Welcome back to the Maze Runner series, where teen dystopian drama meets The Walking Dead. The Death Cure is the third and final installment which sees our hero, Thomas (Dylan O’Brien) on a mission to save his friends from the clutches of WCKD (“wicked,” as it’s said in the film), a corrupt organization bent on curing a horrible disease.

Thomas is one of very few people left on earth immune to this disease that has ravaged society and turned people into hideous zombies. WCKD captures the immune and runs torturous tests on them to try and extract an antidote. Where that antidote lies will present Thomas with a moral dilemma that, after being pushed to the brink of his physical and emotional limits, promises to take a piece of him no matter which path he takes.

Death Cure kicks off 2018 with a heavy dose of repetition. The plot cycles through its pattern multiple times by the end, often removing any potential element of shock or surprise. No matter how many times Thomas faces certain death, there’s always that supporting character who comes to the rescue out of nowhere. When a supporting role suddenly vanishes, you could bet your soda and outrageously large popcorn that they’ll be back to save the day, “when you least expect it,” of course. Wes Ball, who directed the first two films, squanders his surprises by abusing them to the point where they aren’t surprising anymore, even predictable.

That’s not to say that the supporting characters are totally lifeless. They’re still interesting and compelling, and their actors sell them well. O’Brien is a lightning bolt with a great ensemble around him. Betrayal severs bonds that beg to be reunited, and a struggle between two of our main characters remains the most gripping element.

Unfortunately, the narrative is busy and crowded, making for a two-hour-and-twenty-minute overkill. It’s painfully long, potentially infecting the audience and turning them into zombies, as well.

While sporadically absorbing, the story is hindered by repetition and occasionally succumbs to melodrama. Death Cure brings the series to a close with not so much a bang but a firecracker that makes you jolt a few times before it fizzes out sadly on the street—a disappointing end to a saga whose brightest moments burned early and never became anything better than okay.

Sails: 2.5/5

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