease and it sound like they use the word all the time. The Glade is introduced to the audience and the new character like it is well known. This could be a link to the book as fans of the book will most probably know what The Glade is. There is also the word “Greenie” used. This adds the amounting questions that the audience and the new character have, you hope that in the film these will be answered, making you want to see it.

The audience are then introduced to the Maze. This again assuming that the audience knows what the maze is, creating more questions

When the audience first sees the Tomas he is confused and in a lift. The audience then find out that he has lost his memory. The rest of the film is him finding where he is and the dangers of this, but then a girl arrives the same way Tomas did. This starts a change in the glade. The girl and Tomas then become friends. Tomas meanwhile is trying to find a way out. He tries to help people escape.

There is no voice over, it is purely narrated by the characters meaning that the audience get a better idea of who the characters are and how they are interpreting the situation. The questions they ask are probably the same as the ones that the audience are asking as both are experiencing this situation for the first time. 

Link to theorists 

When analysing this trailer, elements of Propp’s theory comes into play. First off; Propp suggests that there will be a damsel in distress, this is suggested in the trailer when the girl looks vulnerable as she is being protected when the boys surround her when danger is about. 

When the girl arrives in the glade she creates moral panic as she threatens the social order of the glade.