| Starring: Dylan O’Brien, Thomas Brodie-Sangster, Ki Hong Lee, Kaya Scoderlario, Rosa Salazar. Screenplay by T.S Nowlin Directed by Wes Ball ★★★☆☆ | Reviewed by Tom Goldsmith |
After getting rescued at the end of the first film the young survivors find that the outside world is just as unfriendly. Hunted by the people who put them in the maze, the group must survive a desolate world where nature and hidden monsters put their lives to the test.
The film begins with the survivors running and never slows down until the credits. The first film found itself on the wrong side of the Hunger Game comparisons and while it was entertaining the first two Jennifer Lawrence films were much better.
The film title is a little misleading. It suggests that, like the second Hunger Games: Catching the Fire, we are going for round two of the same thing with different decorations. However this film is a very different beast. Moving on from it predecessor this film feels more like the recent Mad Max than it does a teen adventure story.
Like all sequels this one is darker. In fact it crosses over to horror several times including two suspenseful and chilling chases through darkness pursued by the ‘infected’. Fans of the video game The Last of Us will notice some certain similarities with the creatures in the film. This is not a film that holds back from making the audience jump. When there are a few pauses for breath the film gives us snippets of what is going on. A criticism of the last film was that there was too little exposition (an unusual complaint I will admit) this time we get enough to start filling in the gaps.
The ensemble feel of the first film is gone with only Thomas (Dylan O’Brien) given anything to do, which is practically everything. That is a shame because the group has a lot chemistry but the film is more interested in the new arrivals notably Rosa Salazar playing Brenda. Amongst the older cast only Alan Tudyk really shines as the owner of a trippy nightclub that drugs its guest as the price of admission. It is an interesting but blink-and-you-miss-it performance.
Verdict: Better than first. The Scorch Trials is fast paced film that moves quick enough to stop the whole thing coming down.
The film begins with the survivors running and never slows down until the credits. The first film found itself on the wrong side of the Hunger Game comparisons and while it was entertaining the first two Jennifer Lawrence films were much better.
The film title is a little misleading. It suggests that, like the second Hunger Games: Catching the Fire, we are going for round two of the same thing with different decorations. However this film is a very different beast. Moving on from it predecessor this film feels more like the recent Mad Max than it does a teen adventure story.
Like all sequels this one is darker. In fact it crosses over to horror several times including two suspenseful and chilling chases through darkness pursued by the ‘infected’. Fans of the video game The Last of Us will notice some certain similarities with the creatures in the film. This is not a film that holds back from making the audience jump. When there are a few pauses for breath the film gives us snippets of what is going on. A criticism of the last film was that there was too little exposition (an unusual complaint I will admit) this time we get enough to start filling in the gaps.
The ensemble feel of the first film is gone with only Thomas (Dylan O’Brien) given anything to do, which is practically everything. That is a shame because the group has a lot chemistry but the film is more interested in the new arrivals notably Rosa Salazar playing Brenda. Amongst the older cast only Alan Tudyk really shines as the owner of a trippy nightclub that drugs its guest as the price of admission. It is an interesting but blink-and-you-miss-it performance.
Verdict: Better than first. The Scorch Trials is fast paced film that moves quick enough to stop the whole thing coming down.
