Maze Runner: The Death Cure Movie Review

Reviewed by Lynn Barker on Jan 26, 2018

Rating:

Kidzworld saw The Death Cure, the last of the Maze Runner series of films. Is it like the book? Is it fast-moving and dramatic too? Check our movie review.

By: Lynn Barker

In Maze Runner: The Death Cure, Thomas (Dylan O’Brien), Newt (Thomas Brodie-Sangster) and Frypan (Dexter Darden) join with The Right Arm resistance against WCKD, the organization that, after an ongoing viral apocalypse, is experimenting on immune young people hoping to find a cure. Together with rebel leader Vince (Barry Pepper) and friends Jorge (Giancarlo Esposito) and Brenda (Rosa Salazar) the guys go to rescue the innocent immune kids and teens as well as friend from the Glade Maze Minho (Ki Hong Lee). Can they pull this off? Will Thomas run into love Teresa (Kaya Scodelario) who has turned traitor and joined WCKD?

Thomas and Newt hook up the train car Courtesy of 20th Century Fox

Rescue Attempt

Thomas and friends in the Right Arm resistance pull some crazy and dangerous stunts trying to rescue friend Minho and a train full of prisoner immunes before they get to the last working city where they will be experimented on. Using fast old cars and a captured WCKD flier, they manage to hook on to a train car and lift it to safety. Trouble is, Minho isn’t among the rescued! WCKD has whisked him away to a city lab. Back at rebel base, leader Vince tells his people they will be taking a repaired ship to sea somewhere where WCKD can never find them.

Thomas (Dylan O'Brien) looks for MinhoCourtesy of 20th Century Fox

The Last City

One of the rescued immunes tells Thomas that there is a lost city still intact and that is where Minho has been taken. Jorge has been there and warns his people off. Vince won’t go there. Too many rescued kids to protect so Newt, Thomas and Frypan leave the base to rescue buddy Minho. Meanwhile in the city, Minho thinks he’s back in the Glade, then in the Maze being attacked by the horrible animals there. He’s actually drugged to the max in a laboratory in the city.

Thomas and group see the last city for the first timeCourtesy of 20th Century Fox

Trek to Town

Thomas and friends have to go through a tunnel loaded with viral “cranks”, zombie-like killers, to get closer to the city. After several near escapes, looks like they are done for but they are rescued by Brenda and Jorge who will go with them to the city. We see that Teresa is a lab assistant working for a cure alongside Dr. Ava Paige (Patricia Clarkson). She seems to wince but tolerate Minho’s torture as they painfully extract an immune serum from him. They try it on a young infected girl and it looks good but she eventually dies. Thomas has a planted sensor in his neck that lets WCKD know he’s nearby. He and his friends plus Brenda and Jorge are shelled then grabbed by mystery soldiers who turn out to be led by Gally (Will Poulter), their old nemesis from the Glade. They left him to die but he survived. Thomas wants to kill him but he can lead them to a rebellion leader among the cranks who can get them into town.

Newt and Thomas make a plan while Jorge looks onCourtesy of 20th Century Fox

Gully’s Boss

Crank leader Lawrence (Walton Goggins) will let only two of the group into the city via a secret entrance. Thomas and Newt get into the city led by Gully. Hearing about his former love Teresa is painful for Thomas but he agrees that only she might get them in to rescue their friend. We see that Newt isn’t an immune after all but has the virus. Soon he’ll turn into a viral monster crank. Thomas helps the group capture Teresa and they talk. She still believes she is doing the right thing. A cure is worth any torture. They make her remove their trackers put into their necks back in Maze days.

Thomas and group meet to make a planCourtesy of 20th Century Fox

Virus is Spreading

Ava tells head WCKD enforcer Janson (Aidan Gillen) that there are more and more virals in the city. All is lost. They can’t find the cure. He won’t accept this. Teresa doesn’t understand why Brenda didn’t go viral after a bite. She was infused with Thomas’ blood! Newt is gradually getting worse as the group sets a plan to rescue Minho and other trapped immunes into action. Gally will get the serum stored in the lab safe. The others get closer to Minho but are spotted and chased by an angry Janson who leads in more troops intent on killing Thomas. Teresa helps them escape and does a blood test on Thomas’ blood that she got from removing the tracker.

Thomas, Jorge and Brenda on the city edgeCourtesy of 20th Century Fox

Escape?

Gally gets the serum and gives it to Brenda who ends up driving rescued young immunes in a local bus. After fighting their way to the lab, Thomas and Newt find and rescue Minho and the three have to escape by jumping many floors below into a fountain. Gally comes to their aid, despite Minho’s reluctance to trust him. Inside, Teresa discovers that Thomas’ blood can totally cure the virus called “the Flare”. He is the answer to everything! Even Ava agrees that Thomas must be found and protected. The bus is surrounded by troops but Frypan, driving a huge crane, lifts it high above to safety.

Ava and Teresa watch Minho's tortureCourtesy of 20th Century Fox

Crank Rebellion

Thomas, an ever worsening Newt, Minho and Gally try to escape the city just as Lawrence and his crank rebels burst through the walls and start destroying everything. Can they get Newt to Brenda, now outside the gates, who has the serum that can cure him? Will Teresa change her mind and help the group escape? As the city is being destroyed, will anyone get out? Will Thomas realize he is the true cure? Who will live and who will die?

Rebels in a flier prepare to lift the train carCourtesy of 20th Century Fox

Wrapping Up

Maze Runner: The Death Cure is an exciting, and emotional action film that moves at a quick pace even though it is overly long. It’s the best of the three films in the series and a nice send-off for the characters but I’m told it varies greatly from the novel. Will fans of the novels be upset? Perhaps but the film is a nice wrap-up for the film series. Emotions run high as former friends and enemies are reunited and, for fans of the films at least, this is satisfying.

Teresa, Thomas, Newt, Minho and BrendaCourtesy of 20th Century Fox

Lead actor Dylan O’Brien was badly injured while making the film and it’s been a while waiting for its release so filmgoers might have forgotten the semi-complicated Sci-Fi story. Action sequences are quite spectacular and it’s obvious that more money was spent on this than the previous two films. The Death Cure gives Maze Runner fans the kind of closure that only a series finale can accomplish. Everybody doesn’t get a happy ending but there is hope. For fun visual action and some emotional satisfaction, we can go three stars, especially for fans of the film series.