Score: 3/5
“Maze Runner” fans no longer have to wait for what is next to come in the series.
Picking up abruptly where “Maze Runner” left off, the “Maze Runner: Scorch Trials” shows the group of maze escapees, lead by Thomas (Dylan O’Brien), taking shelter in a facility of people that claim to be on their side. The Gladers soon realize that those people aren’t who they say they are.
The powerful organization, WICKED, is still alive and has an ominous plan for the Gladers. The Gladers soon escape and are forced to make their way through the Scorch — an empty landscape plagued with virus-infected Cranks and dangerous obstacles.
The group struggles to stay alive as they search for the Right Arm, a group rumored to be against WICKED.
The plot itself called for the group to be constantly on the run, but it felt like a hamster stuck in its wheel. The whole movie was several moments of safety followed by the feeling of false comfort, then fleeing in terror.
But that’s not to say the action was subpar. The nonstop action left viewers on the edge of their seats, but by the end, in need of a few minutes to relax.
The characters, apart from Thomas and Teresa (Kaya Scodelario), felt very distant and slightly replaceable. Facing constant imminent death doesn’t leave much room for personalities to shine through, but even being a main character doesn’t save the escapees. Viewers largely feel unattached to them as well.
However, the age demographic also needs to be taken into consideration.
The “Scorch Trials” is widely targeted towards the young adult and teen audience, so that niche will most likely be pleased with the movie. Many novel readers will find some hint of contentment simply in the recreation of the book, despite the obvious flaws.
The plot might be hard to follow for those who haven’t read the books by James Dashner. As any book to movie transition, the plot is left with several holes that were left behind. These holes, however, seem a big larger than necessary. With the movie topping off at a 131-minute run time, there is clearly not much room left to fill said holes.
By the end of the movie, viewers are tired of the drawn out feud with Wicked and leave the theater wanting to end the organization’s reign on their own.
The cliffhanger ending leaves the floor wide open to “The Death Cure,” the third book in Dashner’s series. Viewers can only hope that there will be significantly less fleeting and slightly more personality.