Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials

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For the book the film is based on, see The Scorch Trials.
Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials
File:Maze-Runner-The-Scorch-Trials-Poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Wes Ball
Produced by <templatestyles src="Plainlist/styles.css"/>
Screenplay by T.S. Nowlin
Based on The Scorch Trials
by James Dashner
Starring <templatestyles src="Plainlist/styles.css"/>
Music by John Paesano[1]
Cinematography Gyula Pados
Edited by Dan Zimmerman
Production
company
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Distributed by 20th Century Fox
Release dates
 <templatestyles src="Plainlist/styles.css"/>
  • September 18, 2015 (2015-09-18) (United States)
Running time
 131 minutes[2]
Country United States
Language English
Budget $61 million[3]
Box office $312.3 million[4]

Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials (also known simply as The Scorch Trials) is a 2015 American dystopian science fiction action thriller film based on James Dashner's novel The Scorch Trials, the second novel in The Maze Runner book series. The film is the sequel to the 2014 film The Maze Runner and the second installment in The Maze Runner film series. It was directed by Wes Ball, with a screenplay by T.S. Nowlin. Adding to the original film's cast of Dylan O'Brien, Kaya Scodelario, Thomas Brodie-Sangster, Dexter Darden, Alexander Flores, Ki Hong Lee, and Patricia Clarkson, the new supporting cast includes Nathalie Emmanuel, Giancarlo Esposito, Aidan Gillen, Jacob Lofland, Barry Pepper, Rosa Salazar, Lili Taylor, and Alan Tudyk.

The plot of The Scorch Trials takes place immediately after the previous installment, with Thomas (O'Brien) and his fellow Gladers battling the powerful organization W.C.K.D, while facing the perils of the Scorch, a desolate landscape filled with dangerous obstacles. Filming began in Albuquerque, New Mexico on October 27, 2014, and officially concluded on January 27, 2015.

Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials was released in select international territories starting September 9, 2015 in 2D, 3D, 4DX and Barco Escape, and was released on September 18, 2015 in the United States in 2D and Premium Large Format theaters, by 20th Century Fox. It was originally set to be released in IMAX, but this was cancelled, as Everest had all worldwide IMAX screens booked until the release of the film The Walk. The Scorch Trials received mixed reviews, with some critics calling it decent – commending its action sequences and performances – while others criticized the film for its lack of plot and character advancement. Like its predecessor, the film was a commercial success grossing $30.3 million on its opening weekend, making it the ninth-highest grossing debut in September.[4] The film went to the number one spot at the box office during its opening weekend, and has grossed $312 million worldwide.

The concluding entry, titled Maze Runner: The Death Cure, is scheduled to be released on January 12, 2018.

Plot

A flashback to hundreds of people crowded around a quarantined area. A young Thomas is brought by his mother to be taken away for protection on board a train. On the train, filled with children, Thomas meets Dr. Ava Paige, who assures him that it's going to be okay.

In the present, Thomas and the surviving Gladers - Newt, Teresa, Minho, Frypan and Winston - are brought out of the Maze by armed troops. The Gladers are taken to a bustling facility run by Janson, who explains that the Gladers, as well as survivors from other mazes, are there because they are immune from the Flare virus. Thomas becomes suspicious of the facility's operations, confirmed when he sneaks out with Aris, one of the first survivors to end up in the facility, and they find Immunes are being experimented on. They discover that Janson is working for World in Catastrophe Killzone Department (WCKD), led by Ava, who had been presumed dead by the Gladers. After learning of a resistance group – "The Right Arm" – hiding in the mountains, Thomas gets help from Aris to facilitate the escape of a small group. Pursued through the facility by Janson and his troops, the group ultimately escapes into the deserted outside world of "The Scorch".

Over the following days, the group evades WCKD troops and deals with flesh-eating Cranks, humans infected by the Flare. Winston becomes infected and chooses to commit suicide, rather than becoming a Crank. After surviving a thunderstorm, the group meets Brenda and her surrogate father, Jorge, who are leading a crew of survivors. When Jorge learns that the Gladers want to find the Right Arm, he and Brenda decide to help the Gladers get to the mountains, leaving behind their own crew in the process. When WCKD troops attack the crew's hideout, Brenda uses Jorge's explosives to destroy the hideout and kill the troops, though Thomas and Brenda get separated from Jorge and the others. Thomas and Brenda survive encounters with Cranks and with drug-crazed people in a nightclub. Thomas has a flashback of when he and Teresa worked for WCKD—he had become disillusioned and warned Teresa of WCKD's plans, only for him to be taken away by troops. Thomas and Brenda eventually reunite with Jorge and the others. Jorge interrogates Marcus, the owner of the nightclub and double agent of WCKD and the Right Arm, into revealing the location of the Right Arm.

