The Strangers: Prey At Night Isn't​ As Well-crafted Nor As Creepy As The First But Still Manages To Be Reasonably Entertaining

      Crafting a sequel to a successful horror film is by no means an easy task as expectations are high for that film to meet or exceed the standard set by its former predecessor both critically and financially. In most cases, horror sequels end up falling short of the standard set by their originals. Very rarely does a horror sequel live up to the expectations placed upon it, while turning out to be a worthy entry in their respective franchises. Even though a horror sequel may not quite reach the heights of the first movie, that doesn't necessarily mean that it's devoid of its own form of entertainment value as generating the same kind of scare twice is an extremely challenging job for horror filmmakers to pull off. In the case of The Strangers: Prey At Night, the filmmakers behind the long-awaited horror sequel hope to generate the same kind of impact with audiences that the previous Strangers left with them a decade prior in summer 2008. While the first The Strangers wasn't necessarily a runaway smash hit, it still proved to be a sizable one with audiences grossing $52 million domestically and over $80 million worldwide with a strong desire for a sequel to be green-lighted. Strangely enough, it took a decade for a sequel to the first film to arrive in theaters with fans who've seen the film wondering what took so long as the overall quality of the film isn't anything to warrant such a substantial wait. Unfortunately, The Strangers: Prey At Night is not as good of a horror sequel that fans have been hoping for it to be with such a long wait, though the end film isn't a total loss as it manages to reasonably entertain fans of the original despite taking a step back.

      The plot for The Strangers: Prey At Night centers around a family (Played by Christina Hendricks, Martin Henderson, Bailee Madison, and Lewis Pullman) going on a road trip that leads them to an isolated trailer park in hopes of staying with some relatives. However once they arrive, they discover that the park is abandoned and while staying in one of the trailers, become terrorized by a masked trio (Played by Emma Bellomy, Damian Maffei and Lea Enslin) wielding both knives and axes, leaving with the family no choice but to escape for their own survival. What The Strangers: Prey At Night does well with its story is maintaining the same story structure as the first film, while expanding the body count from being a helpless couple to a full-blown family of four being terrorized by unknown outside forces. The sequel understands what made the first film work so well with audiences and aims to stick close to that formula along with adding new twists and turns to the plot. Whereas the second film is effective in terms of building off the foundation of it's predecessor, it often feels as if it takes a backwards step in regards to quality. The sequel doesn't feel as well-crafted as the first film, and lacks a key moment that generated the kind of response from audiences they had upon seeing the strangers in the house for the first time in the original. The main characters also aren't as likable and sympathetic this time around, which makes the audience confused on whether they should root for their survival or for the strangers to get them. They aren't an unlikable family to where they deserve to get killed as no member of the bunch warrants that (Though they will drive audiences nuts with some of their logic during the films chase or kill sequences), but they also aren't people the audience will go crazy for. Despite those issues with the sequel, Prey At Night still has enough elements that work in it's favor, making it feel like a routine though effective horror flick. What works in the sequels favor is it maintains the mystery behind the strangers terrorizing the family, which was a key element of the first film that ultimately worked so well. The audience still doesn't know the motivation behind the strangers committing horrific acts of murder with the response from one of them being simply "Why not?" when questioned about why they're doing this. It's what the audience doesn't know that makes the situation much more intense and creepy. Thankfully, the makers of The Strangers: Prey At Night understand that cause they maintain the mystery. As a sequel that's​ tied to the first Strangers film, Prey At Night falls short of the strength of the first one in regards to being on par quality wise. However as a distant horror sequel with its own story, it has something to offer in terms of being entertaining and providing some decent jump scares.

