Image courtesy of hdqwalls.com
This is the second of two posts focusing on the sequels to the first movie I ever reviewed, The Maze Runner. In the previous one, I covered The Scorch Trials, and in this one, I will be covering the finale, The Death Cure.
After surviving the Scorch, Thomas and his group must now conquer their biggest obstacle yet. One city still stands, but it is under the control of WCKD. They must find a way in, rescue their friends, and find a way out. While in the Last City, they may also find the answers they have sought from the very beginning.
What Worked: While I will start off with the acting (as I often do), there is something I noticed in regards to the characters here: there is only one new character in the entire movie. The rest of them are either in the main cast or returning from the second one.
The main cast themselves are still very good here, especially with Dylan O'Brien as Thomas. This is his best performance in the franchise, showing his determination and some genuine emotion in a couple scenes.
Returning from the second one are Giancarlo Esposito as Jorge, Aidan Gillen as Janson, Barry Pepper as Vince, and Rosa Salazar as Brenda. With Giancarlo Esposito and Barry Pepper, they continue to be awesome. Although Jorge is involved in the action, Vince is given more to do here.
Brenda is definitely given more to do compared to last time, even having a significant part in the third act. Rosa Salazar's performance is pretty good, particularly in her scenes with Esposito. The second movie established that their characters were close, and that relationship continues to an extent here.
Another character worth mentioning is Dr. Ava Paige, played by Patricia Clarkson. She did show up in the previous two movies, but it was more of a cameo. Why I mention it now is because she has a bigger part in this one. With all of that setup, it seems like she's the villain, and yet Janson is more of a villain than she is. If you thought Aidan Gillen made Janson appear evil in the second movie, wait until you see him in this.
With the action, its purpose has at least been consistent, even if the style hasn't. The purpose has been to build up to the bigger picture by escalating the conflict the heroes face. They went from isolation to the outside world and now to the source.
There are huge improvements from the previous film. In that movie, there was a small amount of shaky cam during tense moments and action scenes. This might still have some, but it's minimal and not noticeable. Therefore, the action in this looks more like it was in the first movie. The same can be said for the effects. The moments of tension work very well because of these improvements.
My two biggest positives are the third act and the ending. Everything that has led to this more than pays off in the third act. The heroes' last stand feels like it should in an action movie: it goes all-out, sometimes beyond that. With the ending, it's actually very satisfying in the ways you'd think. It also wraps everything up quite nicely.
What Didn't Work: There are some predictable moments throughout this movie, although not as much as last time. My main issue here is that the third act is a little long, so it could have been paced better.
Overall: Maze Runner: The Death Cure is a solid and satisfying conclusion to what is ultimately an enjoyable young-adult sci-fi action franchise. This might be even better than The Hunger Games, and not just because this didn't stretch one book into two movies (although that helps). It's also been more consistent throughout the series, showing that not every franchise has to go darker in tone with each installment and that sometimes it's okay to keep the same tone while adding darker elements along the way.
This movie answers any remaining questions from the previous installments, and ends the series on a bittersweet yet hopeful note, and in a brilliant way.