I am not ashamed to admit that I went to see the first two installments of the Maze Runner trilogy. Not necessarily because I was interested. The first one looked good, but just wasn't that good. I went to the second, hoping it would get better. I went to the final installment, Death Cure because I am already invested in the story. Although it was not any better than the first two. This is a series geared towards teens and tweens that fails to hit the mark (and success) set by Twilight.

A massive plague has turned the world into a dystopian wasteland. A group of children who exhibit immunity to the plague have been turned into lab rats by a corporation called WCKD. They are put through a series of trials to prepare them to survive the world. Or maybe it is to create chemical by-products in their bloodstream from which an antidote might be derived. Whatever the case may be, several of the children have escaped. The escaped children and other children who are deemed to be immune are hunted by WCKD and transported to the last city where they are subject to harsh lab tests and experimentation.

We begin Death Cure with an action sequence with some of the surviving, escaped children chasing a train that is transporting other children who have been captured to the last city. Minho (Ki Hong Li) is in one of the transport cars. Thomas (Dylan O'Brien) and the other survivors engage in a daring escape attempt that involves hijacking a helicopter and pulling off a great train robbery. The fast paced sequence ends with the kids rescuing the wrong cattle car of children. Minho is still destined for the city. The survivors have a plan to flee in a rusty ship to begin over on a distant shore. But Dylan is intent on recovering Minho. Leading a small band, the kids set off toward the last city to engage in a daring attempt to free their friend from the jaws of the beast. But they must contend with ghosts from the past in the process.

One "pro" Death Cure review I read indicated that this film is a stand alone film that does not require seeing the other films to understand what is going on. That is complete and utter nonsense. This film is wholly dependent on the existing storyline to move forward. There are numerous references, reunions and past plotlines that weave into the current story. While you may enjoy the action sequences, you will be lost in some of the dialogue if you have not seen the other stories. I had to put my thinking cap on to make connections to the previous story because I had forgotten much of the earlier story. It is forgettable. The story has some subtext related to class warfare and fascism, but it is primarily a dystopian survival story with teen heroes and heroines.

Death Cure relies on special effects and a few action sequences to engage audiences. The characters have a bit of development, but it is superficial. The plot is derivative, contrived and predictable. It is a vehicle for showcasing teen heroes for a teen audience, complete with big special effects. As a story, it is mediocre. The characters are given a degree of likability by the casting. While not necessarily credible, O'Brien brings charm to his character. There is a love triangle of sorts, played out with his two female interests played by Kaya Scodelario and Rosa Salazar. I didn't care much for either of them. Their characters are both far fetched and just not engaging. Aidan Gillen (GoT Littlefinger) has a bit of bad guy typecast working, but he is solid in that type of role. I liked his performance. The rest of the cast was decent.

Death Cure runs way too long at two hours and twenty-two minutes. The ending, in particular, was protracted. And it was erroneous as well. Thomas wakes up on a distant island, still suffering from a wound recently received. Fresh blood on the bandage and all. But they are already harvesting corn? Sloppy. The film started out with great pacing and bogged down as they tried to figure out how to tie things together. It felt a bit distracted at the end. The film is rated PG-13 for language, violence and thematic elements. Teens, tweens and older should be fine. This film is definitely geared towards the teens, hence the PG-13 rating.

Maze Runner: Death Cure is the final in a trilogy of mediocre films. Maze Runner had a score of 6.8 on IMDb, while it's sequel Scorch Trials had a tepid 6.3 score. Death Cure is currently sitting at 7.1 on IMDb, but that score will probably settle to around 6.8 given some time. My theory is that the fanboys are always first to see a movie, often distorting the early scoring. There is nothing new or special about Death Cure. The film has some decent action and great special effects. The acting is average. The film struggles to wrap up the ending, drawing the run time out far beyond where it needed to be. If you are a fan of the series, go see it at the theater. If not, wait for it to stream. 6.5/10.