      As far as the films performances go, the acting by the main cast proves to be both believable and ultimately convincing. In the films main role, Bailee Madison is serviceable as the families troubled daughter Kinsey, whose supposed to spend one last reunion with her family before being sent off to juvenile hall. Madison makes the most out of her role as the audience doesn't care much for her part at first but grow to like her throughout the course of the film, especially when she's forced to take action to help her family and assumes the role of being the strong female character in a typical horror flick. Lewis Pullman does well playing Kinsey's brother Luke with both Pullman and Madison carrying natural chemistry as brother and sister, along with conveying the right emotions of being terrified at what's unfolding throughout the story in their intense scenes. On the young characters front, both actors give performances that makeup for the shallow development the script gives their characters while managing to make the audience care about them to a certain extent. For the roles of the parents, Christina Hendricks and Martin Henderson both turn in notable and convincing performances as mother and father of Kinsey and Luke, Cindy and Mike. Their characters feel like the typical caring yet reluctant parents, who don't believe their children's story at first regarding what's happening, then ultimately end up fighting to save them when the situation unfolds. Hendricks and Handerson like their young counterparts, make the most of their parts in trying to craft a flawed yet sympathetic family that the audience ultimately wants to see survive regardless of their faults. As for the films main trio of strangers, Emma Bellomy, Damian Maffei and Lea Enslin all succeed in being both genuinely creepy and effective with their parts. Even though the audience doesn't really get to see their faces with the exception of a few quick moments in the film, they give off a chilling presence that adds much to the mystery of their characters as well as their terrifying presence with their masks. Overall, the cast of The Strangers: Prey At Night work hard to make something of their story and it shows. The performances are about what you expect them to be for this type of horror film, with the audience clearly seeing the energy brought out on the screen to make this a fun ride despite not quite being on the same level as the previous one. Believability is a key part in being able to sell the story to the audience, with both the actors and filmmakers pulling it off for the most part in the acting department.

      The films directing by Johannes Roberts proves to be both serviceable and decent with Roberts being able to create a dark and tense atmosphere, that utilizes the appropriate amount of light, making it hard for the main characters as well as the audience to see what surrounds them on the screen. Both the films soundtrack and score are perfect with them not only adding intensity to the scenes, but giving the film an 80's retro feel to it. Roberts definitely molds the film to act as a homage to 1980's classic slasher flicks with the films cinematography, set design, and soundtrack all strongly giving off that vibe with the film being tightly paced. The pacing of the film feels just right with the beginning portion of the film being properly utilized to give the audience as much character development as the script allows to make them invested in the family. However when the films horror elements kick in, the movie takes off and doesn't give the audience much room to catch their breath as the trio of strangers slowly make their move on each member of the family. The film feels like an old school Friday The 13th slasher flicks meets 80's John Carpenter with the films soundtrack brilliantly utilizing each classic song to properly fit their suspenseful moments. With The Strangers: Prey At Night, Roberts trades the slow yet well-crafted buildup of suspense the first film possessed for larger set pieces though always maintaining a dark and chilling atmosphere. Even though the movie takes place around a large trailer park setting, Roberts manages to give the set a claustrophobic vibe which makes the main characters feel trapped along with feeling like no matter what actions they take, they're always one step behind the trio of strangers slowly planning their demise. One of the true elements of the film that pays direct homage to the slasher flicks of the 80's, is the fact that the killers appear to be not just in one location but feel as if they're everywhere in the trailer park without explanation. As far as the films atmosphere and tone goes, Roberts does reasonably well and proves most effective in creating a new twisted horror story that essentially feels like a love letter to the 1980's era of horror films. There are some genuinely cool moments in the film such as the well-executed pool sequence, that's beautifully shot and effective with both its cinematography and soundtrack, a nightmarish moment involving a stranger driving a truck even after being lit on fire, the main survivor of the story hopping in the back of a truck passing by that stops for assistance, and barely dodging the axe of the killer upon doing so in a vein similar to the climax of Texas Chainsaw Massacre with the truck driving on fire feeling like a homage to the end of Halloween ll with the main villain still pursuing the final girl while being engulfed in flames before finally giving up. It's moments like these that give strength to the film which ultimately making it something more than just a copycat of the first film.