The group arrives at the mountain haven and meet The Right Arm, led by Vince. When Brenda collapses, having been bitten by a Crank, Vince nearly shoots her until he is stopped by former WCKD scientist Mary Cooper. Mary explains that a cure can not be manufactured—it can only be harvested from the bodies of dead Immunes. Mary had argued with Ava over WCKD's method of using Mazes to find and harvest Immunes. She gives Brenda an enzyme shot to temporarily stop the infection from spreading. That night, Thomas talks with Teresa, who reveals that she signaled their location to WCKD, believing that WCKD can save everyone from the Flare. WCKD troops capture the site, soon joined by Paige and Janson. Janson kills Mary, upon which Thomas triggers a fight between the Right Arm and WCKD. During the battle, Janson, Ava and Teresa capture and depart with numerous Immunes, including Minho. In the morning, with only a fraction of survivors left, Thomas decides he's going back to infiltrate WCKD, rescue Minho, and kill Ava. The Gladers and the Right Arm agree to help Thomas take down WCKD.

Cast

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Production

Pre-production

On October 13, 2013, almost a year before The Maze Runner's release, it was reported that Fox had started work on The Scorch Trials. It was revealed that T.S. Nowlin – who recently worked on the Fantastic Four reboot – would adapt Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials, taking over from Noah Oppenheim, with returning director Wes Ball supervising Nowlin's script.

The early development of Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials suggested to many that Fox was confident in the potential success of The Maze Runner.[5][6] On November 19, 2014, John Paesano was confirmed to return to score the film.[1] Creature designer Ken Barthelmey returned to design the creatures for the film.[7]

Casting

On September 26, 2014, Aidan Gillen was cast as Janson, also known as Rat-Man.[8] On September 30, 2014, Rosa Salazar signed on to the cast as Brenda.[9] Within the next few days, Mud star Jacob Lofland[10] and Breaking Bad star Giancarlo Esposito[11] joined the cast, playing Aris Jones and Jorge, respectively. Game of Thrones star Nathalie Emmanuel was cast as Harriet, co-leader of Group B, on October 22, 2014,[12] and Katherine McNamara as the other co-leader on December 22.[13] On November 3, 2014, there were two additions to the cast, with Lili Taylor as Mary Cooper, a "doctor who helps Thomas and the Gladers",[14] and Barry Pepper as Vince, "a survivalist who is one of the last remaining soldiers of a legendary unit called the Right Arm".[15]

Filming

On July 25, 2014, Ball announced at San Diego Comic-Con International that the studio wants to start shooting in fall 2014, should its predecessor become a success when it hits theatres.[16]

On August 31, 2014, Ball announced they are "about nine weeks out from shooting". He also revealed "we are in New Mexico right now. We’ve got a crew and stages. We are rapidly approaching our shoot time. The sets are being built. A lot of the same crew is coming back. Most of the cast is coming back, except for the ones who were killed [in the first film]. The script is really coming along".[17] A week later, Ball told BuzzFeed that "we’ve got stages, we’ve got crews coming in, Dylan [O’Brien] will be back in a few weeks, we’re building sets, and the script is being written. It’s a bit of a race this time because we’re cautiously optimistic, but we’re feeling excited we’re about to do something that’s way more sophisticated, way more grown up, and really set up a saga here."[18]

Principal photography commenced on October 27, 2014 in and around Albuquerque, New Mexico.[8][19][20] Filming finished on January 27, 2015, lasting 94 days.[21][22]

Soundtrack

Composed by John Paesano, the soundtrack was released on September 11, 2015.[23]

Release

On August 31, 2014, Ball revealed he is hoping "the movie will be out in about a year".[17] On September 21, 2014, it was announced the film would be released on September 18, 2015 in the United States.[24] The film was released in Barco's multi-screen immersive movie format Barco Escape in across 25 countries with approximately 20 minutes of the film converted into the format.[25] It was also released in the Dolby Vision format in Dolby Cinema in North America.[26]

Marketing

At San Diego Comic-Con International 2014, Ball released the first piece of concept art for the film.[27] Six stills were released on March 11, 2015.[28][29]

The first official trailer was released on April 23, 2015, at 20th Century Fox's CinemaCon.[30] However, it was not released online at the same time, but the 1 minute and 44 second teaser trailer premiered before Pitch Perfect 2 in May 2015.[31] The trailer was released publicly on May 19, 2015.[32][33] On July 10, 2015, a 30-minute sneak peek was screened at San Diego Comic Con International, with Ball, Dashner, and O'Brien also at the screening.

Home media

The Scorch Trials was released on Blu-Ray and DVD on December 15, 2015.[34]

Reception

Box office

As of January 4, 2016, Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials has grossed $81.6 million in North America and $230.6 million in other territories for a worldwide total of $312 million, against a budget of $61 million.[4]

