Just lost in a maze

Maze Runner: The Death Cure  

Starring: Dylan O’Brien, Ki Hong Lee, Kaya Scodelario, Thomas Brodie-Sangster

Director: Wes Ball

Genre: Action, Sci-Fi 

Rating: PG-13

RUNTIME: 142 Mins

After three years of waiting, the Maze Runner trilogy returns with its final instalment. Thomas, played by Dylan O’Brien, embarks on a mission to find a cure for the deadly disease known as ‘the Flare.’

The population of this post-apocalyptic world is dwindling, and the corporation WCKD is desperate to find a cure for the disease that turns happy faces into I’m-going-to-eat-your-arm faces. Enter the Immunes, a group of teenagers that are resistant to the virus, but the serum comes at a steep price.

What follows is zombie survival combined with an underdog resistance movement against a giant evil conglomerate. It’s do or die, yet when they’re not ‘doing,’ it’s you who loses the will to live.

With an impressive running time of two-and-a-half hours, you want every moment to feel necessary and refined. Unfortunately, the conclusion to this epic tale is about as sharp as a beach ball.

Following the success of the first two parts, The Death Cure found its pockets lined generously, likely with the hope that more funding would help bring its action-packed world to life with gusto.

This much is definitely the case, as the action sequences are amazing, with stellar pacing. Even the performances by its cast, especially O’Brien, Thomas Brodie-Sangster as Newt, and Rosa Salazar as Brenda, all have moments of brilliance. Where the movie runs into trouble is the story.

Movie adaptations of popular young adult books are always a tricky business. They run the risk of feeling hollow, as it’s difficult to get the full backstory of beloved characters, relationships and intricate universes trimmed to an adequate running time.

So whilst The Death Cure tries to cram in as much as it can, it still feels empty somehow. O’Brien brings a lot to Thomas, whose lines, if judged on their own merit, would likely have sounded no different than if he were played by a plank of wood. He manages to bring complexity through his physicality, a feat that shows potential for an impressive career.

Conversely, Janson, played by Adrian Gillen, provides unintentional comic relief in the form of his terrible and inconsistent American accent.

The young adult genre is characteristically cheesy, but it’s usually the good kind of cheesy. The Death Cure’s issue is that it’s a mess of clichés and frayed story strands. Characters come in and out without explanation, and it’s not usually a good sign if you leave the cinema with unanswered questions about the basic plot.

One can’t help but think that half the time spent intensely staring into each other’s eyes could be more suitably spent on escaping burning buildings or chaotic shootouts. It would certainly cut it down to a watchable length.

Yet, by far the highlight of the film are its excellent action sequences. The success of the first Maze Runner was largely credited to its innovative and highly physical sets. It went the way of most modern successful horror, by pitting weaponless innocents against something they can only run away from, or towards.

Praise is also due this movie for how diverse the cast is, which is really refreshing to see in a major Hollywood blockbuster.

If you’re a diehard fan of this trilogy, then I imagine it will offer you some satisfactory closure. For those who enjoyed the first Maze Runner for its eerie intrigue, moral complexity and breakneck survivalist attributes, unfortunately, you’ll find none of that here.

Now showing in: City Centre, Seef II, Dana Cinemas, Wadi Al Sail, Mukta A2

Anna’s Verdict: 2/5