WATCH THE TRAILER HERE
First, the Recap:
The quest for answers. When faced with an enigma that has only been slightly revealed, it leads to a seeking of more truth, more revelation, more substantial conclusions in order to discover what caused or created the situation at hand. When teenager Thomas (Dylan O’Brien) first woke to find himself in a steel cage elevator rising quickly towards an unknown destination, a mystery was at hand. It revealed the Glade, other young adults within it, and a massive, all-encompassing construct surrounding them–The Maze. Thomas found a purpose and a drive to seek the answers he needed, not just for himself, but for all of the Glade’s denizens. With the secrets of the organization behind their circumstances, W.C.K.D., exposed and destroyed, their plight seemed over.
Now brought out of the Maze and into the safety of a facility run by a man known as Janson (Aidan Gillen), the remaining Gladers including Thomas, Minho (Ki Hong Lee), Theresa (Kaya Scodelario), Newt (Thomas Brodie-Sangster), Frypan (Dexter Darden), and Winston (Alexander Flores) finally have a sense of calm. But when a long-standing resident of the facility, Aris (Jacob Lofland), helps Thomas to reveal their situation has gotten worse, it drives them all into the unforgiving land beyond the facility, the bleak and inhospitable world now known as the Scorch. Hounded by W.C.K.D. and trying to avoid the ominous danger of the Cranks, zombified Flare virus victims, the group struggles to find a elusive group of freedom fighters and face daunting odds to discover W.C.K.D.’s endgame.
Next, my Mind:
Not having read any of the novels these films have been based on, this reviewer has no frame of reference other than what was viewed in the first effort, 2014’s “The Maze Runner”. Based solely on this, the second installment of the trilogy falls short of its predecessor. While there are plenty of action sequences and visually exciting moments, it’s the story in and of itself that has started to now feel like what we’ve already seen, albeit in different contexts, in “The Hunger Games” and “Divergent” series, but not executed quite as well as those. The themes of the “evil organization”, its diabolical leader, the freedom fighters, etc–it’s already being done elsewhere.
Additionally, on several levels, it feels like the innate earnestness of the characters as seen in film one has been supplanted with more “typical”, dare say, generic action/adventure personas that really doesn’t do overall justice to the truly emotionally charged intensity seen prior. Now, O’Brien and cast still do fine with what they’ve been given, but again, it feels lessened. And the concept of the Cranks, while unique to the series perhaps, still felt somewhat unimaginative, as it seemed more like a combination of “I Am Legend” and “The Walking Dead”. The film is fast-paced, and again, there are plenty of crazy moments of action involved, which may keep ones attention and engagement to some extent, but as a whole, “Scorch Trials” has wandered, sadly, far into the desert of the world the story inhabits.
As always, this is all for your consideration and comment. Until next time, thank you for reading!
