Movie review

MAZE RUNNER: THE DEATH CURE

Running time: 142 minutes. Rated PG-13 (sci-fi violence, language).

Lock your doors and hide your Sansas — Littlefinger has returned!

OK, not really. But “Game of Thrones” actor Aidan Gillen has, indeed, slithered back to the third and final chapter of the “Maze Runner” film series, in which he plays a character just as vile, conniving and, well, squirmy as Petyr Baelish.

Here he’s Janson, leader of the evil WCKD organization (pronounced “Wicked,” these thugs could use some serious brand reinvention). Desperately seeking a cure for a worldwide zombie plague, WCKD spent years inhumanely experimenting on a group of boys who have a rare immunity to the devastating virus. Now, those trigger-happy teens are hungry for a new life — but not before getting revenge.

“The Death Cure” starts where the last film, “The Scorch Trials,” left off. Thomas (Dylan O’Brien) and his pals plan to sail away to an island safe-haven, hoping to escape the increasingly hostile world. But first they must rescue their man Minho (Ki Hong Lee) from WCKD’s clutches. Minho is being kept prisoner in the walled-off Last City, where he’s subjected to even more cruel laboratory tests by a jerk doctor played by Patricia Clarkson.

You know what that means — road trip!

The group’s journey to get back their guy is not one of great emotional or psychological complexity. The characters’ motivations here are textbook simple: survival, love and friendship. And that’s just dandy. While a reliance on obvious feelings doesn’t make for great Oscar bait, it certainly drives a taut, wholly enjoyable action flick, such as “The Death Cure.”

Plus the performances actually rise above the usual empty-headed jockishness of the genre.

With the “Maze Runner” series and last year’s “American Assassin” already under his belt, 26-year-old O’Brien has rapidly emerged as a very likable, but imposing action star. His most special skill, however, is setting a film’s tone. O’Brien never allows the proceedings to become either too heavy or too light, which is key for a young-adult action movie. Another solid turn comes from Thomas Brodie-Sangster (also from “Game of Thrones”) as Newt. His commanding yet geeky portrayal is a sharp nod to “Lord of the Flies.”

“The Death Cure” doesn’t work on every level. The movie has, for the most part, jettisoned many of the story’s previous science fiction elements to focus more on action. In so doing, it relies on a lot of repeat devices to earn its thrills — namely perfectly timed, life-saving rescues, often from the sky. Sometimes, you just want to hear some scientists talk shop for a minute.

But, hey, a few of those fight and chase sequences are a-maze-ing.

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