I liked The Maze Runner. What worked well within the film was that, since the characters were confined to the small scale of the maze, they were able to explore friendships and have realistic developments that translated through the screen. This made the film standout from the book-to-film adaptations that litter the screen every year.

Alas, the same cannot be said about its sequel, Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials.

Picking up after the first film, Thomas (Dylan O’Bryan) and the remaining Gladers are taken into a secret facility by Mr. Jenson (Aiden Gillen). However, realizing that their saviors are members of the World Catastrophe Killzone Division (WCKD – clever, right?), they head out into “The Scorch,” the remains of Earth after a solar flare.

The characters go off into uncharted territory, aiming to escape from WCKD and hide from a new threat, the “Cranks.” This, however, is where everything starts to stumble.

Most of the action scenes in the film grew to become formulaic after the first one, with the Gladers eluding their enemies as though it was a practiced routine. After running from a lightning storm into a warehouse filled with Cranks (zombies that are comically out of place) within two minutes of each other, I grew bored.

The film also succumbs to the same trap many action films do: romance. With the introduction of Brenda (Rosa Salazar), romantic tension immediately falls in place. But the sad part is that there is no buildup. The moment Brenda, Thomas, and Teresa (Kaya Scodelario) are in a scene together, the film tries to push a triangle that instead becomes a groan.

The development between characters also takes a backseat to the action. Since the characters were confined to the Glades in the first film, there was much more room for interactions between this tight-knit group of teens. However, these developments are far and few throughout the movie, with most of them being cut-off by action sequences.

In spite of these drawbacks, the film does have its standout moments. The imagery and action are striking, the set pieces are visually stunning and the score ties both aspects together. Director Wes Ball, returning from the first film, draws out great performances from the cast, with Dylan O’Brian proving once again that he shouldn’t be confined to the small screen.

In spite of these improvements, Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials doesn’t deliver in the categories where the first film excelled. Let’s just hope that, come the inevitable conclusion, we’ll see the best film the series has to offer.

Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials is now playing.