The Maze Runner trilogy is an amazing movie series which stars a main character named Thomas, who goes through the struggles of trying to find out who/what WCKD is. Unknown to the boys who travel through the maze with Thomas, each step they take into discovering who/what WCKD is, the closer they are to either freedom or dying.

In the first movie, Thomas shows up in the Glade surrounded by a group of boys. The Glade is a pasture in the middle of a maze that serves as a shelter to the boys. The boys are lead by a leader named Albi, who as said by Newt, was the very first to arrive to the glade.

Thomas later meets the boys, and he finds both enemies and friends within the group of boys, and finds a connection with a boy named Chuck who serves as a sort of younger brother to Thomas.

Later on, Thomas learns of the “Runners” who roam the maze, and memorize each and every part of the maze, and try to find a way out. They are specially chosen to run due to the fact that they need to be fast and intelligent.

A girl shows up in the maze later on, with a note saying, “shes the last one.”

Grievers, who are a machine and monster mixed creature, that roam the maze at night, start coming out in the daytime, and Albi gets bit and dies.

Thomas doesn’t follow the rules that are laid down for him, but in doing so he finds out the secret of the maze.

(SPOILER)

Thomas and the boys including Theresa (the girl) escape the maze and it turns out that WCKD was the corporation that put them into the maze. The movie ends with the boys leaving the maze in a helicopter.

The second movie, The Scorch Trials, starts in the the facility where they put the boys to rest, but the boys don’t know that WCKD is part of the group that rescued them at the end of the last movie.

Thomas then tries to escape the facility, but he starts getting flashbacks of him and other children in tubs. He then realizes he was a part of WCKD as a scientist, along with Theresa.

Thomas makes a break for the exit as soon as he finds out the corporation who saved them was WCKD. The boys escape and travel into the Scorch, which is an area that challenges the boys in new ways.

Thomas and the boys, including Theresa, meet new characters who help them escape the dangers of the both WCKD and the Scorch.

As soon as they think they escaped WCKD, Theresa calls in WCKD. They come in, and a shootout takes place which leaves people injured. One of the boys is taken by WCKD, while Theresa leaves voluntarily.

In the last movie, I won’t spoil much! But I’ll give a short summary. The Death Cure starts with a train delivering kids to WCKD getting raided by Thomas and the gang. Thomas fails to get the missing boy, but does succeed in releasing some kids. WCKD then tries everything in their power to get Thomas back, since he holds to the key to curing the Flare Virus.

Overall, since The Death Cure just came out, I cannot say much, but it’s sad to see a trilogy that was popular, and an emotional journey for fans end. But I’ll say it ends on a good note.

Phantom Thread is Paul Thomas Anderson’s most recent film, starring Daniel Day-Lewis in his supposedly final role. Set in the London couture world of the 1950’s, it follows the turbulent romance of Reynolds Woodcock (Lewis), an obsessive fashion designer, and his muse and lover Alma (Vicky Krieps). Like the dresses Woodcock’s sewers meticulously craft, Phantom Thread is a work of fine beauty.

The first thing to notice is the atmosphere. The cinematography is, as one would expect of an Anderson feature, elegant and gorgeous. The camera seems to float through the various living rooms, sewing rooms, and spiral staircases in the Woodcock mansion. Or, in one incredible scene, it is fixed to the back of Woodcock’s car as he drives through the English countryside. Jonny Greenwood’s lyrical soundtrack plays in the background for nearly the entirety of the first 30 minutes, and for much of the rest of the film. Phantom Thread feels like a dream. As Mark Kermode has pointed out, Phantom Thread plays like a modern fairy tale, with its dresses and magic charms.

Rarely in film, and especially in dramas, are the aesthetic elements, image and sound, so masterfully composed as to be totally enjoyable on their own, despite plot. But, Phantom Thread’s aesthetic value is comparable to that of any art film. The simplicity of the film’s first act led me to believe that this would be the biggest compliment that I could pay it, but as the film progressed I realized that I was sorely mistaken. Phantom Thread is not only a beautiful movie, but a captivating drama.

Characters in Paul Thomas Anderson’s films never have simple (or healthy) relationships, a fact which becomes invariably more important as each film progresses. Consider Eddie and Maggie’s Oedipal romance in Boogie Nights and Daniel and H.W.’s abusive father-son relationship in There Will Be Blood. From a dramatic point-of-view, this is Anderson’s greatest skill as a filmmaker. His stories begin archetypal, but progress by subverting those very archetypes.

Phantom Thread follows this pattern. It is ostensibly a love story, but its perverse developments and sickly romantic ending lead us to reconsider love itself. In a Fresh Air interview with Terry Gross, Anderson is asked if he “sanctions” the actions Alma takes in order to get closer to Woodcock, and if he considers Alma and Woodcock’s relationship to be in any way “healthy.” Anderson responds that he is, “Groovy with love of all kinds.”

Anderson is not a psychologist, but a poet. If we are to appreciate Phantom Thread as a work of cinematic poetry, we must focus on the impression that it makes, and not on its underlying morality, which may very well be sick. We must not worry about justifying the beauty of Phantom Thread. Instead we should focus on appreciating it.

The film ends with a montage of Alma and Woodcock’s life together beyond the movie, and the multiple false endings within it create a sense of unending love and beauty. If this ove is unrealistic or even sick, it is at least beautiful. With Greenwood’s soundtrack in the background, it is reminiscent of the film’s beginning, creating a satisfying circular structure, at least aesthetically.

Lastly, it should be mentioned just how “funny” Phantom Thread is. Woodcock’s fussiness, and Alma’s waywardness, create a dynamic that is hilarious and adorable in its immaturity. Cyril, Woodcock’s deathly serious sister and business partner, also provides comic relief, as well as deep insight into either star. The stars act like two children, which may be why they are so likeable even when they do the most evil things.

So, Phantom Thread succeeds on all fronts. It is a feast for the senses and for the heart. I agree with Mark Kermode that it is, in fact, Paul Thomas Anderson’s greatest film yet.

★★★★ out of four

On Sunday night, Phantom Thread received one (for Best Costume Design) out of the six Academy Awards it was nominated for. It lost in the Best Picture and Best Director categories to The Shape of Water and its director Guillermo Del Toro, respectively. Though Phantom Thread deserved to win both, I am not totally unsatisfied with those results. The Shape of Water is a very good film, and Del Toro a talented director. Daniel Day-Lewis losing to Gary Oldman (Darkest Hour) in the Best Actor category, however, was incredibly disappointing.