Following on from 2014’s Maze Runner, and 2015’s Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials, comes the third instalment of the series The Death Cure. We once again join hero Thomas (Dylan O’Brien – American Assassin, Deepwater Horizon) as he and his band of survivors embark on yet another mission to find a cure for the blight known as “Flare” that is killing mankind.
The Maze Runner series took a rather heavy knock with the second instalment. The first was unique, full of mystery and an engrossing plot. Scorch Trials dropped the ball, badly. However Death Cure certainly brings a good dose of redemption with it.
There is action, huge settings (spot the heavily altered, but still familiar Cape Town locations), and there is a decent dose of science fiction. Those, however, can not sustain a movie on their own, so thankfully we also get a good story. The plot, while different to the first film, feels once more like an adventure, telling a story, and one where the heroes have much at stake, often their lives.
While the plot is not fraught with twists, there is an element of unpredictability. There is also a small dose of predictable action, as if checking a box on a list for scenes that must be in an action film.
Engrossing, action packed, and a nice way to round off the series. Maze Runner: The Death Cure opens 26 January 2018 in South African cinemas.