Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox

Maze Runner: The Death Cure is one for the fans – if they can look past the differences to the novels.

The Death Cure is the final installment of the young adult dystopian series based on James Dashner’s popular novels.

Wes Ball takes the director’s seat again for this film, alongside screenwriter TS Nowlin.

Set six months after the previous film, The Death Cure opens with an epic chase scene, filmed in the Kalahari Desert.

The teenage protagonists Thomas (Dylan O’Brien) and Newt (Thomas Brodie-Sangster) are attempting to rescue a captured ally, Minho (Ki Hong Lee), from an enemy train. 

The trio has a history together, and in the first film was put through a series of maze trials by antagonistic organization WCKD before escaping in search of a safe haven.

Dr. Ava Paige, executive director of WCKD believes she is close to finding a cure for an infection that has left almost three quarters of the population in a zombie-like state. But the cure comes at a cost — the lives of the few young people who are immune to the virus.

The Death Cure sees Thomas band together with fellow survivors and rebels to break into the fortress-like Last City to free the children being experimented on by WCKD and take the organization down.

Viewers who have not seen the previous films may find themselves confused, as the movie’s plot kicks off just where the last one ended without much exposition to fill in the gaps.

Fans of the books will also notice that a fair amount has changed from the original plot, probably because of deliberate choices the director and screenwriter made to accommodate the structure of a film.

“There are things that aren’t exactly like the book, but they’re inspired by the books,” said Ball in a press statement, “we wanted to do what we could with respect to the fans and what they want to see.”

The deviation from the plot of the books left the previous film open to criticism from some fans, who were disappointed with the changes. But Dashner, the author of the novels, is satisfied with the choices made by the director and screenwriter.

“The fans of the books are very loyal to the stories and very protective of them, but some things just work better in a cinematic universe,” he said.

The film may leave viewers who are familiar with the genre with a feeling of déjà vu. Other popular franchises such as The Hunger Games ticked a lot of the same genre boxes years ago. However, the action sequences make it generally enjoyable.

The young actors also add to the enjoyment of the film. Dylan O’Brien again delivers a great performance as Thomas, bringing emotion to the sometimes shallow dialogue and Rosa Salazar’s Brenda adds a lot of energy to the action scenes.

Some viewers might find the dark themes of this film confronting, especially as it is marketed to a teenage audience. The series does not shy away from deaths, violence and jump scares. And the final installment is certainly no different. Older teenagers will appreciate the fact the film does not patronize, but leave the younger kids at home.

Having directed a handful of short films before taking on the Maze Runner series, Wes Ball still manages to direct with confidence. His vision comes together well with cinematography from Gyula Pados, who has previously won awards for his work on the festival circuit.

The South African landscapes, where shooting took place, provide a picturesque backdrop for the grim story. Cape Town’s tall buildings and modern architecture provided a great setting for the city scenes, and the plains and deserts make for convincing post-apocalyptic landscapes.

With the Maze Runner series being the director’s blockbuster debut, he is certainly one to watch in the future, perhaps a more original screenplay would allow him to better utilize his obvious talent.

— The writer is an intern at The Jakarta Post

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Maze runner

Directed by Wes Ball

Screenplay by T.S. Nowlin

Based on The Death Cure by James Dashner

Starring : Dylan O’Brien, Kaya Scodelario, Thomas Brodie-Sangster, Nathalie Emmanuel, Giancarlo Esposito, Aidan Gillen, Walton Goggins, Ki Hong Lee, Barry Pepper, Will Poulter and Patricia Clarkson

Running time: 142 minutes

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