I watched a lot of films at Boston’s West End Cinema in 2014, but the original Maze Runner was one of the more surprising hits.
Young adult (YA) films based on a popular book and placed in a dystopian setting are pretty commonplace in today’s market, but Maze Runner really stood out.
So, although this sequel – The Scorch Trials – has been out a little longer than the films I usually review, missing it was never an option.
Those of you not familiar with the original, which saw a clutch of young men (and one woman) placed against their will in a glade surrounded by a deadly maze, will really need to check that out before seeing this.
That’s because there’s no hand holding in director Wes Ball’s sequel. It pretty much picks up where the first film left off, as Thomas (Dylan O’Brien – The Internship), Newt (Thomas Brodie-Sangster – Love Actually), Teresa (Kaya Scodelario – Skins), Minho (Ki Hong Lee – The Stanford Prison Experiment) and co search for answers after discovering they were being held captive by the World Catastrophe Killzone Division (WCKD) in the last film.
That sees them trawling the “Scorch”, which is essentially desolate wasteland akin to something you’d see in a Mad Max film.
The group are searching for a rumoured resistance based miles away in the mountains, but what they actually find are zombie-like “Cranks” – who are actually the victims of a worldwide virus – and ruthless bounty-hunter types. Although there may no longer be any mazes on show, there’s certainly a lot of running for the crew – and some awesome action.
The Scorch Trials brings a host of new faces into the story too, with the most prominent of those being Jorge (Giancarlo Esposito – Breaking Bad) and his adopted daughter Brenda (Rosa Salazar – Insurgent).
There’s also a typically conniving role for Aidan Gillen (Game Of Thrones’ Little Finger), while fellow GOT star Nathalie Emmanuel (Fast 7) and the always awesome Barry Pepper (Saving Private Ryan) are great additions later on in the film.
I remember being a little sceptical of relative unknown O’Brien being the lead in the original. But his character is really fleshed out this time – and proves to be a guy you can really root for.
Perhaps the opposite could be said for Newt and the rest of the originals, though, as they do feel a little like spare parts at times.
The Scorch Trials certainly feels like the middle film and sets up 2017’s The Death Cure superbly.
That being said, the story isn’t quite as gripping as the first film. But, what we do get is a non-stop roller-coaster of an action movie with an increasingly impressive cast.
Throw in a wider world that I’m keen to know more about and you have all you need for part two of what is shaping up to be a top trilogy.
Voice Verdict: 8/10
+ Thomas is fleshed out well
+ Great action sequences
+ Strong new characters
– Weaker plot
SHOWTIMES
Boston’s West End Cinema (Fri, Oct 2 to Thurs, Oct 8)
**HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA 2 2D [SPECIAL PREVIEWS] (U)
12.20pm (Sat/Sun), 2.45pm (Sat/Sun)
**THE INTERN (12A)
10am (Sat/Sun), 2.40pm (Sat/Sun/Wed), 3.20pm (Fri/Sat/Sun/Wed), 6pm (daily), 8.40pm (daily)
**THE MARTIAN 3D (12A)
11.30am (Sat/Sun/Wed), 2.30pm (Fri/Sat/Sun/Wed), 8.25pm (daily)
**THE MARTIAN 2D
(12A) 5.30pm (daily)
MISS YOU ALREADY (12A)
8.40pm (daily)
EVEREST (12A)
3.20pm 3D (Fri/Sat/Sun/Wed), 6pm 2D (daily)
BILL (PG)
10am (Sat/Sun)
THE MAZE RUNNER: SCORCH TRIALS 2D (12A)
Noon (Sat/Wed), 2.45pm (Fri/Sat/Sun/Wed), 5.30pm (not Tues), 8.20pm (not Mon/Thurs)
LEGEND (18)
Noon (Wed), 2.45pm (Fri/Wed), 4pm (Mon/Thurs), 5.25pm (not Mon/Thurs), 8.20pm (daily)
INSIDE OUT 2D (U)
12.45pm (Sat/Sun)
KIDS’ CLUB
Sat/Sun 10.30am – SPONGEBOB: THE MOVIE 2D (U)
SILVER SCREEN
Wed 11.30am – MAZE RUNNER: SCORCH TRIALS 3D (12A)
**DENOTES FREE LIST SUSPENDED
