Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials – Should I Watch It?

Intro to… Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials
A group of teenagers that used to run away from things in a maze now run away from things in a desert.

The Plot
Thomas (Dylan O’Brien) and friends thought they had escaped from WCKD, the organisation that imprisoned them in the dangerous maze from the first movie, but they could not have been more wrong. Their so-called saviours are actually WCKD operatives that are planning on stealing their bodily juices, and not in a good way.

They escape the facility they were held in with the help of Aris (Jacob Lofland), another kid that used to live in a maze. But it is a bit like going out of the frying pan and into the fire. Thomas overheard a conversation and learned that there is a group opposing WCKD in the mountains, but to reach them they have to cross a scorching hot desert filled with zombie-like creatures called Cranks.

Should I Watch It?
The Scorch Trials is the second instalment of the Maze Runner trilogy. The movie is set in a dystopian future that is being destroyed by The Flare, a T-virus-like disease that turns people into Cranks. Infected people become highly aggressive and undergo a gruesome physical transformation.

Visually the movie has a very I Am Legend feel to it. Within the desert there are tall abandoned buildings that are losing against the elements and the passage of time. It delivers a feeling of suspense, awe, and desolation. It is very well done.

The story can be split into two equal parts. I affectionately call the first part The Marathon Runner. It is just one big running sequence occasionally interrupted by short moments of exposition. It is fast, exciting, and well executed. Very Mad Max: Fury Road like, only with less fire spitting guitars and more teenage drama.

The second half I less-affectionately call The Viewer Trials. The fast-paced action comes to a halt as we delve into the dystopian society and the movie lays down the basis for the third instalment. This could have been the strongest part of the movie as it could have introduced interesting and unique elements previously unseen in any other movie. But it does not. Instead it shows the most overused and cliché thing imaginable: a rave. Sigh.

Overall I found Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials relatively enjoyable. The characters are dumb and there is not a lot of creativity, but the action scenes are fun and the story is interesting enough. It would have tanked as a stand-alone, but it works as part of a trilogy.

Yes, watch it.

Hi guys, I hope you enjoyed reading this review. If you have any comments or suggestions let me know in the comment section below.