      Co-written by Bryan Bertino who wrote and directed the first film and Ben Ketai, The Strangers: Prey At Night feels very much like a distant sequel to the original and pays homage to it while assembling key components of its plot to make for a proper continuation. What works with the script is the maintaining of the ambiguity of the killers, as well as keeping them faceless for the most part. Some of the films moments that work in regards to adding to the twisted nature of their characters, is the killers standing in front of each member of the family in their separate scenes while appearing rather emotionless. Moments where the killers use their music to strike against their prey includes a scene where one of the masked strangers waits for the right song to start in the truck they're driving before making their move. It's little moments like these that add to the creepiness of their presence without any explanation given as to why they're doing this. The use of the trailer park setting works in the stories favor as it uses the same claustrophobic structure as the previous film, though provides a larger playground for both the main characters as well as the antagonists. Given that the script doesn't leave a significant amount of room for developing the main family, it's also not completely devoid of its efforts in doing so. The character development with the family feels basic without going into too much elaboration. The audience knows just enough about them to get an anchor for each character, along with providing distinctions between each member. The character of Kinsey feels like a typical generic rebellious and troubled teenager, who defies her parents wishes at first then shapens up by the films end with her fighting for her family. The mother is shown to understand her daughter's issues while at the same time throwing in the towel in regards to helping her, leaving it to others to reach her. The father role feels typical and standard with his character being somewhat oblivious as to what's happening within his own family. The beginning portion of the film spends time setting up each member of the family, so the audience gets a feel for their personalities and family relationship as a whole. One of the scripts most interesting plot points is the strengthening of Kinsey and Luke's characters, making the audience go from not caring too much about them in the beginning due to their flaws to them ultimately rooting for their survival (The pool scene is a prime example of one caring for their safety). The film carries themes within it's script that pertain to troubled youth which help to enhance the character of Kinsey, as well as giving audiences a brief glimpse of the relationship between her and her mother whose confident that boarding school will work in changing her daughter much to the fathers uncertainty of it. In addition to the murder and mayhem aspect of the film, elements pertaining to regret, parenting, loss, and families protecting each other are all at play here. As for the families handling of the situation regarding the trio when the terror begins, the results are mixed at best. Those watching this are bound to find frustration with some of the characters actions in the film in regards to not doing enough to ensure their survival or giving the feeling that they're being passive at certain parts when they should either be: A). Planning their escape or B). Fighting harder against the trio terrorizing them. There's even instances where the main characters lose valuable weapons to the antagonists, or feel as if they're literally waiting to be killed off cause they feel like there's no escape. These elements are what harms the film in a sense because they make it fall into a position where it feels as if the film is relying on generic horror movie tropes and cliches to glue the script together. The moments where the script pays homage to the first Strangers such as the main characters being asked by one of the killers: "Is Tamara home?", serves as being fun winks to the fans of the first Strangers while helping to distract from the scripts struggles at being realistic with its scenario. In regards to the realism of both stories, the first The Strangers wins hands down as well as having a better buildup of suspense, tension, and character development. However, the sequel gives those who left the theater pissed at the climax of the previous film some satisfaction here as they're able to witness more damage being directed at the trio this time by the young kids.

      Overall, The Strangers: Prey at Night is a different film than its predecessor and ultimately not as good, but it also doesn't suck as a horror flick. It suffers from the classic case of being all too familiar with what's been previously established and not taking things further out with the story. The villains still remain creepy and exciting with serviceable characters, that will both frustrate the audience as well as hold their attention as the film progresses. There's enough of what made the first Strangers film work so well here with audiences, that's present to make this a satisfactory sequel, though there's no denying that it could've been better. A similar comparison to both Strangers films is Quarantine as well as its sequel, Quarantine 2: Terminal. While the first Quarantine film was effective in giving audiences the terrifying ride that was promised in the films trailers, Terminal acted as a distant sequel to the original with a brand new story despite utilizing the first films main title. Though it wasn't quite as good as the first, Terminal managed to work as being an entertaining sequel on its own merits. The same applies with The Strangers: Prey At Night as it proudly acknowledges its predecessors roots, but opts to go in a different direction with its story while maintaining the spirit of the original. Perhaps that was a wise decision on the filmmakers part for this sequel as the film attempts to inject some new life into the series for a newer generation compared to the one that watched the original a decade prior. It's not as well-constructed nor as creative as the original Strangers, but it packs enough entertainment value and some decent kills to make it worth watching for horror fans as well as those who enjoyed the first film. Just don't expect it to be quite as good.

Final Verdict: For fans of The Strangers and horror fans in general, The Strangers: Prey At Night is a flawed yet entertaining sequel to its predecessor, though lacks the creativity and skillful craftsmanship that made that film a surprise hit with audiences.

Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes Of Grindelwald Entertains Despite Somewhat Uneven Storytelling

      Few franchises experience the good fortune and lasting appeal that J.K Rowling's Harry Potter series has endured as a worldwide phenomenon, both in the form of international best-selling literature as well as a critically acclaimed blockbuster movie franchise. With the Fantastic Beasts film series, the intent was always that the same kind of lightning and excitement from fans that made the Harry Potter series a global hit would strike twice with the prequel series of books leading up to The Sorcerers Stone. The first film Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them, proved itself to be the prequel that fans were hoping it to be both in terms of quality and box office. It succeeded in introducing newer characters who stem from the same world, while building up connections to the later stories involving Harry Potter and Dumbledore. With Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes Of Grindelwald, the filmmakers aim to bridge the two stories even closer together with a follow-up to the 2016 film, that's even darker and more intense than the first chapter. Whereas Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them boasted a straight-forward narrative, which made it relatively easy for both fans and non-fans to understand and enjoy it, The Crimes Of Grindelwald possesses a more uneven narrative that doesn't quite feel as well-executed and put together as its predecessor despite still managing to be a strong follow up to that film, along with possessing some of the older films magic.

      The plot for Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes Of Grindelwald continues from where the previous film left off in J.K Rowling's Wizarding World series. The new installment has magizoologist Newt Skamander (Played by The Theory Of Everything's Eddie Redmayne) and his loyal companion (Dan Fogler) traveling to Paris in hopes of preventing a dark wizard (Played by Johnny Depp) from leading all the pureblooded wizards in an attempt to take over the world, along with ruling over all non-magical people. The first Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them worked well in regards to building off the mythology of the Harry Potter story, while creating its own new spinoff of films that remain interesting with intriguing characters. The film was not only visually stunning to watch but had humor, heart, and strong performances from a talented cast that brought a fresh dose of energy and excitement to the story. Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes Of Grindelwald retains much of the elements that made the previous film work so well with the films scenery once again being breathtaking to watch with the majestical feel of the universe remaining intact. The cast of Grindelwald once again shines through the material despite the films narrative finding itself struggling to remain focused in certain areas. What the new film does well that keeps it from being a major disappointment after a solid beginning to the prequel series, is it continues the world building that the previous film initiated along with raising the stakes for the characters in the story. The film settles for a darker and more mature tone compared to the first Fantastic Beasts, which could be summed up as being a fun-filled story from start to finish. The main issue with the new Fantastic Beasts is despite successfully relaunching the Harry Potter franchise from a different perspective, the newer series runs into the issue of it not being sure exactly where it wants to go next with the films story with subplots feeling like they're all over the place, ultimately resulting in creating more unnecessary mandering rather than moving the story along in a fashion that's both exciting and thrilling. Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes Of Grindelwald is a film that had all the potential of surpassing its predecessor in every aspect of its storytelling, yet it ends up feeling less satisfying of a film in terms of its overall storytelling despite having enough of what made the previous film work to make it a reasonably satisfying effort.

      As far as the films acting goes, the performances are key to bringing the Fantastic Beasts storyline to life in a way that's both believable and convincing. The cast is extremely well put together and make the most of the roles given to them, even if some of the key characters from the previous film feel like they've been brushed aside here with the main example being Eddie Redmayne's character Newt. Redmayne once again delivers a strong performance with his character despite him being sidelined in the films middle portion. There's a sense of fun, goofiness, and wonder about his character which was introduced in the previous film, that appears to be absent here with his character feeling more straight-forward and bland given the newer films tone (Still Redmayne manages to deliver and make the best of the material given to him). Johnny Depp delivers a strong performance in the role of the films main antagonist Gindelwald, an infamous and powerful dark wizard who causes mass violence, terror and chaos around the globe. Depp brings his A game to the part with him portraying the character as being dark and eccentric, making him fall in line with the unique style of characters he generally plays. Jude Law not only impresses but proves to be a perfect fit as a young, wise, and manipulative Dumbledore with him resembling Richard Harris version of the character moreso than Michael Gambon. Dan Fogler reprises his role from the first film as Newt's loyal friend Jacob Kowalski, a No-Maj veteran of World War l as well as the primary love interest to Queenies character. Fogler returns and once again delivers a likable and charming performance with his character. His chemistry with Redmayne remains spot on with the two working well together in the previous film. Alison Sudol also returns and shines once again as both Newt's friend and Jacob's lover Queenie Goldstein. Ezra Miller also reprises as the severely abused and disturbed Aurelius Dumbledore/Credence Barebone. He does a convincing job of playing a character, whose essentially fed up with people's overall treatment of him. His character played a significant role in the previous films third act with his role being expanded here, mostly due to the subplot involving him being sought by Gindelwald. Zoe Kravitz impresses as Newt's emotionally damaged and confusing ex- lover, who still exerts some form of control over him despite showcasing mixed feelings. Other notable supporting cast roles are Katherine Waterston as Tina Goldstein, a promoted Auror for the Magical Congress of the United States Of America. Carmen Ejogo reprises her role from the previous film as Madame President of the MCUSA Seraphina Picquery, though her role here is limited compared to the last film. Other noteworthy supporting roles in the film are Callum Turner as Newt's older brother Theseus Scamander, Claudia Kim as Nagini, the main attraction of a wizarding circus and freak show called Circus Arcanus, with a blood curse that can permanently transform her into a snake, and William Nadylam as a French-Senegalese wizard named Yusuf Kama. Whereas the film has issues that pertain to the way it tells its story, the same can't be said for its cast as everyone delivers performances that are not only convincing, but well-crafted and show the actors obvious enthusiasm for being apart of the franchise. The films casting along with the actors performances are a key reason the newer Harry Potter franchise has been as successful as it's achieved thus far.

