Maze Runner: The Death Cure

photo courtesy of cinemawest.com

SPOILER-FREE REVIEW

     The Maze Runner franchise reaches its conclusion with The Death Cure, which brings the conflict between Thomas (Dylan O’Brien) and the sinister WCKD to a fateful resolution. In The Death Cure, Thomas, along with his ragtag group of allies (Thomas Brodie-Sangster’s Newt, Dexter Darden’s Frypan, Rosa Salazar’s Brenda, and Giancarlo Esposito’s Jorge), are on a mission to rescue their captive friend, Minho (Ki Hong Lee). Their quest leads them into the very heart of WCKD’s remaining forces, where the search escalates into a battle that may determine the fate of the entire world.

     Expectations for The Death Cure have been fairly muted, which is perhaps understandable given the general decline of the young-adult-fiction-dystopian-future genre. Things are getting so bad, the Divergent series isn’t getting the second half of its two-part finale (not on the big screen, at least). It doesn’t help The Death Cure’s case that its release was delayed for almost a year after Dylan O’Brien suffered a serious on-set injury. But The Death Cure manages to be something of a pleasant surprise, crafting a satisfying finale with a heavy dose of action and solid performances from its cast.

photo courtesy of denofgeek.com

     Action is at the movie’s forefront from the get-go, and that proves to be a pretty agreeable choice. As is often the case with final installments in a series, there’s not a whole lot of story to be told—just a climactic last act—and the movie finds plenty of creative and exciting ways to fill that empty space. There are zombie attacks, shoot-outs, street riots, daring escapes, train robberies, really anything you could ask for. It’s when the movie takes a break for its characters to hash things out or talk through moral dilemmas that the movie’s overlong run-time starts to make itself known.

     The movie also features several character-driven scenes that pack a punch. It’s always satisfying to see characters come to the end of their journeys, and The Death Cure makes the most of those moments. To talk too much about any of them would be to delve into spoiler territory, but suffice it to say that a number of key relationships are tested, and not all of them remain unbroken. Performances are key in scenes like these, and Dylan O’Brien carries plenty of them. O’Brien looks more and more like the next Tom Cruise; he can carry the emotional scenes and make the highly-choreographed action scenes look natural, too. The other notable cast member is Giancarlo Esposito, whose talent is on display even in a relatively small role.

photo courtesy of teaser-trailer.com

     The Death Cure merits some attention for the thematic ideas at play underneath the surface. This type of young adult dystopia flick isn’t exactly known for its subtlety, but you get the feeling that The Death Cure is doing its due diligence, raising questions about survival, self-sacrifice, class struggles, etc. At times the messaging becomes a bit too overt (Christ metaphors, anyone?) but for the most part the movie manages to let the action beats take center stage.

     But at the same time, it’s easy to see why this genre is struggling at the box office. There’s quite a bit of cliché, which deflates the movie’s momentum at a few important moments and threatens to disengage viewers who’ve seen a lot of these. And crucially, The Death Cure never finds a consistency in its delivery; not every moment lands with the intended effect. For every well-executed scene, there’s another where the story feels contrived or implausible. Problems like these keep The Death Cure from being essential viewing for anyone but diehard fans. For the rest of the audience, it makes for a thrilling (if not especially distinctive) time at the movie theater.

Watch the trailer here. 

photo courtesy of indiewire.com