Grade: B+
Rating: PG-13, 114 minutes
In a Nutshell: This third film provides a fitting finale to a thrilling young adult book and movie franchise.
Congrats to my friend, James Dashner, for all of his success! That must be so satisfying to bring a book to the Big Screen! (My books are all non-fiction.)
You get to see Dashner in one of the scenes where Teresa and Ava are presenting information to the WCKD board members. Dashner is the only one on the board who doesn’t speak. I loved the cameo!
My tiny claim to fame is that he and I both did a book signing together many years ago and later spoke at the same writer’s conference. I’m so happy for him!
Tips for parents:
- Some creepy faces
- Violence, fighting
- Explosions, tons of destruction
- Scary zombies that chase you…really fast!
- Some profanity.
Uplifting theme:
- Bravery, loyalty, friendship
- Hope
Things I liked:
- Dylan O’Brien was seriously injured during the last installment in the series, so fans have waited two years for his recovery and this release. He’s a talented young actor with great promise.
- Lots of action sequences! Tons!
- If you like zombies and teen dystopia, you’ll enjoy the crazy chaos.
Things I didn’t like:
- Not a lot of dialogue, since everyone is running around most of the time…thus the title.
- Aren’t we glad we have teenagers to save the world?
- Fans of the books will notice quite a few changes in the film.
- Those who haven’t seen the first two movies or read the books won’t feel as invested in the characters as the die-hard fans. Fans will be interested in seeing the end of the trilogy, but first-timers might be confused.
- The character arc over the course of three films isn’t as big as you would hope.
@trinaboice
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