Maze Runner is NOT Hunger Games. It could be described as a poor man's version of The Hunger Games. Originally when the first one released, I didn't really care to see it but when I finally watched the first one I was very pleased. It was actually a lot of fun. It's simple and has a slight moral message but the action and intrigue and characters were all very good. So now I was a fan enough to look forward to the second one. I will say that I think they definitely rushed Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials. They were too caught up in the release one instalment every year idea. The Scorch Trials feels completely different in a lot of ways from the first film. I have not read the books so I can't speak to the similarities but it sounds like readers hate the movie. From an entertainment standpoint, The Scorch Trials is decent. Its still well acted though I think they could have developed the characters a little more because now it feels like this is all about special effects and monsters and the extended post-apocalyptic world. There are some great twists and turns and some interesting plot points so it is far from a total loss.
Dylan O'Brien returns as Thomas and he is still a good hero. He definitely shows an intensity even if its just a little overacted. Still for the demographic of pre-teen/teen girls I'm sure he fits the bill perfectly. The supporting cast (many of them returning from the first film) are all good but underdeveloped and underused. Ki Hong Lee, Thomas Brodie-Sangster, Dexter Darden and Alexander Flores return and they are good but there really is a lot they could do with these characters to make them stand out on their own. Kaya Scodelario returns as Theresa and this time she isn't the sole female presence. She gets a little more arc than some of the characters and gets one of the better scenes towards the end as well. Patricia Clarkson is the villain/overlord and she is decent but I keep waiting for her to really impress. As far as villain goes, Aiden Gillen was a much better villain for the story but that means Clarkson should be even more evil but she doesn't come across that way. Additions to the cast include Lili Taylor, Barry Pepper and Kathryn Smith-Mcglynn in adult roles that were interesting but once again underdeveloped. Maybe they're leaving some for the future films but it doesn't really feel that.
How it feels is rushed...Maybe they weren't expecting the first one to make money or maybe they didn't have a lot of hope in it but I feel like they really dropped the ball. It had some great action scenes and some good special effects but it felt disjointed and like they weren't sure what to do. I'm glad they kept the same director with Wes Ball but he didn't have virtually any experience going in. Still, the first Maze Runner was quite good and showed a lot of potential. Wes Ball had so much experience in art direction and the first film really showed some amazing cinematography and use of special effects and this one being out in "the scorch" could have really been impressive but it lacked. I hate to keep emphasizing that but when you're trying to build a franchise and fall onto the footsteps of The Hunger Games (or even Divergent) you need to really impress and you need to get better, not drop the ball. Still if you enjoyed the first one, you will enjoy this as well and I hope that they turn this around and come back strong in the third instalment. 7/10
Dylan O'Brien returns as Thomas and he is still a good hero. He definitely shows an intensity even if its just a little overacted. Still for the demographic of pre-teen/teen girls I'm sure he fits the bill perfectly. The supporting cast (many of them returning from the first film) are all good but underdeveloped and underused. Ki Hong Lee, Thomas Brodie-Sangster, Dexter Darden and Alexander Flores return and they are good but there really is a lot they could do with these characters to make them stand out on their own. Kaya Scodelario returns as Theresa and this time she isn't the sole female presence. She gets a little more arc than some of the characters and gets one of the better scenes towards the end as well. Patricia Clarkson is the villain/overlord and she is decent but I keep waiting for her to really impress. As far as villain goes, Aiden Gillen was a much better villain for the story but that means Clarkson should be even more evil but she doesn't come across that way. Additions to the cast include Lili Taylor, Barry Pepper and Kathryn Smith-Mcglynn in adult roles that were interesting but once again underdeveloped. Maybe they're leaving some for the future films but it doesn't really feel that.
How it feels is rushed...Maybe they weren't expecting the first one to make money or maybe they didn't have a lot of hope in it but I feel like they really dropped the ball. It had some great action scenes and some good special effects but it felt disjointed and like they weren't sure what to do. I'm glad they kept the same director with Wes Ball but he didn't have virtually any experience going in. Still, the first Maze Runner was quite good and showed a lot of potential. Wes Ball had so much experience in art direction and the first film really showed some amazing cinematography and use of special effects and this one being out in "the scorch" could have really been impressive but it lacked. I hate to keep emphasizing that but when you're trying to build a franchise and fall onto the footsteps of The Hunger Games (or even Divergent) you need to really impress and you need to get better, not drop the ball. Still if you enjoyed the first one, you will enjoy this as well and I hope that they turn this around and come back strong in the third instalment. 7/10