Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials

MPAA Rating: PG-13 for extended sequences of violence and action, some thematic elements, substance use and language
Run Time: 132 Minutes
My Rating: 4/5
So today my wife and I saw 20th Century Fox's Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials, the second movie in the planned trilogy and based on the bestselling book by James Dashner.  The film brings back the same cast as the first one and adds the incredible talents of Jacob Lofland (Mud), Patricia Clarkson (Shutter Island), Giancarlo Esposito (ABC's Once Upon A Time), and Lili Taylor (The Conjuring). The film continues exactly where the first one left off with Thomas and his friends having escaped the maze and being rescued from WCKD.  However, not everything is as it seems when they are forced to travel through the desolate landscape known as the Scorch in order to uncover the truth behind WCKD and its plan for all of them.
So, I was really excited to see this film.  I loved the first movie and I loved the books, so I had high hopes going into this film. Thankfully this movie did not disappoint.  From the very first moment that I started reading this series I knew that this was a unique and fresh-take on the Young Adult genre and that uniqueness makes for a great movie franchise. One of the things I loved about this movie (and probably one of the things that may turn a lot of people off from this film) is how it has embraced the more horror aspects of the books and did not shy away from them.  There were some pretty good scares in this film, but don't expect to be terrified in this film.  Though it does have horror aspects, this is still a Young Adult, Sci-fi film that won't keep your young kids up at night. Another thing I loved about this film is the new cast additions.  If you can recall, one of the reasons I was so impressed with the first movie was the strength of its young cast.  They worked so well together and provided some of the best acting, in my opinion, of the Young Adult genre.  With that being said, the new cast additions jumped right into it and maintained that same great chemistry that was present in the first film.  Finally, the film was visually stunning.  The set this time around is so expansive and it truly brings the book to life.  It is exactly how I pictured it while I was reading and seeing it on the screen was amazing.
This film is spectacular, but unfortunately its biggest flaw comes not from the film itself, but from its story.  Like most trilogies, the middle entry is mainly there to keep the story moving, but not to really drop any huge bits of information.  It is there to keep audiences entertained, but keep them wanting more from that final conclusion.  This film unfortunately falls in that same category.  The story itself is spectacular, but compared to the first film and the eventual conclusion, it just kind of stands there to keep people interested and to set up the final film.  It does a great job at what it is supposed to do, but if you were expecting major progression in the story you will be disappointed.
Overall, I thought this film was great.  As a film itself, it is visually stunning, has a great cast, and is bold with its content.  However, it does fail in comparison to its predecessor.  With that being said, I would still recommend those that enjoyed the first one to see this film.  It is still a very entertaining and action-packed film that will keep you on the edge of your see the entire time.

Thanks again for reading!!  If you have any questions, comments, or ideas just let me know!!