Film Review: Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials

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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.

Film Review: The Maze Runner

The Maze Runner. Rated M (violence, science fiction themes and sustained threat). 113 minutes. Directed by Wes Ball. Screenplay by Noah Oppenheim, Grant Pierce Myers and T S Nowlin. Based on the novel by James Dashner.

Verdict: The latest entry into the ‘teens against the rest of the world’ genre is an undeniable ripper.

If an award existed for the film that wastes no time getting on with it, The Maze Runner would win hands down. Within seconds of the cinema lights dimming, our protagonist Thomas (Dylan O’Brien) rides a goods elevator known as ‘the box’ up into the Glade – a verdant oasis at the heart of a super-structure known as ‘the maze’.

A dazed Thomas is greeted by a group of young men who have spent as long as three years learning to survive in the Glade, with selected ‘Runners’ entering the maze to try and find a way of getting through it. Those that are not brutally dispatched by robotic ‘Grievers’, live to tell the tale of escaping the horror that lies within the monumental, shape-shifting structure. Thomas is determined to triumph over the structure, and when the box delivers a young woman, Teresa (Kaya Scodelario), the circumstances in which the ‘game’ is played are changed forever.

While it owes a debt to stories like William Golding’s Lord of the Flies (1954) and Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games, there is no doubt that Dashner’s novel, and this fast and efficient cinematic adaptation, are masterclasses in storytelling.

Ball makes an impressive feature-length debut, setting a cracking pace and keeping the focus firmly on what is at stake for his characters. His faith and commitment to an uncluttered style is well rewarded, with his ensemble delivering excellent performances. O’Brien (Teen Wolf’s Stiles), who is rarely offscreen, is simply outstanding as the young hero who refuses to play by the rules.

While there might be a sense of wearying familiarity with the ‘teens against the corrupt adult world’ genre, The Maze Runner, boasting Marc Fisichella’s superb production design, is a compelling and involving adventure that deserves to be experienced on the big screen.

This review was commissioned by the West Australian Newspaper Group.