FILM REVIEW: Maze Runner: The Death Cure (2018)

Directed by Wes Ball

**1/2

As with most films based on young adult fiction, from my observation anyway, there’s a sense of danger that these stories are lacking in. Maze Runner: The Death Cure is no exception. In spite of the barren apocalyptic wasteland that threatens the heroes daily, what kind of danger are they in if they never seem to have any issue keeping their hair perfectly groomed, their faces free from soot, and their designer clothes intact?

But I digress.

I confess that I never saw the first Maze Runner. I saw The Scorch Trials, and while I remember the latter being a fairly decent movie, the vast majority of it has faded from memory. With this in mind, take my review of the saga’s latest and final installment with a grain of salt. I’m sure fans of the novels will relish in seeing their favorite characters and their journey up on the big screen. And that’s okay. Context aside, though, it is still my duty to review The Death Cure regardless, and I dare not compromise that integrity.

Of course, I was somewhat lost in the opening moments of The Death Cure, but I was able to gather the following: Minho (Ki Hong Lee), one of the heroes, has been captured by the WCKD (the antagonistic organization of the series) and is being transported…somewhere against his will, along with countless other young men and women. But Minho’s friends, led by Thomas (Dylan O’Brien), aren’t letting him be taken without a fight. So, a high speed chase ensues like (think Mad Max, Jr.), they free a car full of prisoners, but only to find out Minho is absent, still in the clutches of WCKD. Now it is a matter of freeing him from “The Last City”, which is exactly what it is – the last standing city in this apocalyptic landscape.

Cut to Minho. There is something in his blood that WCKD must harness in an effort to combat the plague that has ravaged humanity and populated the earth with 28 Days Later-style zombies. Enter Janson (Aidan Gillen), the head of WCKD (I think). He is the primary antagonist that we are supposed to fear, but he is an actor with zero presence or menace whatsoever. He’s just kind of there for the sake of being there. It’s only been a few hours since I finished the movie and I already forget what he looks like.

What follows is a story of discovery, friendship, betrayal, redemption, sacrifice, and other such staples of a young adult novel adaptation – with plenty of action, of course. For what it is, it’s fine. It moves at a steady enough pace without plodding, which is nice for somebody practically unaware of the context of anything. The action sequences are enjoyable. As a matter of fact, the climactic showdown at the WCKD building is very well done (the solid set design here helps out). To my surprise, The Death Cure was quite grisly in parts. While I’m not adding or subtracting merit from this alone, I was also surprised by the phenomenal quality of the make-up. There’s a little girl that is infected with the virus, and I was sincerely convinced she was.

One of the key elements of stories like these is the camaraderie and friendship between the heroes. Perhaps if I watched Maze Runner and revisited The Scorch Trials, the bonds would feel tighter, but there’s just none of that wonderful togetherness in The Death Cure, which seems almost exclusively concerned with Thomas. The rest of the cast, consisting of people of all gender and race, seem to exist as tokens considering their almost complete lack of any kind of character.

If there is any other character that gets to share the spotlight, it is Minho. One observation I made is the overacting from everybody. I’m not going to over-criticize this – it’s simply the kind of overacting from actors who are still learning the craft. These actors are simply in a stage where they think high-intensity equals acting. This is evident in everybody, but from Ki Hong Lee in particular. I didn’t want to laugh because I know he’s trying, but it was still kind of difficult not to snicker a tad.

I’m not particularly proud of this review. Perhaps with more insight in the story, I would have a better (or worse) and more confident opinion on The Death Cure. All I can really say is it wasn’t the kind of movie I would go out of my way to see – it still isn’t, but I didn’t have any issue sitting through it. For a passer-by moviegoer like myself in this situation, it’s nothing terribly special. For followers of the saga, I have no desire to steer you away from this final chapter. I have no doubt you’ll enjoy it.