Ameeka (131 KP) created a video about Titanfall 2 in Video Games
Jul 15, 2017 (Updated Jul 15, 2017)
Nia Vardalos recommended Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic in Books (curated)
Andy K (10821 KP) created a video about Taxi Driver (1976) in Movies
Feb 28, 2018 (Updated Feb 28, 2018)
Andy K (10821 KP) created a video about Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (1974) in Movies
Feb 17, 2018
Movie Metropolis (309 KP) rated Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials (2015) in Movies
Jun 10, 2019
The Maze Runner was a decent, albeit muddled attempt at getting the coveted young adult audience interested in another series and its sequel, The Scorch Trials promises more of the mind-blowing storytelling of its predecessor, but is it a success?
The plot of Scorch Trials takes place immediately after the events of the previous instalment as a group of teenagers battle against the sinister W.C.K.D, an organisation intent on finding a cure for a virus that has ravished Earth.
Amongst them is leader Thomas (Teen Wolf’s Dylan O’Brien), the Katniss Everdeen of this particular series, Theresa (Skins’ Kaya Scodelario) and Newt (Love Actually’s Thomas Brodie-Sangster). There are numerous other characters in the group but they aren’t fleshed out enough to make an impact on screen.
Unfortunately, character development is a serious problem throughout, with only a handful of the large cast having enough of a backstory to make the memorable. O’Brien is particularly likeable as the confused Thomas and his more reserved persona is a pleasant change to the majority of lead characters in the genre.
Of the adult cast, Aidan Gillen does a sterling effort as the mysterious Janson and Giancarlo Esposito is perhaps the best character in the entire film with his portrayal of Jorge – a bargain hunter and ally of the group.
A much larger budget has done wonders for the series’ set-pieces. This is a particularly striking movie with numerous heart-racing action sequences filmed with a mixture of stunning CGI and breath-taking practical effects, a desert thunderstorm is beautifully filmed and a particular highlight.
The desolate landscapes and ruined cities give the film more than a whiff of Mad Max and I Am Legend with the latter being very similar.
These pulse-raising scenes do not do Scorch Trials’ dialogue any good however. The characters don’t get much to say apart from “Run” and “Look out” and the series lacks the powerful communication that The Hunger Games has become known for.
Nevertheless, those coming to the series without reading the books will find much to enjoy here as the plot is impossible to guess – there’s simply no way of knowing what is going to happen from one moment to the next.
It’s worth noting that this is a very dark film with a tone unlike anything else seen in the genre. The 12A certification given to it seems a little too lenient and in parts The Scorch Trials is deeply unnerving.
Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials is, on the whole, a fantastically enjoyable romp in spite of its excessive length and flat characters. It’s not quite up to the standards of The Hunger Games series but surpasses its Divergent franchise counterparts by some margin and is well worth a trip to the cinema.
https://moviemetropolis.net/2015/09/13/a-vast-improvement-maze-runner-the-scorch-trials-review/
He might be one of the best directors of all time, but not all his movies are well remembered. Check some of these out!
The King of Comedy (1983)
User: 8
Avg: 7.9
Rate It
Movie Watch
Rupert Pupkin (Robert De Niro) is a failure in life but a celebrity in his own mind, hosting an...
Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (1974)
User: 8
Avg: 8.0
Rate It
Movie Watch
Ellen Burstyn won the "Best Actress" Oscar for her performance in this memorable comedy-drama about...
After Hours (1985)
User: 8
Avg: 8.0
Rate It
Movie Watch
Heading a star-studded cast, Griffin Dunne (My Girl, Who's That Girl?) is just a regular guy in that...
New York, New York (1977)
User: 8
Avg: 9.0
Rate It
Movie Watch
Jimmy Doyle (Robert De Niro), an aspiring saxophone player, meets established USO band singer...
The Age of Innocence (1993)
User: 8
Avg: 7.7
Rate It
Movie Watch
Martin Scorsese, one of the great directors of our time, directs Oscar®-winner Daniel Day-Lewis...
and 5 other items
Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials (2015) in Movies
Aug 6, 2019
If you haven’t seen the first movie in this series, you’ll want to watch that first as Scorch Trials picks up pretty much where the last movie ended. There are no recaps or flashbacks which fans may appreciate as the full 2 hours and 12 minute running time is dedicated to advancing the story, but it’s definitely not a movie that stands well on its own.
Having escaped from the Glade, Thomas and his somber band of Gladers are transported to a fortified military installation where for a brief moment they believe they’re safe from Ava Paige and WCKD, the mysterious organization that placed them in the Glade for reasons still unknown.
Suspicious and untrusting (by nature, or conditioning?), Thomas, played with grim determination by Dylan O’Brien, uncovers the outpost’s connection to WCKD and the gang is on the run again but this time, instead of a maze, they find themselves in a desolate landscape known as the Scorch.
If the first movie was “The Great Escape”, this movie is “The Amazing Race”. Hoping to find “The Right Hand”, a vigilante group of resistance fighters that have allegedly rescued other Gladers, Thomas and gang set out across a barren wasteland. The movie follows their desperate flight to avoid both WCKD operatives and “cranks”, zombies who were victims of a virus that has wiped out most of humanity.
I watched most of The Scorch Trials, much like I watch The Walking Dead, with my eyes clenched shut but still listening earnestly, but I’m a bit of a wimp that way. There’s definitely more action in this installment and those who enjoyed the first movie, will appreciate this one more even though the last 20 minutes or so of the movie was set up for the third Maze Runner: The Death Cure due in 2017.
The core band of Gladers, played by O’Brien, Kaya Scodelario (Teresa), Thomas Brodie-Sangster (Newt), Ki Hong Lee (Minho), Dexter Darden (Frypan) and Alexander Flores (Winston) are easy to root for, while Game of Thrones’ Aiden Gillen (Janson) and Patricia Clarkson, who reprises her role as Ava Paige, are very easy to dislike. The Scorch Trials introduces new characters, like Aris another maze escapee played by Jacob Lofland, and Brenda and Jorge, survivors turned mercenaries played by Rosa Salazar and Giancarlo Esposito who add a new dimension to the story. Will they help lead the Gladers to The Right Hand or turn them over to WCKD for the right price?
In addition to nearly maiming my husband by squeezing his hand too tight, I also left the movie a little winded from holding my breath in suspense, and watching these kids do a hell of a lot of running. A worthy sequel, The Scorch Trials definitely leaves you ready for the story to continue.
James Horner was on of my fave film composers who died too early in life at age 61 on June 22, 2015. These are some of the best movies featuring his music.
Avatar (2009)
User: 9
Avg: 7.6
Rate It
Movie Watch
A hybrid human-alien called an Avatar is created to facilitate communication with the indigenous...
Titanic (1997)
User: 9
Avg: 8.0
Rate It
Movie Watch
A seventeen-year-old aristocrat falls in love with a kind but poor artist aboard the luxurious,...
A Beautiful Mind (2001)
User: 8
Avg: 8.7
Rate It
Movie Watch
Winner of 4 Academy Awards, including Best Picture, A Beautiful Mind is directed by Academy Award...
Sneakers (1992)
User: 9
Avg: 7.3
Rate It
Movie Watch
Robert Redford leads an all-star cast in one of the most satisfying suspense films! Computer expert...
Commando (1985)
User: 8
Avg: 6.9
Rate It
Movie Watch
John Matrix, an elite retired Special Forces Colonel, embarks on a mission to rescue his kidnapped...
Green Beret
and 15 other items
