Director: Wes Ball
Distributor: 20th Century Fox
Duration: 124 minutes
Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials (DVD) – Movie Review
After their successful escape from the maze, Thomas, Teresa and the rest of the lost boys assumed their nightmare would be over, especially with the evil professor seemingly dead, due to rebel actions. Those who watched the previous movie until the end know that Ava was still alive and that it was now time for the second phase of their plan of putting the young teenagers to a next series of tests. The Scorch Trials presents us the story of the second book of the four that are currently released, with a fifth one in the works that should be released later this year.
When Thomas (Dylan O’ Brian), Teresa (Kaya Scodelario) and the rest of the Gladers were successful in escaping the maze, they were immediately escorted outside by what seemed to be rebels who were fighting against the atrocities WICKED was performing on young teenagers, in order to find a cure against the strange disease that has been wiping out humanity. The group of friends is transported to a ‘safe’ facility under the command of Janson (Aidan Gillen), where many of the other children also reside, who were prisoners in other mazes WICKED had constructed.
Only mere moments after their arrival it was clear something was amiss, as teenagers were supposedly transported to their new ‘homes’ but when Aris (Jacob Lofland) points out to Thomas that bodies are transported to a central room, without ever getting out, Thomas decides it’s time to split. After a chaotic but successful escape attempt, they will have to cross the scorch, where many ‘Cranks’ (those who were afflicted with a zombie-like virus) reside, hoping to get to safety. After being weary from the entire ordeal, they stumble upon a rather large group of survivors under the leadership of Jorge (Giancarlo Esposito) and his trusty ‘lieutenant’ Brenda (Rosa Salazar) who seems hostile at first, but he clearly has other motives as well. Jorge wishes to join ‘The Right Arm’, who defend the just cause, but only take in teenagers who are immune to the sickness that is spread across the globe. It’s clear that Jorge wants to use the escapees as his ticket to join The Right Arm, while trying to get Brenda a safe place to live out her life as well.
The flow of this second installment of the Maze Runner universe is rather peculiar as you’ll be treated to heaps of action the first quarter of the movie, while it falls rather silent after that, to go out with an explosive finish. Whilst the pace is rather pleasant and draws you in from the beginning, it would have been nice if the middle had a bit more finesse as well, as it feels a bit too slow compared to the rest. Nonetheless, the movie lasts a bit longer than two hours, yet it still feels rather short, which means you’ll be drawn in more than enough to enjoy the entire flick without any real boring moments.
Acting performances were top notch, especially Dylan O’ Brian and Rosa Salazar tend to steal the show in this movie, with Kaya Scodelario moving a bit more to the background. Nonetheless, it seems that Aidan Gillen is rather good in playing the insensitive douchebag stereotype, which he pretty much already mastered thanks to his role in Game of Thrones. The supporting cast members as well as the many side-characters offer a very pleasant experience, which might be one of the things that also put this franchise on the map.
Sadly this DVD release of The Scorch Trials comes with only a few special features. These extras prove to be a bit of fun extra content, but you’ll have to make do with deleted scenes, trailers, artwork and a very long gag reel. It’s quite rare to see a gag reel that takes up to fourteen minutes, but it was actually very amusing to watch.
Conclusion
Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials is a successful sequel to The Maze Runner, that does its best to remove the veil from the outside world, albeit only by bits and pieces. You’ll be treated to an interesting and exciting tale, that shows this series has a lot more in its sleeves, while being supported by a great cast. Worth the watch if you’re fan of this kind of movies, as well as the franchise.
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10/10 Best movie ever!
nope, Mad MAx was better, but this movie was awesome!