The Maze Runner: The Death Cure (2018) Review

I am a big fan of the first Maze Runner film.  The second film, The Scorch Trials, was horribly disappointing.  If you're hesitant about seeing The Death Cure, I can understand that, but don't worry, it's worth your time.  I will be getting into some spoilers below, so if you were a fan of the first movie, go see The Death Cure, then come back and finish reading this.

Maze Runner: The Death Cure picks up a few months after the second film.  After his friend, Minho (Ki Hong Lee), is captured by WCKD, Thomas (Dylan O'Brien) and his friends set off to WCKD's headquarters to rescue him.  When they reach the Last City on Earth, they make allies, both old and new, in an attempt to rescue Minho from WCKD's heavily fortified facility.  The head's of WCKD are using Minho and several others in experiments to find a cure for the Flare Virus that has ravaged the planet, and they will stop at nothing to find a cure, no matter who they hurt or kill in the process.  With the city on the verge of all-out-war, it's up to Thomas and his allies to save Minho before there's nothing left of him to save.

What Works:

The strength of this series has always come from the chemistry of the lead boys.  The relationship between Thomas, Minho, and Newt (Thomas Brodie-Sangster) is what gives the series it's strength.  The story is wholly unoriginal.  We've seen it a million times, but we care about the characters and their chemistry makes this movie worth watching.

The first two films had a lot of unnecessary characters that we didn't care about.  And while the same can be said for The Death Cure, it's to a much lesser extant.  This film focus much more on the four or five characters we actually give a crap about and sidelines the rest for most of the movie.

We also have the return of Will Poutier has Gally.  His presences was sorely missed from the second film and it's great to have someone with his acting chops in this film.  He doesn't get a ton to do, but it's enough.

The action is great and there is a lot of it.  The sequences are genuinely thrilling and since this is the final installment, no one is safe, giving the scenes some emotional weight.  The action is well shot and a lot of fun.

Finally, the conclusion is satisfying.  Unlike another young adult, dystopian series(cough, Divergent, cough), Maze Runner gets to go out on a high note.  The ending is satisfying and even though there was some rough moments along the way, this was a journey worth taking.

What Sucks:

Why have Giancarlo Esposito (Breaking Bad) and Walton Goggins (The Hateful Eight) in a movie if you aren't going to use them?  These guys are fantastic actors and they get practically nothing to do.  Giancarlo didn't get much to do in The Scorch Trials either, so it's par for the course here, but Walton is only in THREE SCENES!  Why bother?

Finally, there are a few too many gaps in logic.  There are two laughably convenient points in the movie.  First, in the opening action scene, where Thomas manages to stop the train exactly where Newt is waiting for him.  Come on...

Secondly, when the bus falls off of the crane hook, and everyone is just fine.  No.  They should all be dead.  But the action is fun that I can mostly forgive the movie for this.

Verdict:

For the most part, Maze Runner: The Death Cure has got it going on.  It's fun and satisfying enough to make up for The Scorch Trials and takes the series out on a high note.  You couldn't ask for much more.  It's got its flaws, for sure, but the strength of the lead characters outweigh the flaws and make this a movie worth seeing.

 7/10: Good.