Perhaps they should have just stayed in the maze. Could have saved me a few bucks
“Young hero Thomas embarks on a mission to find a cure for a deadly disease known as the “Flare”.
Oscar season is upon us! The Maze Runner: The Death Cure certainly is not nominated for a single Oscar, but sometimes you need a break from all the Oscar flicks to just sit back, relax and watch some teens yell and scream and see stuff explode. It’s just a shame that the movie I decided to go see was the last installment in the Maze Runner franchise. Listen I was a fan of the book, when I started to read the Maze Runner, I was sucked in. I had a similar experience when reading the Hunger Games and Ready Player One novels. I knew that this had potential to be a really great movie. So low and behold in 2014 The Maze Runner came to theatres, and I never got the chance to catch it the way it was intended to be. When it finally came to Apple TV I distinctively remember trying to watch it multiple times when I was black out drunk and I accomplished that goal with a few friends one night. After that I watched it sober, I really fell in love with these characters and I thought they did such a fantastic job at adapting the source material. That’s always the hardest part adapting a novel to the big screen. You always get so caught up and invested in the characters in these kinds of novels, and when the movie came out, I felt the same way about them as I did when I read the book. So I was all on board with this franchise, it got off to such a promising start, and then, well…..
The following year, 2015 they released the sequel, The Scorch Trails, and things went OFF THE RAILS. I couldn’t believe it, the second book was great, it gets off to a flying start. I was so excited to see this second story on the big screen, and they completely changed course and decided to hell with the source material and made their own movie. Yes, some things remained the same, but for the most part they changed the entire story. I was so disappointed with this, because some of the concepts and things that go on in the novel would have been really cool to see come to life on the big screen. So we had to wait three whole years for the final chapter to hit theatres, mainly due to the fact that Dylan O’Brien was seriously injured during the making of this movie. It nearly killed him, so production was shut down for almost 8 months, and I think it took a serious toll on the overall product.
So here we are. The boys are back, Thomas (Dylan O’Brien), Newt (Thomas -Brodie-Sangster) and Minho (Ki Hong Lee). As they are racing against time to find a cure for “The Flare” and to save one other from death itself. Here’s my main problem with the movie. Remember when I said I cared about the characters, especially during The Maze Runner? I just didn’t care about them anymore. I don’t know why, I like the actors, everyone is clearly trying really hard, and chewing the scenery and acting to the best of their abilities in this. It just falls under the same weaknesses as the first two entries. I wanted to be invested, but I think once they got out of the maze, it just didn’t feel the same. Wes Ball is back directing and he clearly loves these characters and this franchise. Every single movie has been well directed with great action, that is something you can expect going into these movies. The action is shot extremely well, and I think Wes Ball has an eye for it, and I would like to see him tackle something more action packed in the future. The opening to this movie is straight out of a Fast and The Furious movie and I say that will the up most respect. In the first 10 minutes, I was pretty intrigued and certainly entertained. But when it shifts to the story telling aspect of the film, that’s where I think it will lose most of its viewers. Because besides that, the story is just dull and honestly predictable. You know all the twists and turns before they even occur and as a movie goer you want to be shocked or surprised sometimes. I will admit, one thing happens in the movie that I didn’t see coming or even think was remotely possible, so that took me by surprise and was the best part of the whole movie.
Over time maybe I just fell out of love with these characters and that’s why I found myself just not as invested as I once was. The story is just so over bloated, Death Cure clocks in at 2 hours and 15 minutes and could have easily been 90 minutes. It’s such a simple plot, that is just stretched to death. Which again, takes you out of the movie when you are wondering when they are finally going to wrap things up.
Overall, I think this is a fine trilogy. This happened because one man, and that’s Wes Ball, and kudos to him. Most of the time, its rare to see a director stick around for three straight films in a franchise. Especially when it’s not a big epic franchise, like a Marvel or DC property would make. I just felt it was a little too long, and I couldn’t get behind the predictable yet overplayed story. It has some really great action sequences that will keep you entertained while you’re watching. I know hardcore fans of the franchise will be happy with the final installment. So if you’re a fan, I recommend the movie, if you’re not, I suggest one of the many Oscar flicks out right now.
Check ya later.
Nate’s Movie Tour Reviews – Maze Runner: The Death Cure = 45/100
