Director: Wes Ball
Cast: Aidan Gillen, Aris Jones, Dylan O’Brien, Kaya Scodelario, Thomas Brodie-Sangster, Dexter Darden, Alexander Flores, Patricia Clarkson.
Running time: 121 mins
Rating: 12A
Release date: 10th September, 2015
THE MAZE RUNNER and its director Wes Ball are back with the sequel THE SCORCH TRIALS based on James Dashner’s novel of the same name. It is mere seconds before we are once again thrown into the action, with a flash back, or rather a lost memory resurfacing as Thomas is thrown into the elevator crashing upwards and into the Glade.
Similar to the first film, we are taken into an unknown world; the old familiarity of the Glade is exchanged for the cold and unwelcoming new environment, led by Janson (Aidan Gillen, otherwise known for his portrayal of Peter ‘littlefinger’ Baelish from GAME OF THRONES). Much like his character in GoT, Janson is not to be trusted, as the ever suspicious Thomas (Dylan O’Brien, TEEN WOLF) and new-comer Aris Jones (Jacob Lofland) are not fooled by the warm showers, hot food and proper beds. They soon find out their new place of refuge is in fact being led by W.C.K.D (an unfortunate acronym).
Upon finding out this information it sets off alarm bells (both physically and metaphorically) as our Gladers, Thomas, Aris,Teresa (Kaya Scodelario), Newt (Thomas Brodie-Sangster), Minho (Ki Hong Lee), Frypan (Dexter Darden) and Winston (Alexander Flores) make a B-line for the exit. After a lengthy sprint they escape into the scorch.
It is from this moment the premise of the film takes a slight U-turn. THE SCORCH TRIALS begins to resemble zombie apocalypse films, with victims of the Flare (the deadly virus which killed most of the human race) suffering from zombie-like symptoms. If they weren’t running from the Flare infected zombies, then they had to peg it when W.C.K.D inevitably turned up at every hurdle (pardon the pun). With all this running it gives little to character developments or even dialogue, with most scenes ending with a “let’s get out of here!” or “run!” Why must character interactions and dialogue be sacrificed for bigger action scenes and special effects?
This unfortunately leaves some character stories underdeveloped, like Teresa. Considering she has a vital part to play in the books, she is limited to standing at the back in crowds looking out of breath (probably due to the running). Either that or she is staring of into the sun-scorched lands with quick conversations with Thomas, and if given more time the pair’s relationship would seem more significant. But as their scenes together are far and few between, their importance and their relation to W.C.K.D is only briefly mentioned in the final scenes of the film.
Other women within the film have a stronger screen presence, which makes me ask the question, why is the part of Teresa weakened? She plays such a vital role in the scheme of the film, yet I feel we have barely scratched the surface in understanding the character or her role within THE SCORCH TRIALS.
Ball dedicates so much time to the big action sequences and loud explosions, that the moral and ethical questions of the film are glazed over. This comes at a disappointment because the young adult genre has become such a platform for raising these moral and ethical questions and bringing them to the cinema for the young adult audience.
The ultimate moral dilemma of THE SCORCH TRIALS is the pursuit for the cure and to what extent are they willing to go to find the cure. W.C.K.D are vilified for finding a treatment because their motives are not exactly ethical, and as Ava Paige, (Patricia Clarkson) leader of W.C.K.D states, she is just a doctor who wants a cure, in other words she is just a villain with good intentions. Throwing in these unconventional characters brings the story alive, it gives the audience solid ground for a debate on the good or bad intentions of W.C.K.D. This is where the film is at its best and this is also where it lacks.
Overall, it’s a promising sequel to the franchise, which is likely to entertain audiences globally, but perhaps next time, not so much running, the narrative can’t keep up.
MAZE RUNNER: THE SCORCH TRIALS is released to cinemas 10th September
