Success Or Failure: The Maze Runner

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A sequel failing to live up to the expectations of its predecessor is pretty commonplace in Hollywood, but when that movie is based on a bestselling book trilogy, the failure is more profound. That’s the case with Scorch Trials, the sequel to The Maze Runner and based on the trilogy of young adult novels by James Dashner. Scorch Trials isn’t horrible, but it isn’t really good either and many book fans felt that it was the best title in the trilogy, increasing their disappointment. Movie fans will be let down because the cinematic version also falls short of its predecessor. Scorch Trials picks up where The Maze Runner ends, with Thomas (Dylan O’Brien) and the other survivors who escaped the Glade whisked off in helicopters to a refuge. There they discover they were but one of several mazes, with a handful of survivors managing to escape each (given the correct prodding …show more content…

The entire first act of the movie seems to be about as long as the opening credits, but the second act more then makes up for it as the film’s pace gets bogged down in a trek through the desert that drags on. Thomas’ journey wouldn’t have been so tiresome if it had been used more effectively as a character development tool, but the movie only concerns itself with Thomas. The other characters are mere set pieces there to follow orders and occasionally provide fodder (not on the same scale as red shirts in Star Trek but it’s the same idea). There are a few times that Thomas’ followers question his leadership, but those moments are token at best and there’s no actual exploration of that dynamic. And while Thomas is filled with doubt about what he’s told by authority figures, his doubt never extends to himself, a missed story opportunity given that the theme of self-discovery is central to these

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