Thursday, September 17, 2015

Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials

The Scorch Trials is the sequel to last year's The Maze Runner, based on a series of YA dystopian sci-fi books. I praised that movie for having a different feel than the rest of the teen-dystopian-fantasy/sci-fi genre. The sequel keeps the thriller aspect to some extent, but morphs into a zombie/chase film. This is not quite what I was expecting, but it works.

This is not as tight a film as the first. There are still secrets to be revealed in the forthcoming third movie, but even at the start of this one there is much less of a mystery than in the first. The twists of The Scorch trials are more predictable. Still, this is a frequently tense movie with plenty of action.

Aside from some aspects of the premise and setting that don't hold up to close examination, my major complaint about this film is its use of shakycam. In a couple scenes, this worked very well - even I will admit that shakycam can enhance the tension and chaos in certain kinds of fight scenes - but in other scenes it was excessive or gratuitous. If the camera is moving along with running characters, it's okay for it to shake (to an extent). If the camera is stationary and panning across the path of running characters, it is not okay for it to shake. It's just not.

If you haven't seen The Maze Runner, give that a try first - this one depends heavily on the audience knowing what happened there. If you like the first one, then you'll probably like the second - it's not as good, but it has its moments.

Performance: 3.5/5
Plot: 3/5
Production: 3/5
Overall: 3/5
Bechdel: Pass (B)
Mako Mori: Pass
What are these?
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