North America

In the United States and Canada, the film opened simultaneously with the crime films Black Mass and Captive. Preliminary reports predicted the film to open with takings of around $34–36 million.[35][36] It made $1.7 million from its late night screenings—55% ahead of the first film's $1.1 million—from 2,900 theaters[37][38] and an estimated $11 million on its opening day, which is lower than its predecessor's opening day.[39] It finished off the weekend with $30.3 million from 3,796 theaters which is lower than its predecessor's $32.5 million (-7%) opening in 2014. Nevertheless, the film opened at No. 1 at the box office ahead of its competitor Black Mass.[40] Premium large formats comprised $2.75 million (9%) of the opening gross from 270 PLF screens, while Cinemark XD contributed $825,000 of that figure in 87 screens.[41] The film relied on younger audiences, with 65 percent of the audience under the age of 25 and females making up 53 percent ticket buyers.[40] Also noteworthy was that Fox didn't have the IMAX screens like it did with the first installment, as they were all devoted to Everest which was getting a week-long "sneak preview" release in IMAX and large-format screens. But they did have 270 PLF screens, which made up 9% of the overall gross.[42] Deadline.com reported that Fox was nevertheless happy about the result.[41] The franchise follows a similar trajectory to The Divergent Series which dipped slightly from its first installment ($54.6 million) to second ($52.2 million) earlier this year.[43] Still, both the movies prove "the consistency of the young-adult audience," says Paul Dergarabedian, Rentrak's senior analyst. "They're not growing at a huge rate, but we're also not seeing a massive drop-off."[43] In its second weekend, the film fell by 53% to $14 million slipping in third place behind Hotel Transylvania 2 ($47.5 million) and The Intern ($18.2 million). In comparison, The Maze Runner dropped 46% in its second weekend earning $17.4 million in 2014. The Scorch Trails's 10 day gross stood af $51.69 million in relation to its predecessor's $57.9 million 10 day.[44]

Outside North America

Internationally, The Scorch Trials was released in a total of 76 countries.[45] It was released overseas a week before it opened in the U.S., and earned $26.7 million in its opening weekend from 21 markets in 5,586 screens and in all markets, outperforming its predecessor. It debuted at second place at the international box office, behind Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation.[46] In its second weekend, it expanded to 41 additional markets and earned a total of $43.2 million from 12,699 screens in 66 markets, opening at No. 1 in 34 of the 41 markets as well as topping the international box office charts.[47] In South Korea, it had the biggest opening for Fox of 2015 with $7.2 million from 804 screens. That's 41% higher than its predecessor's opening.[47] France posted the highest opening for the film with $8.5 million followed by South Korea ($7.2 million) Russia and the CIS ($5.2 million), the United Kingdom, Ireland and Malta ($4.9 million), and Mexico ($4.4 million).[45][47][48] In terms of total earning, its largest market outside of the U.S. are France ($25 million), South Korea ($19 million) and the United Kingdom ($13.2 million).[49] It opened in China—it's last market—on November 4[45][50] and grossed an estimated $19.77 million on 4,945 screens in its five opening weekend ($14.6 million over three days) which is 60% above its's predecessor's opening.[51][52] It has grossed a total of $29.5 million in China making it the biggest market for the film.[49]

Critical response

Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials received mixed reviews from critics. On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a rating of 48%, based on 120 reviews, with an average rating of 5.4/10. The site's critical consensus states, "Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials is an action-packed sequel at the cost of story, urgency, and mystery that the original offered."[53] Metacritic gives the film a score of 43 out of 100, based on 29 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[54] Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film a grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale.[55]

The main criticisms of the film were its narrative, particularly its changes from the source material, and lack of character development.[56][57] Forbes said the film suffered from "middle movie syndrome", claiming that it did not offer an introduction nor a finale.[58] The Wrap stated that, "it doesn’t offer much plot or character development".[59] Stephen Kelly of Total Film said, "Scorch Trials ambitiously opens up its world with mixed results: gripping action, so-so script."[60] Walter Addiego of the San Francisco Chronicle said, "there’s lots of eye candy, and the pace is fast, but somehow the movie falls short."[61]

However, some critics considered it to be an improvement over its predecessor, highlighting its action sequences and performances.[62][63] John Williams of The New York Times wrote, "the many chases and ludicrous narrow escapes offer respectable doses of adrenaline",[64] and Brian Truitt of USA Today said, "Maze Runner's action, suspense and twists give movie fans of all ages a chance to embrace their inner on-the-run teenager."[65] Rafer Guzman of Newsday said, "the teen dystopian franchise continues to play rough, and now even rougher, with satisfying results."[66] Bilge Ebiri of Vulture said "essentially, The Scorch Trials makes up for the humdrum Apocalypse of its first half by going a little bonkers in its second."[67]

Accolades

List of awards and nominations
Year Award Category Recipients Result
2016 People's Choice Awards[68] Favorite Action Movie Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials Nominated
Favorite Sci-Fi/Fantasy Movie Nominated
Teen Choice Awards[69] Choice Movie – Action/Adventure Pending
Choice Movie Actor: Action/Adventure Dylan O'Brien Pending
Choice Movie Actress: Action/Adventure Kaya Scodelario Pending

Sequel

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Main article: Maze Runner: The Death Cure

In March 2015, it was confirmed that Nowlin, who co-wrote the first and wrote the second film, has been set to adapt the third book, The Death Cure.[70] Ball confirmed that, if he returns to direct, the film will not be split into two films.[71] On July 9, 2015, it was revealed that filming is set to begin in February 2016.[72] On September 16, 2015, it was confirmed that Ball would return to direct the third film.[73] Maze Runner: The Death Cure is scheduled for release on January 12, 2018.[74]

But it was later to be filmed at Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada on March 14, 2016.

References

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External links

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