Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials (2015)
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After escaping a deadly maze, a group of survivors must navigate a desolate wasteland while fleeing from a powerful organization.
The story
Following their escape from the facilities of the powerful World Catastrophe Killzone Department (WCKD), Thomas and his fellow Gladers find themselves on the run in a desert and ruined cities. To survive, they must navigate the Scorch, a desolate and dangerous landscape. While attempting to find safety, they are pursued by WCKD soldiers and must contend with the environmental hazards of the wasteland. The group's primary goal is to escape the reach of WCKD and find a way to survive in the aftermath of a global catastrophe.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
The story begins with a flashback showing a woman leaving her son, Thomas, with scientist Ava Paige and WCKD operatives. Years later, Thomas and the Gladers escape a maze and are taken to a facility managed by Mr. Janson, who claims it is a haven from 'Cranks'—humans infected by the Flare virus. Thomas teams up with Aris to investigate and discovers Janson is working for WCKD. They rescue Teresa and flee into the Scorch. After a deadly encounter in a shopping mall where Winston is infected and dies, they seek help from Brenda and Jorge. They eventually reach the Right Arm resistance, where Mary Cooper reveals Thomas's role as a former WCKD informant. Teresa, who has regained her memories, betrays the group's location to WCKD. A battle ensues; Janson is killed, and while many are captured, Thomas manages to detonate a bomb to scatter WCKD forces, ultimately resolving to take the fight to WCKD to rescue the remaining captives.
- First release year
- 2015
- Runtime (minutes)
- 131
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Wes Ball
- Writers
- T. S. Nowlin · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Dylan O'Brien · Thomas; Kaya Scodelario · Teresa; Thomas Brodie-Sangster · Newt; Giancarlo Esposito · Jorge; Aidan Gillen · Janson; Ki Hong Lee · Minho; Barry Pepper · Vince; Lili Taylor · Mary Cooper; Patricia Clarkson · Ava Paige
- Genres
- dystopian; science fiction; action; mystery
- Themes
- Survival; Resistance; Conspiracy
- Tone and mood
- Action-packed; Tense
- Premise and plot tags
- Post-apocalyptic; Dystopian; Survival
- Source material / true-story basis
- James Dashner's 2010 novel The Scorch Trials
- Franchise connections
- The Maze Runner
- Reception
- The film received mixed reviews, with praise for its action sequences and performances, while critics noted a lack of plot and character development.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 47% · scale: percentage · review count: 153; Metacritic · score: 43 · scale: 100 · review count: 29; CinemaScore · score: B+ · scale: A+ to F
- Production trivia
- The film was a commercial success, grossing $312 million worldwide.; The film was released in 76 countries.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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