Get ready to run once again, because The Maze Runner is back! Taking place immediately after the previous installment (The Maze Runner), here in Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials we find Thomas (Dylan O’Brien) and his fellow Gladers must face their greatest challenge yet: searching for clues about the mysterious and powerful organization known as WCKD (World In Catastrophe: Killzone Experiment Department). Their journey takes them to the Scorch, a desolate landscape filled with unimaginable obstacles. Teaming up with resistance fighters, the Gladers take on WCKD’s vastly superior forces and uncover the truth and its shocking plans for them all. And nothing will ever be the same for our little group of fearless heroes.
After being rescued by WCKD all seems well for the Gladers. But just as they begin to settle into their new lives outside The Glade, Thomas begins noticing things that don’t add up: kids being taken in the middle of the night, not being allowed into certain areas nor being able to see his friend Teresa. All giving him reason not to trust anything WCKD seems to say. They claim to be the savors The Gladers needed but Thomas and new friend Aris uncover the truth that WCKD is behind it all: The Maze, The Glade and the missing kids. After seeing the kids are being harvested and killed, Thomas and his group of Gladers escape the WCKD compound only to be thrown out into the Scorch.
Solar flares have ravaged the planet leaving most of it destroyed and burnt. Now earth is nothing more than a barren desert, with a red rocky terrain, and a cobbled landscape with dead husks of the architecture that once thrived. The Gladers set off to find The Right Arm Army, who could be their only hope to survive outside in the Scorch. From massive sand and lighting storms to fear of being infected by The Flare, a virus that slowly eats away the brain, eventually turning victims into blood-thirsty and insane cannibalistic humans, The Gladers are going to need all the help they can get! All the while trying not to get caught by the Cranks, a slang term for someone who has been infected by The Flare and try to stay one step ahead of WCKD the whole time.
After falling into a trap by some survivors out in the Scorch, they are captured by Jorge (Giancarlo Esposito) and Brenda (Rosa Salazar), who want to sell them back to WCKD, but among learning they are looking for The Red Arm, they decide to help. Once finding The Red Arm, Thomas is retold his own story that he couldn’t remember because WCKD had erased his memories. Learning that he once worked for them, but turned against them when the truth was uncovered about WCKD wanting to kill a whole generation of immunized kids, because within them is the way to finding a cure for the Flare. Kill one generation to save the old dying one. Once he learns the truth, The Gladers are betrayed by one of their own setting off an epic fight for what’s right and wrong ending in a cliffhanger promising a war between The Red Arm and WCKD.
Keeping with the same filming style as the first one the movie moves rather fast catching you up to speed on the plots threads that move in and out as the story unfolds. Having the same director, Wes Ball, from the first movie helped in keeping the same vibe and feel together. In a series of films like this that tends be happening back-to-back it’s good to have someone who keeps the same visual style and feel. If not some of the more important elements could have been missed.
Also having the same director also helps the actors keep that bond that makes a movie run that much smoother. Gathered here is some of the finest talent of new blood in Hollywood. Lead by Dylan O’Brien once again as Thomas. This kid is just good. Hands down. Only doing a handful movies and TV he has wisdom beyond his young age. He truly is someone to watch out for in the future. As are most of his costars for the film: Thomas Brodie-Sangster, Ki Hong Lee, and Jacob Lofland. Each is great and all work wonderfully together. All the actors bounce off one another with great talent. I’s clear much time has been spent off screen developing their friendships so that it’s much more believable for the story we’re watching.
Who doesn’t work is Kaya Scodelario as Teresa. Not only is she a boring character but also the actress doesn’t bring much in the way “life” to her performance. She comes off bored in all her scenes, even manages to bring down the good actors in group scenes because her boredom style of line delivery. Which is odd, she was rather good in the first movie, but here she just isn’t. Not sure if that’s an actors choice or maybe she just knows something we as the viewers don’t know yet for her character? Either way she is one of the very few negatives of the movie.
Newcomers to the series Giancarlo Esposito, Rosa Salazar, Barry Pepper and Lili Taylor all come in with great characters and wonderful talent. Each has their own moment and really makes good use of it. Just as our new bad guy Aidan Gillen as Janson. Mostly known as “Littlefinger” on Game of Thrones, he takes being a smug jerk to a whole new level here. Jason isn’t as bad as Littlefinger, but you still want to hit him just as hard here as you do when you watch GOT.
He teams up with or main antagonist for the series Patricia Clarkson as Ava Paige, who really feels no remorse for wanting to kill an entire generation of children just because the old one doesn’t want to die. Instead of making sure The Flare never happens again or saving all the immunized kids to make the future better, she decided to kill them to save her own skin. Not understanding that maybe it’s her generations time, that sometimes nature finds a way of thinning the heard when need be, she is fighting tooth and claw to stay alive. Which makes for a great villain. They have nothing to lose and nothing will stop them. I look forward to the next installment where hopefully she gets hers in the end.
The movie is fast paced with great action beats. From the Gladers running from “zombies” to fighting WCKD, the movie really keeps your attention. And unlike other young adult based books turned movie this one doesn’t have the love story that drags the whole film down. There are characters that seem to have attraction to one another, but here the characters seem to understand that maybe it’s not the time to act on their feeling. Which, as a viewer is great to see. Well acted, well directed and over all a fun and interesting science fiction story that will keeps you guessing as it adds more mystery until the very end.