Originally slated to appear in Feb. 2017, but delayed due to the onset
injury of Dylan O”Brien; the final part of the “Maze Runner” trilogy has
arrived with the release of “Maze Runner: The Death Cure”. The film picks
up shortly after the events of the previous film where the heroes are
trying to rescue their friend MinHo from the forces of WCKD who are
looking to find a cure for a devastating virus in his blood. Since Minho
and his fellow “Gladers” are immune, the hope is that they hold the key to
the future of humanity, so WCKD is willing to do whatever it takes to find
the cure even if it means torture and killing individuals and other
captives I n their lab.
Against the wishes of his newly found comrades, Thomas, Newt, and their
friends set off to the last city to rescue their friend even though they
know they will face legions of troops and fortified defenses as well as
swarms of infected individuals along the way.
At the same time, Teresa is busy working with WCKD on a cure and seems to
have had little lasting effecting from betraying Thomas and his friends.
Ava and Rat Man seem to be in a perpetual state of conflict over their
next course of action and with time to find a cure growing shorter and
shorter, desperation begins to grow.
The arrival of Thomas only worsens the situation as the characters find
themselves in a very complicated situation fighting not only for their own
survival but for that of their friends and society as a whole.
The film is over two hours long and at times drags, but does have some
good action sequences and does up the action compared to prior films in
the series.
While it remains to be seen if either of the two prequel books that
followed the trilogy will be adapted, the final film in the trilogy does
offer a satisfying and at times exciting conclusion to the series, as long
as you are willing to be patient with the long run time and slower
portions of the story.
3 stars out of 5.
Second Review by Barnetty Kushner
The third and final installment based on James Dashner’s bestselling
dystopian novels picks up right after the betrayal of Teresa (Kaya
Scodelario <https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2546012/?ref_=tt_cl_t3>). ; As you
can recall in the 2nd film, she turned against Thomas and joined the WCKD
organization to find the cure for “the flare,” a disease that’s been
decimating the human population. Unfortunately, after a failed rescue
mission to save Minho (Ki Hong Lee) from WCKD, who becomes the test subject
for the cure, Thomas (Dylan O’Brien) and the gang decide to break into
WCKD’s high security and heavy guarded building to free their captive
buddy.
What ultimately drives these films is the camaraderie between the
characters. A loyalty and bond between Thomas and the Gladers. They would
go to any length to save each other. If the film spent more time focused
on this bond, rather than all the bells and whistles (ie explosions, gun
fights, unnecessary action sequences) they attempted to pull, the movie
would have been more interesting to watch. Glad to see an end to a very
exhausting and confusing story line. From where it began in the first film
to the turn it takes now, I’m still left befuddled at how it all takes
place. I’d like to hope the best-selling books series provide more insight
and details. It’s like the first movie reminded me of Lord of the Flies,
then the second movie is like Outbreak. And lastly, the third film circles
around Mission Impossible type scenarios with its close call moments, high
flying stunts, and lead character that goes to unbelievable extents,
sacrifices himself to save the ones he loves. If that’s your cup of tea,
give this one a shot! If not just for the curiosity to see how the trilogy
ends, it may just be worth it.
3 our of 5 stars
