Critics rating: 2.5 Stars

Cast:  Dylan O’Brien, Kaya Scodelario, Thomas Brodie-Sangster, Dexter Darden, Giancarlo Esposito, Alexander Flores, Aidan Gillen, Ki Hong Lee, Jacob Lofland, Barry Pepper, Rosa Salazar, Lili Taylor, Alan Tudyk, Patricia Clarkson.

Direction: Wes Ball

Produced: Ellen Goldsmith-Vein, Wyck Godfrey, Marty Bowen, Lee Stollman

Written: T.S. Nowlin

Genre: Adventure

Duration: 131 Mins

They escaped the maze only to find that they need to unravel a greater one.

Thomas (Dylan O’Brien) and his fellow survivors who are navigating the ever-changing maze to escape the glade get rescued by the mysterious Janson (Aidan Gillen, in Petyr Baelish mode). He insists that they are in safe hands but when Thomas discovers shady human experimentations happening on others who survived the maze, he and his friends wing it out of there.

This also means surviving in a Mad Max-ish desert wasteland called the Scorch, while braving the storms and evading the pursuing forces. Everything seems futile and harrowing until there is hope. And then, the stakes get higher from there.

Scorch Trails doesn’t have the pace and sense of tension that the predecessor brought along. This is despite the advantage of having a change in location and a larger cast of characters (some familiar faces from popular TV shows) to play with. To be fair, Wes Ball mounts some impressive action scenes though the lull in all the talkie portions let the boredom set in (even if the action is well-balanced).

There is also a feeling that the story is not entirely clear. This is not in the context of keeping the mystery going so much as not giving the audience enough details until the next film. It may not be enough to reel in audiences who are not emotionally invested in the characters.

It is an interesting universe and a far better one than the Divergent series. There is great potential to raise moral questions like the ethics of science and the resilience of the resistance. This is not the film for those questions.

Despite Aidan Gillen and Patricia Clarkson headlining the cast, they only make token appearances as our heroes stumble from one sandstorm into another, whilst having a jumpscare moment with the Flare-afflicted zombies at every turn. From escaping a deadly maze to stepping in a situation like The Walking Dead, there seems a tonal shift in the movie. Perhaps only the fans of the Maze Runner series will know which direction the story is going. One wonders if they are entirely pleased with the uneven narrative of the present screen adaptation.

Fun in spurts only because of the action, Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials works best as a filler until the next film offers us the answers we need.