Maze Runner - The Chosen in the Burnt Desert

Just barely escaped the deadly maze, Thomas (Dylan O`Brien), Newt (Thomas Brodie-Sangster), Teresa (Kaya Scodelario) and Minho (Ki Hong Lee) find that they are not safe even with the WCKD organization. And even their supposed rescuers, led by the shady Janson (Aiden Gillen) they can not trust. And so Thomas and a few others of the Chosen dare to escape into the dangerous Burnt Desert. Here they hope to find answers to what has happened to them and the world. A group of resistance fighters led by Jorge (Giancarlo Esposito) and young Brenda (Rosa Salazar) may be able to help them. But are the enemies of WCKD automatically the friends of Thomas and his fellow fighters? And are there other survivors who could provide them with more answers? As the teens try to figure it out, their pursuers from WCKD are closing in on them. And they are far from the only danger waiting for them in the Burnt Desert...

Maze Runner - The Chosen in the Labyrinth, based on the successful trilogy of novels penned by James Dashner, was another representative of the currently so popular YA dystopias that came to our cinemas last year. Of course, the comparison to other young-adult series such as The Tribute of Panem or Divergent - The Destiny is obvious. But even if the story had hardly anything really new to offer, the film adaptation could score especially in the second half with some good effects and gripping moments of suspense. These were primarily due to the labyrinth, which no longer plays a role in the second part. But also the titel-giving fire desert offers some good show values and exciting dangers, which let the entertainment value skyrocket in many moments. However, the whole thing was toned down by almost two minutes in Germany, which again leaves a disappointing impression. Let's hope that the later home theater version will also be the uncut version to have.

The sequel is altogether more varied, more exciting and more spectacular, than its predecessor. Nevertheless, Part 2 also has to contend with the same problems: the characters are walking clichés who also nicely cover as many ethnicities as possible in a politically correct manner. The dialogue is shockingly flat in places and makes the actors seem relatively pale despite all efforts. Furthermore, despite a consistent progression, the story offers no real surprises. This is simply due to the fact that Dashner has already used many other genre representatives in his novels quite obviously and has hardly brought his own ideas.

However, one should never forget for which target group the books and the film adaptations are intended. And for teens 13 and up, the Chosen's merciless escape through a post-apocalyptic world is a truly gripping adventure with plenty of action and a compelling hero, though his secret isn't fully revealed in this installment either. But more and more clues are provided about what happened to Thomas and the others, why they are so important for WCKD and what turned the earth into this deadly scorched desert.

If you can overlook the many clichés and over the cuts and primarily want to get target-group appropriate action and fodder for the eye, this is absolutely right. And if you already liked part 1, you should definitely not miss this successful sequel. For this there is clearly a: Worth seeing!

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp