Tag Archives: 20th Century Fox

“Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials” movie review

Posted on by
Reply

MazeRunner2Charged with middle child syndrome; verdict: guilty of being an aimless, but certainly not boring, sequel in a YA franchise. Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials is an exciting second chapter in the Maze Runner trilogy. Unfortunately, the non-stop action and thrilling nature of the movie is paired with a mediocre plot frocked with a lack of narrative direction, character development, and exposition. No doubt, the movie is far more entertaining than the first one; however, it just plays off as a filler movie with little to offer up in the way of supporting and moving the story along. Although we finally get a closer look into WCKD and what their goals are, there is still no explanation as to why a maze or how some are immune to the scorch virus and others are not. I suppose we have to wait for the third movie to find that out. In terms of sequel quality, this falls somewhere between Insurgent and Catching Fire. I feel the biggest problem with similar movies is that it perpetuates the idea that teenagers are extra special and adults don’t/refuse to understand them (although, these guys are clearly in their 20s).

Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials takes place right after The Maze Runner as our group of guys and girl are rescued from the maze. Dylan O’Brien reprises his role as Thomas, the courageous leader, and attempts to adjust to his new surroundings. Thinking that WCKD is behind them Thomas meets Aris (Jacob Lofland) and discovers that all is not as it seems in their new home. After witnessing teenagers leaving and not returning, Thomas and Aris lead our glade survivors on a mission to break out of the facility. Nearly stopped by the leader of the facility Janson (Game of Thrones’ Aidan Gillen), Thomas and his friends escape the clutches of WCKD once again. Only this time instead of the lush glade, they are confronted with an unforgiving landscape of scorching sun and towering sand dunes. After encountering zombie-like creatures, Aris and Thomas lead the group toward the WCKD resistance in the mountains. Despite defeating the ravenous creatures from the maze and once again escaping from WCKD, nothing has prepared the group for what lies in the desert.

The best feature this woeful sequel has going for it is that it is never boring. From the moment the movie opens to the time it closes, you will probably never yawn and even jump from time to time. Think about this installment as I am Legend meets The Hills Have Eyes meets The Divergent Series. There is even a scene that looks like it leaped right out of the trailers on The Lost World: Jurassic Park. I’ve often commented that sequels in a trilogy are required to be the meat of the series. It often should include the backstory, exposition, and character development needed to launch the series into the final chapter. In many ways, The Scorch Trials is an efficient sequel in the YA franchise, but it lacks the inspiration required to be a good or great sequel. Excellent examples of sequels that were both effective and inspirational are The Empire Strikes Back, The Two Towers, and The Prisoner of Azkaban. I was hoping to see some growth amongst the characters, but all of them pretty well seemed to be just as they were in the first film.

One of the fun ways to approach typical YA movies is by reading them as depicting real-world situations as an analogy. Caution: this may give away a reveal in the movie a little, but I feel that this movie can be read as social commentary on the current state of the U.S. social security dilemma. Won’t go into anymore detail than that because I do not want to spoil one of the turning points. Not that YA movies provide answers to real-life problems, but they can often allow us to look at hot-button sociopolitical topics from new perspectives. Another positive element of this genre is that it has inspired young adults to read who otherwise may not have desired to read for pleasure. Beyond the pages of the books that inspire YA movies, the movies are often produced in such a way that they are fun to watch no matter if you are 15 or 45. Even though I don’t feel The Scorch Trials was a great sequel and showcases obliquely motivated characters aimlessly moving from one place to another and very little actually advances the plot or shows direction, it is a fun movie to watch and will definitely keep you entertained for the more than 2hr runtime.

Unsure as to why 20th Century Fox chose mid-September for the release of this movie that feels like it should have been released in May, it is definitely one to catch in theaters because it will lose a lot of its appeal on the smaller screens in our homes. Be sure to re-watch the first one because it picks up right where the previous one ended. Oh yeah, you’ll definitely like the high caliber visual and special effects that are usually not associated with this genre.

