Maze Runner: The Death Cure (♦♦♦♦◊)

Oh, my friends, I have failed you again. I was never interested in the Maze Runner books, and I still have yet to see The Scorch Trials, the second film. I ordered both the first and second movies to be shipped to my house in preparation for my review, but only the first arrived. As the lights went down in the theater, all I knew was that Chuck had been killed and Thomas and the others were on a helicopter being flown into what my Spidey sense told me had to be oblivion, right?

Despite the gaping hole in the story and never having read the books, I wasn’t lost for more than five minutes of screen time, which tells a great deal about director Wes Ball’s storytelling (Maze Runner, Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials, and Beginners).

Perhaps my lack of prior knowledge was a blessing in disguise; I was so busy trying to piece together the holes in the plot that, for once, I actually wasn’t writing my article in my head. Normally I have to try extra hard to focus on the film, not what I’m going to say about it.

I was glad to see the major players of  The Maze Runner were alive and well. As we follow the gang’s struggle to free Minho (Wish Upon’s Ryan Hui), we see each of the characters grow and develop in their own ways. Teen Wolf’s Dylan O’Brien stars as front man Thomas, along with loyal companions Newt (Thomas Brodie-Sangster, Love Actually’s Sam) and Frypan, portrayed by Dexter Darden who is known for his role as Walter Hill in Joyful Noise.

I’ve never seen Teen Wolf, and the only time I can remember seeing O’Brien outside of The Maze Runner is from his minor part in Deepwater Horizon. Still, he managed to give to the role of this life-worn teen a life plus loyal determination not many can pull off.

I’m a huge fan of special effects make up. I mean, Face Off is one of my favorite shows. Therefore, one of the top bragging rights The Death Cure gets is Lawrence’s (Walton Goggings of The Hateful Eight) “crank” make up. Actually, all of the crank make ups were lovely. However, for reasons I can’t and won’t disclose, Goggins’s is the one viewers see the most of, and it was exceptional. Newt’s too, but it’s too soon to talk about that. (I, the girl who almost never cries at cinematography, nearly bawled my eyes out.)

I’m sure that circumstance alone is the only thing keeping my rating from 5 out 5 diamonds. My mom was sick, so it ended up just being my dad and I in the theater. I might have missed one-third of the trilogy, but the film itself was beautiful.