“The Scorch Trials,” the sequel to last year’s surprisingly good young-adult adaptation “The Maze Runner,” is again good, so maybe it’s not surprising anymore.
Based on James Dashner’s badly written but smartly plotted books, these films feature teens in a post-apocalyptic scenario, doing brave, difficult things, without having to be motivated by romance (or, worse, a contrived romantic triangle) — which makes for more compelling drama and higher stakes.
Director Wes Ball delivers some exciting action sequences and keeps us on our toes with a series of satisfying plot turns. Though a few of the kids’ personalities blend together, colorful performances abound.
For a more detailed discussion, here’s the part of the Movie B.S. with Bayer and Snider podcast where we reviewed “The Scorch Trials.”