Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials (Film Review)

It’s 4 o’clock in the morning and I just finished watching Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials.

Insomnia Rules! But not really….

Anyways, I must admit I’m a little disappointed. Not so much in the movie but the fact I have to wait a year (probably) or more (most likely) until I get some darn answers!

The first movie kind of crept up on me. I was out of the loop at the time I guess. I passed it by a few times before finally deciding to watch it. I think it was Dylan O’Brien that pulled me in,

I just love him as Stiles on Teen Wolf.

Right from the beginning I was drawn in and by the time it was over I was fully invested. I did my research and found out it was based on a series (Harry Potter style¹ hopefully.) Shamefully I still haven’t read the books, but it’s definitely on my to-do list.

The first movie took place in “The Maze” and in the second movie we find out that there were several mazes, all with survivors like Thomas (O’Brien)’s group. The latter group soon realizes all isn’t right with their ‘rescuers’ and in predictable fashion devise a plan to escape. Well, a half-baked, on the fly plan.

Keep in mind they have basically no memory of their earlier lives.

Explosions, cool taser’ish weapons, and gun fire aside, what is up with the zombies? I was a little thrown off when I saw them since I didn’t do much research into The Scorch Trials. I wanted to be surprised, and that I was. I love a good zombie story as much as the next guy, but they’re a little played out. It just feels like everyone is riding the Walking Dead coattails. It’s the furthest thing from fresh there is right now.

It was nice to see Thomas turned out to be as awesome as we were all hoping.

It seemed like there are only 2 major character introductions that matter (I don’t count the bad guys AKA W.I.C.K.E.D. - WICKED IS BAD!!!) Rosa Salazar as Brenda and Giancarlo Esposito (Breaking Bad, Once Upon a Time) as Jorge. I didn’t feel a really strong connection with them, but I can see a major bond forming. I actually didn’t feel that bond with many of the characters in this installment. O’Brien did fantastic however, I see him as “The One to Watch“.

Overall the movie was engaging and had some gasp worthy moments. There aren’t really any boring scenes; when you start to feel a yawn something happens to yank you back. There are some “I saw that coming” scenes and a few that threw me for a loop. That’s what I look for in a movie! …I won’t even get into Teresa…

The ending definitely leaves room for at least one more installment. It leaves you with hope for the characters and a little bit of angst knowing you’ll have to wait for the next installment. There are definitely many, many questions left unanswered. I don’t want to spoil the movie so I’ll just leave it at that. If you’re looking for an interesting movie then check out the Maze Runner series (so far). If you haven’t seen the first one you must watch it before The Scorch Trials.

Trust me!

*On the other hand - I have friends who have read the books and watched the movies with frustration. Apparently the books and movies don’t mesh well. This makes me think the movies might not be the best choice for those who’d rather read the book first.

¹Harry Potter style = a longer series, as opposed to Twilight Style², consisting of 4 or more individual works
²Twilight style: a shorter series of 4 or less individual works