After escaping the glade, the survivors are brought by Mr. Jenson to a “safe” complex. The complex is a transitional place that houses other Gladers. Each day, a set of Gladers are chosen and taken from the facility. In theory, they are sent to farms and other permanent homes. Or are they? The concept doesn’t sit well with Thomas (Dylan O’Brien) and along with the help of Aris (Jacob Loflon), he begins to investigate the real happenings within the facility.

Thomas and Aris soon discover that Ava, the leader of W.C.K.D. is still alive and performing experiments on the teenagers that supposedly left the facility. After learning that his group has been prematurely chosen as the next set of guinea pigs, Thomas rounds up his Gladers and they make a break from the facility. The only place to escape? The Scorch - a desolate land filled with unimaginable challenges including zombie-like creatures, dangerous humans and other challenges.

Great movie moments:

Maze Runner Scorch Trials has a number of underlying themes coursing through it. The main theme being trust. Sometimes you find that the ones you trust the most may or may not have your best interests at heart. This is an extremely painful lesson, especially for Thomas as he is betrayed by the one person he least expected.

Spectacular movie sets. Once the Gladers escape the facility they run into a desolate land of a burned, out decaying city. One particular scene which takes place in a barely recognizable mall brings darkness to light and fright around every turn.

I found myself jumping up from my seat quite often as the Gladers attempt to escape the various challenges they encounter. My biggest problem, when they would not listen to me telling them “don’t go in there.”

Several characters give a great performance in reprising their roles as former Gladers including:

Not so great movie moments:

The movie tended to drag on in some spots which makes you wonder what they could have cut in order to leave in something more exciting.

I am personally not a fan of Giancarlo Esposito, even though he is a very accomplished actor with many roles to his credit.

Kaya Scodelario gives a rather lackluster performance as Teresa. At times I am unable to tell if she is being pensive or just not interested in the role.

Overall, I give Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials a 2.5 out of 5 stars. It had really highs, but too many dragging scenes.

Details:

Director: Wes Ball

Rated: PG-13 – not too much going on.

Run time: 132 minutes