Review of Maze Runner: The Death Cure (2018) by Chris O — 29 Jan 2018

A strong conclusion to the Maze Runner trilogy, and thank you very much for not making this two parts.

In the epic finale to the Maze Runner saga, Thomas leads his group of escaped Gladers on their final and most dangerous mission yet. To save their friends, they must break into the legendary Last City, a WCKD-controlled labyrinth that may turn out to be the deadliest maze of all. Anyone who makes it out alive will get answers to the questions the Gladers have been asking since they first arrived in the maze.

"The Maze Runner" is one of my favorite films not because it's perfect, but because I just have so much damn fun with it. The intensity, the scope, Dylan O'Brian. Everything came together to create a fun film. While the second one faltered in many places, this movie was surprisingly a lot of fun. And while it was fun, that's the best word I can use to describe it, as it didn't have a ton going for it.

First, props to Wes Ball and his $60 million budget. Compared to many blockbusters these days, this budget was fairly low for a movie this big. I think it was genuinely used so well and they definitely took advantage of the budget. Considering what they accomplished in this film, it's very impressive with a budget that small. Wes Ball has a talent and I genuinely can't wait what future films he injects his talent into. He brought a lot of effort to this film and he certainly saved an otherwise mediocre script.

Dylan O'Brian suffered immense injuries while shooting this film and I commend him for making a bold recovery. He came back to put together a great performance and I'm very happy to see him on screen. To push through an accident like he had takes a lot of hard work and I think he gave this film his all. It's nice to see his performance at its top along with others such as Ki Hong Lee, Thomas Sangster, and others. These are the best performances we've seen from these guys in all three films and it's been awesome to see them grow throughout.

Another thing that was fun was the lighting and the cinematography. I think this movie actually looked really good, incorporating a lot of real sets and environments like in previous film. Their use of CGI and green screen seemed limited, which I can really appreciate it. I think the movie was shot really well and as someone close to me pointed out, the lighting was fantastic. The use of colors on characters and in settings really set apart protagonists from antagonists, which subconsciously made this film visually stunning.

I guess the main thing about this film was the lackluster screenplay. The stakes are never really there, the motive is unclear, the goal is up in the air, and the writing is fairly generic. You can only have so many coincidences and cheap tricks before it starts to get old. The script was never really coherent or special and while I had fun, it doesn't get a pass on that. As a fan of the film and expectations low, I was able to have plenty of fun with this film. However, the script lacked coherency and it definitely had some glaring plot holes. It tried some things that were befuddling and they took the easy way out more often than not. I think if you're a fan of the franchise, you'll have plenty of fun with this film. However, there's nothing new here that'll change your mind and think 'Wow, what an amazing franchise!'.

In the end, "Maze Runner: The Death Cure" was a fun time and a nice ending to the franchise. I'm glad to see the franchise have some mild success and I'm glad that they genuinely tried. It never felt like a cash grab despite its falters, and I can't wait to own all three films one day.