Genre Essay;
The Maze Runner

The film in which I am going to be analysing is 'The Maze Runner.' The film combines three genres all together, them being - mystery, sci-fi and action. The plot of the film is as follows; Thomas is deposited in a community of boys after his memory is erased, soon learning that they're all trapped in a maze that will require him to join forces with the 'runners' for a shot at escape. Runners are them who are chosen to run through the maze mapping it out as they go to try and find a way out. The Maze Runner stars quite a few recognisable actors, along the lines of Dylan O'Brian, Thomas Brodie-Sangster & Will Poulter. Many teenagers, like myself, will be able to familiarise with the characters which allows the audience to have more of a connection with them. The story behind of the film is based around of survival, and strength. To an extent, it shows equality, each person is just as important as the other one. Whether that be if they have had experience or not, however it also shows them who want to be different, as shown by the character Thomas, in which Dylan O'Brian plays. There is a typical set of characters within the film - Thomas being the main, Teresa being his sidekick, Gally being the villain and Alby being the wise one of the community. When applying Todorov's stages of narrative to the trailer the narrative development would be considered in the following way; The equilibrium would be the Glade, in which the community resides in. The disruption - Thomas coming into the Glade, and everything starts to change. The recognition - Gally wants everyone on his side and not Thomas' because he sees him as a threat to the established order. Attempt to repair disruption - A few of the Gladers join forces with Thomas while the rest decide to stay with Gally, to see if Thomas' plans work out. The characters who chose to go with Thomas end up escaping the maze only to find out that there is another phase to overcome, this becoming a new equilibrium.

There are also many typical conventions of the film which refer to the expectations of the three genres. One of which is the setting; it is an unknown place/environment, in which the characters have to battle through or against, in order to complete their mission or survive. It is also a very isolated setting, the characters have nowhere else to go apart from the maze. The use of unknown species and creatures is also another typical convention of the sci-fi genre, the creatures are there to make the characters' mission even more difficult than it seems. Another convention of the sci-fi genre I noticed was that something had to get in the way of the characters, this being the maze itself, which makes it more challenging for them.  The shot types used in the trailer are quick, fast action shots which is used to build up tension throughout of it. There is a contrast in colour, from the maze being mysteriously dark and majorly grey to the outside natural environment being mostly light. This signifies both the safe and danger zones. The characters' costumes and props used in the trailer, I believe, is another typical convention but of the action genre this time. All of the characters are equipped with handy essentials in which they need incase something bad strikes unpredictably and they're not prepared. In the trailer, it shows each individual character carrying some sort of weapon, whether that be a dagger to protect themselves or to destroy the creatures. These conventions all fit in with the theme of the film, survival. The runners costumes in particular portray that it is an action genre; their costumes consist of backpacks & daggers in which they wear throughout most of the film. This implies that they are ready for anything whenever it may happen. The music in the trailer is used to create an ominous atmosphere and build tension, it begins slow and reaches a fast - paced crescendo to highlight the breathless and pulsating action sequences.

When considering the functional approach to the trailer, there are quite a few binary oppositions that are conveyed. One of them being life vs death, as shown by the shot of Thomas running into the maze after the doors slowly closing. We, as an audience, question; will he survive? Another binary opposition would be good vs evil, conveyed by the light and dark elements shown in the trailer. The opposition of mankind vs nature is also portrayed within the trailer, which is also very typical of the sci-fi genre. The trailer represents the ideology of control in society. By placing the protagonist Thomas within an already functioning community with its own set of rules and regulations created by the pre existing humans already inhabiting the glade. Control is also shown by the way Thomas, the runners, and the rest of the Gladers must survive by taking part in set challenges and tasks which they have no say or influence on. For example those selected to be runners must enter the maze when it opens at sunrise and become pathfinders mapping the maze and trying to find a way out before nightfall otherwise they risk being trapped and killed by the creatures which are released. The film also explores these pressures of control placed upon a group of peers and the element of trust between them all and how they react within that constraint.