      On a directorial note, David Yates who helmed previous installment as well as other films in the Harry Potter franchise such as Order Of The Phoenix, Half-Blooded Prince, and Deathly Hallows Part 1 and 2, returns to the directing chair for The Crimes Of Grindenwald and further expands the world building of the new series universe with an atmosphere, that serves as being both dark and visually stunning  One thing that can be said about Yates directing with the series, is how he's able to bring the world of the books to life on the big screen in a way which makes them feel real and dazzling. Here he doesn't disappoint on that end, but allows the story to be rather unfocused compared to the previous film. The use of CGI in the film also feels heavier in usage compared to the first Fantastic Beasts despite appearing to be impressive, particularly the look of the magical creatures. Where Yates excels as a director is building the trust of the audience in allowing him to take the material that J.K Rowling writes and bring her groundbreaking Wizarding World to the big screen. An example of Yates compatibility as a director of Rowling's work is the films stunning opening sequence that's exciting, breathtaking to watch visually, and immediately draws the audience into the story. As a chase scene, its brilliantly well done and one of the main highlights of the newer series of Harry Potter films thus far. Yates skillfulness as a director of the series is accompanied by the films technical elements such as its stellar cinematography, that captures the beautiful imagery in the wizarding world. In addition to the film being well-shot, its set and costume designs go hand in hand with putting the audience in the scene with the characters. As far as the films editing goes, the story tends to feel both long and drawn-out at times when the narrative detours from the main plot to set up characters and events with the intent of being explored in later films. The adding of in depth backstories for certain characters tended to feel rather unnecessary and ultimately resulted in making the plot harder to follow narratively speaking. That's the total opposite of the previous film where the audience was able to follow the characters of Newt and Jacob with Newt attempting to rectify the problems created by the opening of his suitcase. Whereas Yates remains a strong director for the series as a whole in regards to bringing the story from page to screen in a way that feels both real and convincing, he struggles in regards to keeping the narrative focused on the characters that made the original a hit with audiences.

      The films screenplay by J.K Rowling despite being detailed and overall workable, hands down poses the films strongest issues in regards to its storytelling. Outside of the audience focusing on the character of Newt, Grindelwald, or Dumbledore, the story isn't as interesting nor as engaging as it was the previous time around with the films main issue being its uneven narrative. The script does far too many shifting around with characters and subplots, that it often confuses audiences in regards to them understanding what is happening with the general narrative along with slowing the films pacing. The film is basically a story about how a sociopathic individual essentially manipulated good people into committing atrocities with both the era of the story, as well as the character of Gindelwald himself sharing direct parallels with 1930's Germany. The films screenplay carries with it themes not just pertaining to magic but those of revenge, freedom, siblings, family, regret, discovering one's family tree, one's lust for power, and doing what is right for no other reason other than the simple virtrue of it being right. The films ultimate message that J.K Rowling drives home with her script as convulted as it comes across, is that it's never too late to unburden oneself from past regret and guilt. The biggest problem with the films script is that it feels like it tries to have everything crammed into it with the film setting up elements for future installments rather than just focus on the plot at hand. Whereas the story for the first Fantastic Beasts wasn't anything groundbreaking in particular, it set up a strong foundation for a new series of films with characters that were not only appealing, but showed potential to grow with the right development depending on the scripts for the sequels. Instead of the characters further progressing in terms of development here, they ultimately feel as if they took a step back by both the films messy and uneven narrative.

