There is something about endings that I loathe. The feeling is doubled when I actually know how and when it ends. With The Death Cure as the conclusion to The Maze Runner series, that is exactly what I felt - as if there's a countdown that licks every second in front of my face.
If you haven't watched the two previous films then there is no chance that you'd get a grasp of what's happening. They didn't waste time to get catch you up, or remind you if you forget, that the movie was set in a world that is a wasteland and that the whole human race is at the brink of extinction because of a virus called The Flare.
In a nutshell, as you may remember from The Scorch Trials, Thomas and the Gladers successfully escaped the Maze but ended up being followed by WCKD at the last part with aide of Teresa. We saw that Minho and most of the remaining teens were taken on a plane by armed men that work for WCKD. They were supposed to be transported to the Last City to be experimented for a Flare cure.
This is where The Death Cure continues the story. The film opens with an action packed sequence where Thomas, Minho, and Frypan, along with Jorge and Brenda, try to hijack the train that will bring Minho and the others to WCKD's headquarters in the Last City. Determined to start over again without WCKD's experimenting, the group would face off several challenges along the way including running away with Cranks and getting inside the heavily guarded wall of the Last City. Along the way, they would find and lost friends; a long lost Glader thought to be dead that would end up helping them and people dear to them, respectively. What lies ahead will either bring the immunes a new hope or the only cure the dying world will get: death.
I don't know about those unfamiliar with the films but fans of the book and series will get the conclusion they deserved. The producers have been generous enough to give fans 142 minutes for an ending after a 28-month hold.
Wes Ball's approach and direction with the three films has evidently developed over the years. However, there is something missing about his vision for The Maze Runner Saga that I am realizing just now - attachment with audience. The films weren't strong enough to claw on the viewers. Character buildup wasn't really given focus on the entire series which makes it hard to form attachments if one haven't already established on the previous films.
I like how T.S. Nowlin's screenplay closely followed the book but this last one was good but not good enough to leave a lasting impact even to a fan like me. This is not to say that I hate the film because personally think this is better than The Scorch Trials in many ways and Scorch was already an okay film for me. It's like a parting gift from a lover you won't even beg to stay.
Nevertheless, there are many good things I liked about the film that I want to point out.
First, the quirky dialogue. I liked how they sprinkled quirky lines on some critical parts of the film to serve as a comic relief. My personal favorite was Minho's "Is this real?" comment.
Second, the production design and VFX. Props to the team for such good production design complemented with impressive visual effects. (However, I'm not quite satisfied with the sound design during intense scenes because it did not complement the intensity of the visuals.)
Third, the good sequences. Although I have to admit that there were parts during the film that I zoned out because of the slow pacing on certain parts, they made several good sequences to compensate: the opening salvo with dangerous stunts on a moving train; the tunnel full of Cranks sequence; a bus full of teens suspended in the air by a crane. My favorite, though, was that emotional Tommy and Newt sequence that I knew was coming. The way they executed that sequence gave justice to that monumental part of the story.
Fourth, the Acting. Dylan O'Brien has really matured as an actor. You can see that he's grown out of that goofy acting he's known for in Teen Wolf and that's what I quickly noticed at the beginning. Kaya Scodelario wasn't given much highlight this time, making her a mere eye candy on the background. Sangster and Lee were good actors giving life to such a good support team. Four years with this series made these actors grow with their character. Rosa Salazar was such a surprise to me. She pulled off her character very well and it's no surprise if she'll get roles on action films in the future.
Fifth and what really got into me, the farewell letter at the end. I feel like that letter was the best send off they could give the fans. I mean, man I was thankful I got a VIP couch all on my own while I try to wipe my tears. That was a good cookie, I must say.
Over all, The Death Cure was such an emotional action film fitting for an end to The Maze Runner series.
P. S. could there be a TV series in stored in the future? James Dashner seems to be teasing on his tweet, though.
If you haven't watched the two previous films then there is no chance that you'd get a grasp of what's happening. They didn't waste time to get catch you up, or remind you if you forget, that the movie was set in a world that is a wasteland and that the whole human race is at the brink of extinction because of a virus called The Flare.
In a nutshell, as you may remember from The Scorch Trials, Thomas and the Gladers successfully escaped the Maze but ended up being followed by WCKD at the last part with aide of Teresa. We saw that Minho and most of the remaining teens were taken on a plane by armed men that work for WCKD. They were supposed to be transported to the Last City to be experimented for a Flare cure.
This is where The Death Cure continues the story. The film opens with an action packed sequence where Thomas, Minho, and Frypan, along with Jorge and Brenda, try to hijack the train that will bring Minho and the others to WCKD's headquarters in the Last City. Determined to start over again without WCKD's experimenting, the group would face off several challenges along the way including running away with Cranks and getting inside the heavily guarded wall of the Last City. Along the way, they would find and lost friends; a long lost Glader thought to be dead that would end up helping them and people dear to them, respectively. What lies ahead will either bring the immunes a new hope or the only cure the dying world will get: death.
I don't know about those unfamiliar with the films but fans of the book and series will get the conclusion they deserved. The producers have been generous enough to give fans 142 minutes for an ending after a 28-month hold.
Wes Ball's approach and direction with the three films has evidently developed over the years. However, there is something missing about his vision for The Maze Runner Saga that I am realizing just now - attachment with audience. The films weren't strong enough to claw on the viewers. Character buildup wasn't really given focus on the entire series which makes it hard to form attachments if one haven't already established on the previous films.
I like how T.S. Nowlin's screenplay closely followed the book but this last one was good but not good enough to leave a lasting impact even to a fan like me. This is not to say that I hate the film because personally think this is better than The Scorch Trials in many ways and Scorch was already an okay film for me. It's like a parting gift from a lover you won't even beg to stay.
Nevertheless, there are many good things I liked about the film that I want to point out.
First, the quirky dialogue. I liked how they sprinkled quirky lines on some critical parts of the film to serve as a comic relief. My personal favorite was Minho's "Is this real?" comment.
Second, the production design and VFX. Props to the team for such good production design complemented with impressive visual effects. (However, I'm not quite satisfied with the sound design during intense scenes because it did not complement the intensity of the visuals.)
Third, the good sequences. Although I have to admit that there were parts during the film that I zoned out because of the slow pacing on certain parts, they made several good sequences to compensate: the opening salvo with dangerous stunts on a moving train; the tunnel full of Cranks sequence; a bus full of teens suspended in the air by a crane. My favorite, though, was that emotional Tommy and Newt sequence that I knew was coming. The way they executed that sequence gave justice to that monumental part of the story.
Fourth, the Acting. Dylan O'Brien has really matured as an actor. You can see that he's grown out of that goofy acting he's known for in Teen Wolf and that's what I quickly noticed at the beginning. Kaya Scodelario wasn't given much highlight this time, making her a mere eye candy on the background. Sangster and Lee were good actors giving life to such a good support team. Four years with this series made these actors grow with their character. Rosa Salazar was such a surprise to me. She pulled off her character very well and it's no surprise if she'll get roles on action films in the future.
Fifth and what really got into me, the farewell letter at the end. I feel like that letter was the best send off they could give the fans. I mean, man I was thankful I got a VIP couch all on my own while I try to wipe my tears. That was a good cookie, I must say.
Over all, The Death Cure was such an emotional action film fitting for an end to The Maze Runner series.
P. S. could there be a TV series in stored in the future? James Dashner seems to be teasing on his tweet, though.