*SPOILER ALERT AHEAD*
The third installment of the Maze Runner trilogy, The Death Cure, is the most exhilarating of the three. Endless excitement, running, fighting, and unexpected developments from every which way filled this part of the saga. We discover more enemies, allies, and obstructions. The cast, on both sides of the wall, deals with the engulfing, zombifying disease that is “the Flare”. In addition to all the action and war and death, there are also love stories to tie in with this storyline. It makes the movie for an all-encompassing tale. A true attention grabber from beginning to end.
There are a ton of scenes that totally rock with all of the action this movie contains, so it’s hard to choose a favorite part. However, I do have to pick a scene that is deeper in its meaning than kicking butt. We receive more answers from Teresa and her team at WCKD, including Ava Paige (Patricia Clarkson) and another seedy role played by Aiden Gillen in Janson. It is clear that the reason they are testing on people is more complicated than just labeling WCKD as an evil corporation. I appreciated that moment when I began to question who I was rooting for. The Death Cure, past all its action and love story, is ultimately the age-old ethical question of, “would you rather save the one you love or save the many?” It’s brilliant seeing that being put into a complex, real-life example right in front of our eyes. The setup of being exposed to the first and second Maze Runner movies makes it even more confusing as to what the answer should be.
Brenda, who is represented by Rosa Salazar, is honestly one of my favorite characters from the film. Her narrative is one of the more complicated stories. She’s still in love with Thomas (Dylan O’Brien) yet she’s also outraged with WCKD and determined to continue the fight. Her love for Thomas is often stifled but exhibited through her persistent bravery. It is also thrown for a loop when Teresa (Kaya Scodelario) returns in an alternatively complicated role.
Another character who carried this movie well was Newt (Thomas Brodie-Sangster). He, like Brenda, has a complex tale to illustrate, with his suffering, loyalty to Thomas, and vengeance against WCKD. It becomes apparent that he questions Thomas at times, but he knows that Thomas thinks with his heart and is quite impulsive. Newt is clearer headed and less emotional, however, in the third film we see him being forced to deal with his repressed emotions and even his fear. He’s not afraid to die, but he’s afraid of something else that is larger and more important to him. We, as the audience, are also forced to feel these emotions along with him and it’s a tough request.
We see more effects of the “crank” syndrome in this movie. Maybe it was too much more. Although we witness some disheartening impacts of the widespread infection on some characters close to our hearts, the producers of the Maze Runner also chose to incorporate more gore this time. They introduce us to a character named Lawrence (Walton Goggins), who is deeply afflicted by “the Flare”. Don’t get me wrong, he does well as this repulsive and vengeful persona. It’s just his face that is my problem. The sight of it was so disgusting that I felt nauseous.
A couple of other issues I had with this chapter was the complete blind energy behind Thomas’ missions. Yes, I know that he is dictated by his heart and that doesn’t bother him. It becomes frustrating this time around to see how far he will go and how many he puts in danger to try to accomplish his goals. In the beginning, though, we do see him try, poorly, to keep others out of his bigger aim, but that apprehension quickly left him. Also, *SPOILER ALERT* Ava Paige gives up. What the heck!? She was the most headstrong character on the opposition and we see her throw away her fervor because she feels hopeless. It weakened her character so much. I believe it was supposed to help her seem more human to us, but it just left me with anger towards her because she didn’t really change sides, she just quit. Come on girl! Stick to your guns to the end!
Regardless of these previous topics, I really liked the last branch of the movie. Being put in a gray area morally is always welcomed in my book. Along with all the adrenalized battles, this movie rocked. It truly was an entertaining ride and highly refer checking it out for yourself. It may leave you feeling confused morally but it’s worth it! If you enjoyed the first two films of the saga or if you enjoy tales of the underdog fighting the man, I highly recommend this movie, especially seeing it in the theater. I give it a 9!
