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    Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials

    Reviewed by
    adamwatchesmovies@

    The worst part of “The Maze Runner” was its ending. No, not the ending; the last few minutes. It overexplained too much when it should’ve just cut to black. But the film couldn’t leave the characters’ fate ambiguous; it had to set up its sequel. Well, the follow-up sure doesn’t feel like it was worth it. While knowing the series does come to a proper end does make this second entry better, "The Scorch Trials" takes the story in a new direction that feels like a bad idea.

    Set immediately after the last film ended, Thomas (Dylan O’Brien) and the other maze escapees find the outside world a sun-blasted wasteland populated by cranks (zombies). When they realize the W. C. K. D. (World Catastrophe Killzone Department) is still operational, they set out into the unknown, searching for allies in the desolate landscape with their enemies only a short distance behind.

    The first chapter felt original but "The Scorch trials" feels so familiar. Like a better version of the later “Divergent” movies, without the factions or the dopey romance. There’s little character development which makes you grateful for the time spent with the characters previously. Those moments still resonate enough for you to remain attached to Thomas, Teresa (Kaya Scodelario), Newt (Thomas Brodie-Sangster), Frypan (Dexter Darden), and Winston (Alexander Flores). They’re navigating through obviously slimy villains who, once revealed fully, make you go “come on, really? ” I’m not spoiling anything by telling you this. Just look at Aidan Gillen’s face and tell me you’d trust him. You can’t. He's as subtle as W.C.K.D. - pronounced: “Wicked”. Boy is that a contrived acronym.

    The chases and action scenes are where this film racks up some points. We’ve seen zombies done many many times but “The Scorch Trials” finds a couple of new things to do with them. With the desert setting, this winds up being kind of like a better version of “Resident Evil: Extinction”. It ain’t much but this chapter is necessary to get to the end so I’ll take what I can get.

    Overall, “The Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials” is an unmemorable but serviceable post-apocalyptic teenage adventure. It ranks better than many of the others due to its focus on the plot and not the high-school romance and drama but not much here feels original. I still feel as though we should’ve simply cut to black a few minutes before the end of the first film, but maybe the final entry will change my mind. (On Blu-ray, May 31, 2019)

    5
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    adamwatchesmovies@  5.10.2015 age: 26-35 2,867 reviews

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