      In the end, Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes Of Gindelwald will prove to be a divisive film in the new prequel series as fans will either accept it as a worthy follow-up to the last film or flat out reject it with the feeling that both Yates and Rowling could've developed the story much further with a stronger and more consistent film. For all its faults, Crimes Of Grindelwald is not a bad film as the positives far outweigh the negatives along with Rowling's touch of Wizardly magic present in the story. However, it's not going to go down as being the epic follow-up it was intended nor get fans psyched for the release of the third film. Despite it's faults, it still manages to entertain and keep the newer series alive for a future installment. Though hopefully the next one is more focused in terms of story and goes back to the basic fundamentals that made the first Fantastic Beasts such a hit with the focus being on the main characters. As a bridge between the first and third movie, The Crimes Of Grindelwald manages to work though as a sequel to the first Fantastic Beasts that's meant to take things out futher, it comes up short. The apparent lack of originality with the films story becomes evident when the filmmakers showcase Easter egg after Easter egg from previous Harry Potter films so that certain events and moments could be recollected, even to the point where it feels forced. Although not perfect, Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes Of Grindelwald aims to please those who enjoyed the previous film along with introducing more fans of the original set of Harry Potter films to the newer story. However, it can be said that if one hasn't read the book for this film nor seen the previous movie, they will not understand the story being presented and ultimately end up being both disappointed and frustrated. The Crimes Of Grindelwald can be considered a lot of things from being rich in visuals though uneven in storytelling, but it still manages to be a reasonably satisfying follow-up to the previous Fantastic Beasts with hope that the third film will revert back to the character driven style of the first that made it a significant hit with audiences.

Final Verdict: If you're a fan of the Harry Potter series and enjoyed both the movies as well as the last Fantastic Beasts film, then The Crimes Of Grindelwald, despite its share of issues, is ultimately worth the watch.

The Maze Runner: Death Cure Concludes Its Popular Trilogy in A Fashion That's Both Respectable And Honorable

   Movies based on best selling books are hard to transfer to the big screen. In most cases, these films fail to live up to the standard set by the source material. The ones that rarely succeed are either successful as their own standalone stories, or become sizable enough hits to generate their own franchises of films. The latter ended up being the case for The Maze Runner series with the first film performing well enough with audiences to spawn two sequels with The Scorch Trials, and the much-anticipated conclusion to the storyline titled Death Cure. Greenlighted at a time where The Hunger Games series was at it's prime in terms of being huge hits both critically and financially, Hollywood looked for every type of story with similar narrative structures to bring to the big screen in hopes of generating similar levels of success from box office and critical misfires such as The Giver to series that began strong but ended in disappointment such as the Divergent series. With The Maze Runner, the end result was being a low-level hit at the box office despite mixed reviews, that pushed its team to produce three full movies with the end result being diminishing box office returns despite the overall arc of the trilogy becoming more interesting. With Death Cure, The Maze Runner series comes to its fitting yet somewhat uneven conclusion, that wraps up its three film story arc in a matter that proves to be fairly satisfying for fans of the series.

      The third installment of The Maze Runner trilogy sees its plot focusing on the leaders of the surviving Gladers (Played effectively by Dylan O' Brien, Thomas BrodieSangster and Dexter Darden) fighting to free the teenage victims of unethical medical experiments designed to find a cure for a zombie virus. The first Maze Runner wasn't anything groundbreaking by any means but it was effective in setting up the main characters, as well as the atmosphere and tone of the story. The audience didn't know much about what was happening outside the Maze until the films third act with the first two acts successfully setting up the films characters and themes. The second Maze Runner surprised as being a stronger film than its predecessor with the audience knowing more about the zombie virus, as well as the powers at be who are using the kids as experiments to find the cure. Whereas the first Maze Runner left things rather vague but created a mysterious yet exciting atmosphere with a sense of urgency to it, the second takes it all to the next level with a darker and more mature storyline that contained even more action while shedding the mystery of the previous film. Death Cure doesn't possess the mystery of the first film, but takes the action of the second and gives audiences more of it while working tirelessly to present a bloated yet fitting end to the franchise. While fans of the previous two films will accept the conclusion that the filmmakers deliver to them in most cases, newer audiences will not understand Death Cures story as it's required that they watch the previous two films prior to this one to fully understand and potentially enjoy it, whereas those were strong enough to be watched on their own respectably unlike this one. The key to enjoying this trilogy is that fans must catch the story from the beginning to understand the plot, as well as grow connected with the characters in order to understanding their motives here. Of the three Maze Runner films, Death Cure provides the weakest installment of the trilogy, but still manages to provide enough action and character development to end the series with a reasonable ounce of dignity. However, no one who didn't catch the previous two Maze Runner films will enjoy this movie nor understand it without getting the full grasp of the story.

