Thomas (O'Brien) and his friends have escaped the Maze and WCKD. They are taken to a facility run by Janson (Gillen) before they can start normal lives. The facility contains teens from other Mazes. Thomas befriends Aris (Lofland), who has been at the facility the longest. They discover that Janson and his team work for WCKD and no one really leaves the facility. Thomas, Aris, Teresa (Scodelario), Minho (Lee), Newt (Brodie-Sangster), Frypan (Darden), and Winston (Flores) escape the facility and head toward a rumored safe haven.
The world is devastated by solar flares and a sickness called the Crank. They run to stay ahead of Janson, to avoid the Crank, and to limit their exposure to the harsh flares. Along the way they team up with Jorge (Esposito) and Brenda (Salazar), who know how to survive the elements and know how to find the safe haven. Can they find the group Right Arm and find the safe haven?
I loved James Dashner's Maze Runner series (Maze Runner, The Scorch Trials, The Death Cure, and the prequel The Kill Order). In 2014, The Maze Runner was adapted into a film, directed by Wes Ball. The script was mostly faithful to the books, and I was excited to see the sequel. Ball returned as the director and the sequel was written by T.S. Nowlin, who was one of the screenwriters on the first film. This film did not live up to my expectations.
My main problem with the film is how far they diverted from the source material. The characters are mostly the same, but most other things are changed. The Crank is completely different... what it does to the body and how it affects the characters (which is incredibly important in the next book and the prequel). They also change the reason the group is in the scorch and what WCKD wants from them. Apparently Ball acknowledged that the script is vastly different from the book, but claims that the sequel will return to the source material (although I'm not sure how that is even possible now).
Despite my disappointment over the plot, the characters are still good. Only a few cast members returned, but they all have names and personalities (more so than the first film). Aidan Gillen is a good choice as Janson. Jacob Lofland is fine as Aris, although he is nothing like the character from the book. GIancarlo Esposito and Rosa Salazar are good as Jorge and Brenda, and get a great introduction. The best scene from the film is when they join the group to outmaneuver Janson. Barry Pepper, Lilli Taylor, and Alan Tudyk are wasted in small roles that don't give them enough to do.
I still encourage you to read the series before watching the films. In this case, it isn't really necessary, but it does help you understand the first film. I still plan to see The Death Cure in 2017, but also a little nervous. And I am excited for Dashner's newest prequel The Fever Code which comes out in September 2016.
Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials (2015) 132 minutes
Rating: PG-13 for extended sequences of violence and action, some thematic elements, substance use and language
Director: Wes Ball
Starring: Dylan O'Brien as Thomas
Ki Hong Lee as Minho
Kaya Scodelario as Teresa
Thomas Brodie-Sangster as Newt
Dexter Darden as Frypan
Alexander Flores as Winston
Jacob Lofland as Aris
Rosa Salazar as Brenda
Giancarlo Esposito as Jorge
Aidan Gillen as Janson
Patricia Clarkson as Ava Paige
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