Netflix‘s sci-fi movie lineup got another big boost this week, though this new wave of additions came in the form of a trilogy that younger audiences can enjoy as well. Unlike the trappings of Upgrade or Dune, this dystopian adventure is geared more towards teenagers and adults alike, making it an easily accessible story for multiple generations. It also appears as though Netflix subscribers have been waiting for these movies to arrive, because it took just one day for the entire franchise to begin dominating the streamer’s movie charts.
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Thursday saw the arrival of the entire Maze Runner trilogy on Netflix, giving the streamer’s subscribers a whole three-movie arc to experience. The Maze Runner (2014) joined Netflix’s lineup alongside Maze Runner: Scorch Trials (2015) and Maze Runner: The Death Cure (2018), all of which are based on the YA novel trilogy from James Dashner.
All three films took just one day to become hits with Netflix subscribers, which each entry in the trilogy popping up on Friday’s edition of the Netflix Top 10 Movies list. The Maze Runner holds the number one spot on all of Netflix for the day, surpassing the smash hit KPop Demon Hunters for the top position. The second film in the series, Maze Runner: Scorch Trials, currently sits at number five on Netflix’s Top 10, while Maze Runner: The Death Cure is in the ninth overall position.
The Maze Runner Is a Top-Tier Adaptation
While none of the Maze Runner films are going to be remembered as the greatest sci-fi movies ever made, they should absolutely be in discussion for some of the best adaptations. Like the Hunger Games series, Wes Ball’s Maze Runner movies did an excellent job of sticking true to their source material while also finding a handful of new ideas when applicable.
In a YA boom that resulted in countless movie adaptations in the 2010s, very few big screen attempts actually did justice to their novel counterparts. There franchises that never actually got off the ground (Beautiful Creatures, Vampire Academy) and even film series that were axed before they could be completed (Divergent). Twilight and Harry Potter started the craze, and Hunger Games remains the franchise that did it best, but Maze Runner should be right there in the conversation. The films did what they needed to do, they featured a cast full of young talent who would continue big careers after the series concluded, and they actually got to tell an entire story.
Dylan O’Brien is as charismatic as ever in these movies and proves to everyone why he should be starring in more movies (and would’ve made an excellent Peter Parker). Kayla Scodelario is also great in the trilogy, but it’s the duo of Will Poulter and Thomas Brodie-Sangster that serve as the true breakouts.
If you’re not familiar, The Maze Runner is a dystopian series that has some roots in both The Hunger Games and The Long Walk, following a group of teenagers who have their memories erased and are tasked with escaping a giant maze in order to survive. After the first film, the story is flipped on its head as a big zoom out into the overall world where it takes place sets the stage for a massive uprising.
With all three Maze Runner films streaming together on Netflix, there may not be a better time to dive in and watch through the entire adventure.
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