      One of the strongest elements of the trilogy thus far has lied within the performances of it's main cast. The young actors go a long way with adding much believability and tension to the films story with Dylan O' Brien once again delivering a terrific performance as the Gladers main group leader Thomas. Brien brings the same likable and sympathetic performance to the part with his character showing true progression from where the story began along with proving to be a fitting young lead, who manages to make his character both a strong and relatable one. The same can be said for Kaya Scodelario as Teresa with the audience left questioning her characters actions with the end of Scorched
Trials. Her chemistry with Brien remains strong and on point with the audience caring about their relationship. Thomas Brodie-Sangster once again steals the show and gives the main leads a run for their money as Thomas friend and partner Newt. His character has been one of the main highlights of the first two films in terms of casting with his performance here being no exception. His character carries his strongest and most emotional arc of all three films in Death Cure. Ki Hong Lee does well playing Minho, glader and former keeper of the runners of Goup A, who becomes Thomas best friend throughout the course of the series as he joined him to escape WICKER'S attempts to restore their memories along with saving the immunes from the maze. Will Poutler reprises his role from the first film as Gally, one of the head members of the running team, that was against Thomas from the start and saw him as trouble for the maze group. His characters transformation at the end of the first film to his surprise appearance here, proves to be both a genuine and slick surprise for the audience. Rosa Salazar from Alita: Battle Angel continues to impress as Brenda, a member of Thomas group who helps him, Minho, and Newt escape from WICKED'S headquarters. As for the older actors, Breaking Bad's Giancarlo Esposito returns from the second film as Thomas ally Jorge, leader of a group of rebels the Gladers met in The Scorch Trials. Game Of Thrones Aidan Gillen also reprises his role as Janson from the second Maze Runner with him, the assistant director of WICKED with Gillen continuing to chew up the scenery as one of the films main antagonists. Patricia Clarkson also shines as Ava, the trilogies central villain who happens to be the chancellor of WICKED as well as being the one responsible for both managing and organizing the search for a cure to the virus called Flare with her tactics including the sending of young teenagers into the Maze to study the minds of the immune. Other notable supporting roles are Barry Pepper as another ally of Thomas and the group Vince, Nathalie Emmanuel as Harriet, and Jacob Lofland as Ari's. One of the strongest elements of The Maze Runner trilogy has always been the type of actors the filmmakers choose to play the characters in the stories as everyone not only works well off each other, but demonstrate strong chemistry along with strength as an ensemble. The performances play a huge part in why the series was able to make it as far as it has on film with Death Cure being the emotionally fitting finale that the story requires it to be.

      In terms of the films directing, Wes Ball who helmed the previous two films in the series, returns to the directors chair once again and films this one much in a similar fashion that he directed the first two. He keeps the tone dark like The Scorch Trials and the action intense like that film with steady pacing. Much like the previous two films, the special effects are both well-done and handled with the fight scenes being intense, thrilling, and well-filmed with solid cinematography. The films score by John Paesano, who also helmed the previous installments in the series, proves to be both solid and effective with the music enhancing the action and adventure aspects of the story, along with the drama. The films editing makes this the longest installment of the series clocking in at 142 minutes with the expectation being that the series gets its explosive and grand finale with the third film. The films long running time also keeps in line with each previous film expanding its length significantly as more subplots and character moments are thrown at the audience on top of the action. The films visual effects and set designs are impressive with the film carrying a dystopian setting, that consists largely of glass and steel with scenes taking place within long corridors and laboratories with the intention of giving audiences the symbolic feeling that the characters are trapped in a maze again. What's most interesting about the series is how each film carried with them a distinct look and appearance with the first movie being a maze full of mostly cement and ruins with the second heavily consisting of sand and rust. The films set decoration and costume design both prove to be successful in terms of selling this world to the audience, while giving Death Cure a life of it's own. Overall, Wes Ball does a solid job with helming the picture with its main issue being that the movie is longer than it needs to be. Despite that, he brings the same kind of energy, enthusiasm, and passion for concluding this story that he had directing the previous two films. His work ensures that Death Cure comes out looking like a gorgeous film visually regardless of the quality of the script.

