Following in the footsteps of the “The Maze Runner’s” world success, “Maze Runner: Scorch Trials” impresses viewers. The 2014 release of “The Maze Runner” ended up with a rating of 6.8 on IMDb. As for the 2015 release of “Maze Runner: Scorch Trials,” it resulted with a 7.1 rating on IMDb, ranking higher than the first movie.

“Maze Runner: Scorch Trials” takes place after 16 year old Thomas, played by Dylan O’Brien, and his fellow Gladers escaped the life threatening maze from the first movie. In this sequel, they’re thrown into an experimental facility hung on trying to unlock the secret of how people like Thomas are immune to the Flare; a virus that has infected most of the population. Thomas and his friends realize that there is more going on at this facility than Janson, the facility director, played by Aidan Gillen, is leading on. In a moment of panic, Thomas and his friends escape the facility and they wind up out in the Scorch, their previous world that’s been destroyed.

When they’re out in the open, the overall feeling of the movie definitely takes on a darker tone. Viewers can feel the sense of the characters leaving their comfort zone and adrenaline rises on both sides of the screen.

“The second movie was more exciting than the first,” Taylor Maxwell, freshman, said. “It had more jump scenes, however, it didn’t have as good of acting as the first.”

I thought that “Maze Runner: Scorch Trials” did a very good job integrating the aspect of horror since the first one was more of an introductory movie letting you into the world of the characters. They transitioned from action movie to horror very smoothly and it didn’t leave viewers wondering if they were the same genre or not.

I would give this movie an A. It was filmed really well with good camera angles and any viewer could see the effort they put into it. This isn’t a sequel that falls short of the previous movie, like most sequels do. Movies that follow a book series have a hard time living up to the books but “Maze Runner: Scorch Trials” had no trouble, also I enjoyed how characters pasts were revealed in greater detail, this added another layer of complexity to the film. Due to the success of the past two films, “Maze Runner: The Death Cure”, is planning to be released in 2017.

“I hope to see more use of action and character relationships in the next film,” Maxwell said.

This movie will leave viewers sitting on the edge of their seats avidly waiting for the next scene as well as the next film. Questions about loyalty remain unanswered as well the true motives of the characters. “Maze Runner: Scorch Trials,” is a must see.