Emerging out of the YA fog as a welcome diversion to...well, Divergent, was The Maze Runner, a film that
relied more on an intriguing central mystery than silly teen love stories. It
also had a fair share of running...running through tunnels, running through
mazes, running away from robotic spider creatures. It certainly wasn't lacking
for action, excitement, or diversity in cast, all positive aspects that
carryover into the larger spectacle that is Maze
Runner: The Scorch Trials. But with the grander scale, 'Scorch Trials'
trades that intimate mystery for more bullets, explosions, and unfortunately
more similarity with its YA peers.
Picking up where the last film left off,
Thomas (Dylan O'Brien), Teresa (Kaya Scodelario), Minho (Ki Hong Lee), Newt
(Thomas Brodie-Sangster), and other former Gladers have escaped into the
seemingly welcoming arms of a new group opposed to the evil organization WCKD.
Their mysterious new benefactor is Janson (Game of Thrones' Aidan Gillen), who
keeps them locked up for unclear reasons and is evasive with his answers. This
immediately puts Thomas on edge, and it doesn't help that they're in what
appears to be a prison along with hundreds of other kids rescued from similar
mazes. While the others are satisfied to get a shower, a hot meal, and some new
company, Thomas and mousy outcast Aris (Jacob Lofland) aren't sold. Kids
are being selected to go to a supposed "paradise", which in sci-fi
parlance means they aren't going anywhere good at all. It isn't long before
Thomas discovers they're all just a bunch of lab experiments, and after a
break-neck chase they escape out into "the scorch", the ravaged,
desolate world outside.
The film assumes you remember everything
that came before, such as the Gladers' apparent immunity to the Flare virus,
which turns humans into snarling, predatory creatures known as Cranks.
Many questions that need to be answered are frustratingly buried in the
sand, so director Wes Ball, working from a streamlined adaptation of James
Dashner's novel, races from one thrilling chase to the next. While not as
colorful and visually appealing as before, Ball manages to come up with truly
inspired ways to build tension, from a claustrophobic underground chase to a
harrowing escape up a crazy-angled skyscraper. Ball's use of kinetic camera
movements and unusual perspectives is quickly becoming a trademark for the
young filmmaker.
Falling into a similar trap that has
hobbled other YA franchises, The
Scorch Trials largely
jettisons the Lord of the
Flies-style aspect that helped set it apart in the first place. Also gone
is that distinctly masculine energy and the conflicts raised by all that
testosterone. Instead everyone seems to get along, more females are introduced
(still no sexual dynamic to speak of), and the characters basically move from
one deadly encounter with WCKD to the next. That said, every hardship
they face is thrilling, gripping stuff, especially when shady criminal Jorge
(Giancarlo Esposito) and adopted daughter Brenda (Rosa Salazar) enter the
picture. Esposito is as cool as ever while adding a patriarchal note, while
Salazar's tough-as-nails attitude dominates every scene she's in. She also
brings just a little bit of romantic tension in a strange, Eyes Wide Shut-esque party
scene featuring an oddball appearance by Alan Tudyk.
The Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials is only disappointing because the first
film set the bar incredibly high, and expecting the sequel to measure up was
perhaps unfair. There's still too much confusion surrounding the actual plot,
but the film moves at a break-neck pace too fast for you to care.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
