Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials. Rated M (violence,
science fiction themes and sustained threat). 132 minutes. Directed by Wes Ball.
Screenplay by T. S. Nowlin. Based on the novel by James Dashner.
Picking up minutes from where The Maze Runner left us, Thomas (Dylan O’Brien) and his fellow ‘Gladers’ are choppered in to a high-security facility where overseer Janson (Aidan Gillen) assures them they will be safe from harm.
The facility is free from the effects of ‘the Flare’, the plague that has almost wiped out humanity. It is also apparently safe from the sinister forces of WCKD, the organisation that is hunting the Gladers so their immunity to the Flare virus can be harvested and used to develop a cure.
But when Aris (Jacob Lofland) takes Thomas on a late-night crawl through the facility’s air ducts, the truth of what lies in store for them is revealed. When Thomas makes the decision to escape, the Gladers find themselves at the mercy of Flare-infected Cranks and what remains of a hostile planet.
Ball delivers the gripping horror, suspense and big-action set pieces with supreme confidence, while O’Brien returns to lead an excellent young ensemble with another strong and spirited performance as the leader the hunted Gladers desperately need.
And while the storyline contains little of the ingenuity that made the first film so compelling, Marc Fisichella’s spectacular production design ensures that the many immersive environments in which The Scorch Trials takes place captures and rewards our attention. From decimated cities and derelict shopping malls, to dank tunnel systems, the success of The Scorch Trials is almost entirely about the way it looks.
It is also helped by John Paesano’s thunderingly good score, which not only powers the action, but also contains a thrilling, perfectly timed crescendo that will make you feel like you’re at a symphony orchestra concert.
This review was commissioned by the West Australian Newspaper Group.
Picking up minutes from where The Maze Runner left us, Thomas (Dylan O’Brien) and his fellow ‘Gladers’ are choppered in to a high-security facility where overseer Janson (Aidan Gillen) assures them they will be safe from harm.
The facility is free from the effects of ‘the Flare’, the plague that has almost wiped out humanity. It is also apparently safe from the sinister forces of WCKD, the organisation that is hunting the Gladers so their immunity to the Flare virus can be harvested and used to develop a cure.
But when Aris (Jacob Lofland) takes Thomas on a late-night crawl through the facility’s air ducts, the truth of what lies in store for them is revealed. When Thomas makes the decision to escape, the Gladers find themselves at the mercy of Flare-infected Cranks and what remains of a hostile planet.
Ball delivers the gripping horror, suspense and big-action set pieces with supreme confidence, while O’Brien returns to lead an excellent young ensemble with another strong and spirited performance as the leader the hunted Gladers desperately need.
And while the storyline contains little of the ingenuity that made the first film so compelling, Marc Fisichella’s spectacular production design ensures that the many immersive environments in which The Scorch Trials takes place captures and rewards our attention. From decimated cities and derelict shopping malls, to dank tunnel systems, the success of The Scorch Trials is almost entirely about the way it looks.
It is also helped by John Paesano’s thunderingly good score, which not only powers the action, but also contains a thrilling, perfectly timed crescendo that will make you feel like you’re at a symphony orchestra concert.
This review was commissioned by the West Australian Newspaper Group.
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