If you’re not rushing to the theater to see the newly Oscar-nominated films, then “Maze Runner: The Death Cure” is the leading movie to see this weekend. The third and final installment in the “Maze Runner” film series offers a large scale, action-packed experience that fans will enjoy.
For those not familiar, the Maze Runner series involves a group of teenagers who are placed in a giant, deadly maze as a human experiment. As “The Gladers” (as they are called) escape the maze and learn that the world has been stricken with a virus called the Flare, they are captured by WICKED, the group who originally created the maze. Eventually learning that the teenagers are immune to the virus, and that WICKED’s intentions are not as noble as the group led on, most of the Gladers escape once again and venture into a deadly, burned-out section of the land called the Scorch in order to find the Right Arm, a rebellion group against WICKED.
In “Maze Runner: The Death Cure”, Thomas (Dylan O’Brien) and the remaining Gladers team up with the rebellion group to infiltrate the last remaining safe city and rescue their friends who are still captured. Upon arriving, Thomas realizes things are more complicated as his previous love interest and fellow Glader, Teresa (Kaya Scodelario), is now an important part of WICKED. Thomas and his companions enter the city and ultimately learn that they may be the answer to finding a cure once and for all.
It seems to be a common theme within a film series that the first film is often one of the best, with fresh new content that entices new audiences. Many times, the second film is not as strong, but the series finishes off strong with an exciting finale. This is the case with the Maze Runner films. Regardless if the second film seemed to slip a little or if the fact that the third installment took additional years to finish because of a production injury to O’Brien, the film ultimately provides an experience that seems to have rejuvenated the franchise. This final film was one of my favorites of the series and provided a lot of action, special effects, emotion, and more.
The Maze Runner series is based on the popular sci-fi novels about a dystopian future, and the film stars actors Dylan O’Brien, Kaya Scodelario, Thomas Brodie-Sangster, Will Poulter, Patricia Clarkson, and Aidan Gillen. There are actually five novels, but only three movies have been made to date with the most recent installment meant to be the finale. Both of the first two Maze Runner films opened at #1 at the North American box office during opening weekend, and this film series is the 5th highest grossing series based on young adult books.
Up until now, “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle” has been the leader at the box office for the past several weekends, without much to challenge it. Finally, in the last weekend of the month comes a film in “Maze Runner: The Death Cure” that stands a chance at knocking “Jumanji” out of the #1 spot. I’d of course recommend seeing at least the first film in this series to get the most out of this finale, but even if you’re not familiar with the books or past movies, this one has a lot to offer for a science fiction, fantasy-action junkie. If you’re not going to see “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri,” “Phantom Thread,” “The Post,” or any of the other Best Picture nominees, then consider giving “Maze Runner” a watch.
“Maze Runner: The Death Cure” is rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, language, and some thematic elements. Running time is 2 hours and 22 minutes.
