Film Review – Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials

Last year, “The Maze Runner” managed to break away from the grind of YA adaptations, emerging as an energetic take on post-apocalyptic scheming and survival, boosted by impressive visuals and breathless performances. Now there’s “Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials,” a quickie sequel that’s looking to maintain franchise momentum after the previous picture concluded with a significant cliffhanger. What was semi-fresh and inviting about the original film is mostly gone from the follow-up, with returning director Wes Ball forgoing the construction of an enticing tale to stage repetitive chase sequences and encourage overacting, while the screenplay by T.S. Nowlin is weirdly determined to avoid any similarities to the source material. For all the running that goes on in “The Scorch Trials,” the continuation is strangely inert. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com