Home (2015) Review

Posted on by
Reply

HomeWhile there have been many live-action and animated movies in the alien encounter/invasion genre, 20th Century Fox and DreamWorks’ Home is a family-oriented colorful and fun addition to the pantheon of alien-based films. Although messages such as conquering fear, understanding others, and commitment are commonplace in the friendlier variety of alien movies, this film combines the fanciful plot with rich subtext that acts as social commentary on issues such as ethnocentrism, imperialism, and colonization. These social issues are as real today as they were centuries ago. Just like Dr. Seuss was a master at breaking down complex adult issues into a form that a child could understand and adults could appreciate, DreamWorks provides us with a movie that pairs a comical narrative with real-life societal issues from which we may be able to gain a better understanding of what it’s like to be the nation invaded by another for a supposed greater good.

Home is about an alien race, known as the Boov, who has decided to invade earth and relocate the human ace to Australia. The Boov are running from another alien race, known as the Gorg, and need to find a new home. Upon invading earth, the Boov setup new neighborhoods on the Australian continent and relocate all the “humans persons” to their new “home” as the Boov move in to claim this new planet for their own. Evading the forced human transport, Tip (voiced by Rihanna) hides from the alien race in an effort to buy time so she can develop a plan to find her mom (Jennifer Lopez). Whilst on her mission, Tip encounters an outcast Boov named Oh (Jim Parsons) who is running from his own race because of a massive eVite he sent out to the entire galaxy for his “warming of house” party. Unfortunately, this eVite is also sent to the Gorg. Hot on the trail of Oh is traffic cop Boov Kyle (voiced by the incomparable Steve Martin). During their respective missions, Oh and Tip must learn to tolerate one another and understand one another if they are ever going to find Tip’s mom and Oh stop the Gorg from invading planet Earth.

Home is the type of animated alien movie that will likely evoke nostalgic memories of Disney’s Lilo and Stitch and possibly, to some extent, DreamWorks’ Shrek. However, after How to Train Your Dragon 2 lost to the lesser film Disney’s Big Hero 6 at the Academy Awards BUT won against it at the Golden Globes, the embattled DreamWorks needed its only offering for 2015 to come in like, not to quote Miley Cyrus, a wrecking ball. Instead, it played it safe; and in doing so, it did not capture the imaginations and attentions of audiences like it should have. DreamWorks needed Home to be its Lilo and Stitch. But, instead, it will likely go by way of the Croods. Somehow, a lonely Hawaiian girl and ill-tempered koala bear-like alien creature found its way into the hearts of audiences but Home will not likely do the same. This is probably because Home plays too close to Lilo and Stitch instead of breaking new ground and living on the edge.

On the surface level, it is all too easy to see Home as a movie that is a tastes great but less filling version of Lilo and Stitch, but a closer look will reveal subtext that the Disney classic could only dream of. While both films deal with the idea of understanding one another and learning to cooperate, Home provides us with a deeper meaning behind the one-dimensional, vapid plot. It takes the idea of learning to understand one another and friendship development further by allowing us to view the invasion/encounter from both sides. In an effort not to spoil the twist at the end of the movie, I will no go into great detail. But, it is very clear to see that this movie can be read as social commentary on the U.S. invasion in the various middle-eastern countries. Note: this movie is not suggesting it is wrong to fight those who aim to harm you, but it is suggesting that in an effort to do good that there are sometimes negative consequences that may occur to a people or society. Sometimes, while a nation believes it is BRINGING civilization to a people, seen as lesser, it is entirely possible that they are actually TAKING from the native people instead. For the anthropologists in the audience, you will greatly enjoy the themes in the movie that will likely get missed by the typical movie-goer.

After the previews of Home built up a general interest and excitement for the animated movie, it will unfortunately disappoint most movie patrons who choose to see it this weekend. However, it is still a very cute movie that will keep you and your kids mildly entertained for the appropriate runtime of an hour and a half. I hope that after this movie does not perform as well as projected, that it inspires DreamWorks to rethink their approach to the next movie. I’ve seen great potential in the stories DreamWorks tells, and many of them are better cinematically than the Disney-Pixar ones; but, they need to bring the creative geniuses at their studio together to focus on rebranding despite the fact the Oscars always favor Disney-Pixar just because of the brand.