"Maze Runner" (MY REVIEW) is probably the least memorable among the teenage dystopian film series we have had in the recent years after "The Hunger Games" and "Divergent." When I was watching this latest one, the names of the actors in the cast do not immediately come to mind, and nor did the plot. It took some time for me to get back into the continuity of the story, especially since the last film was shown back in 2015. Frankly, I did not even expect this third episode at all.
At the end of "The Scorch Trials" (MY REVIEW), because of her blind trust in WCKD (wasn't the acronym obvious enough?) and its leaders Ava Paige (Patricia Clarkson) and Janson (Aiden Gillen), Teresa (Kaya Scodelario) betrayed her virus immune friends from the Glade. One of the boys, Minho (Ki Hong Lee) was captured to develop a serum against the zombie-fying Flare virus. At this point, the infected are already outnumbering the uninfected 3:1.
Meanwhile, the remaining boys Thomas (Dylan O'Brien), Newt (Thomas Brodie-Sangster) and Frypan (Dexter Darden), along with their new friends Brenda (Rosa Salazar) and Jorge (Giancarlo Esposito), continue to find ways to penetrate the city walls to break Minho out. They encounter a rebel group outside the wall with their deformed leader Lawrence (Walton Goggins). Among this group, they reunite with their old "frenemy" Gally (Will Poulter) who apparently survived the his severe stab wound he sustained in the last film.
All the "teenage" characters here are now played by actors all well into their 20s already and they look their age. The youngest among the boys is Will Poulter at 24. The oldest among them is Ki Hong Lee, who is actually turning 32 this year. While some of them can still pass for teens, a few, the leads Dylan O'Brien and Kaya Scodelario in particular, look too mature for their character's age.
Even if I did not immediately remember their names, Thomas and his gang did work together as a team very well. There is an effective chemistry among the actors so this carried the adventure through for the most part. You'd admire their loyalty and dedication to stay united with each other no matter what. It was tough to watch though that they insist on their idealism, in spite of the the possibility of causing more casualties in the process.
This film took almost two and half hours to finish, so I have to admit it had me looking at my watch several times. I definitely felt its length, and there were parts in the middle where I zoned out. Some scenes felt endless because they took so long despite the inevitability of their outcomes, like that fight with the Cranks in the tunnel, or that scene where Janson was stalking Thomas in the laboratory. I also wished director Wes Ball provided better closure about the virus, a cure or the Cranks.
Bloated finale that it may have been, it still had a number of awesome action scenes which were a lot of fun to watch. The film opened with an exciting train rescue scene. In the middle there was a big unbelievable stunt with a bus full of teenagers which can make you feel like you were on a thrill ride with them. Loyal fans will get emotional with the cast members who die in this one. That long sentimental farewell coda made sure of that. However, casual viewers may not really remember too much about it anymore after a while. 5/10.
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