      The films screenplay by T.S. Nowlin who helmed the previous two Maze Runner films
, returns to the writing chair to give The Maze Runner series its Return Of The King style finish to the story arc it's been building for a total of four years since the first movies release in 2014. For the most part, Nowlin succeeds in giving these characters, particularly Thomas, their proper closure to their journey while closing up every other subplot. Whereas the script as a whole succeeds in wrapping up the trilogies arc overall, it also suffers from tired old cliches and predictable moments that audiences saw coming a mile away, such as the films climactic helicopter scene. Despite the scene being well-executed, the audience knew what was going to happen before it did with the end result being a lessened impact than what the scenes reaction required in that moment. The script also shows that the franchise was growing tired with some of the same moments from previous films happening again in this one such as characters looking out at horizons along with windows. The script also has characters crying and then someone giving a heroic speech to reassure everyone (As well as the audience), that the main characters will prevail in the end. Add to that people pointing guns at each other without the intention of actually pulling the trigger and characters who were once thought to be dead later revealed to be alive (We're looking at you Gally). The scripts structure remains balanced for the most part, though occasionally runs the risk of being uneven at times due to the writers desire to throw everything possible into the movie to send the franchise out on a high note. He even goes as far as having one of the films main characters who died in the story, give an emotional final speech in a letter that Thomas character reads to the audience with the film showing what happens to each of the characters in the end. It certainly comes across as being mushy as well as cliched, but it manages to work in giving fans the happy ending they desire.

      In the end, The Maze Runner: Death Cure manages to finish off the series on a note that's honorable and legitimately feels like the end for both the story and characters. It will undoubtedly be the one out of the trilogy that will divide fans as the overall film definitely could've been stronger (It needed to be trimmed shorter to cut down on some of the films most random moments), but it satisfies in bringing the series to a decent close. The film won't win over any new fans as it's not possible to fully understand its story nor appreciate its efforts to close it out without having seen the first two Maze Runners. As a whole, the trilogy has much to offer in terms of being entertaining while drawing it's audience into a unique dystopian world, that allows them to become invested in both the story and characters. The best thing that can be said about each film in the franchise despite the fact that they're all connected in terms of story, is that they all differ in regards to style with the first film being the most vague and mysterious of the three with the later films bringing in the action. Looking back at how the first Maze Runner began to how Death Cure concludes, one would be shocked at the fact that they all belong to the same trilogy of films. For that reason, The Maze Runner franchise is worth the time and effort to watch with Death Cure despite its share of faults, presenting a respectable finish to the storyline. The film is enjoyed at it's maximum best when one watches it with the previous two films to see how all the stories ultimately connect for better or worse.

Final Verdict: For those who've seen the first two Maze Runner flicks but not this one, Death Cure is worth watching to see the trilogy conclude in a fashion that's both respectable as well as honorable.

Ant-Man And The Wasp Gives Marvel Fans The Much Needed Dessert After Bearing Avengers: Infinity War

      Before the release of Avengers: Endgame, Marvel released it's much anticipated sequel to Ant-Man titled Ant-Man And The Wasp. The film not only served as being fun popcorn entertainment, but carried with it the task of making audiences laugh again after recovering from Infinity Wars shell-shocking climax. The film essentially provided audiences with the sweetest dessert after their first full-blown experience with the Infinity War saga. For Marvel fans as well as the studio itself, 2018 proved to be both a groundbreaking and defining year for the MCU as the universe had reached its first full ten years of functioning. With Black Panther starting out that year on a tremendous note both critically and financially, Infinity War followed suit not just being the most successful Avengers
film to date prior to the release of Endgame, but also marked a massive improvement over Age Of Ultron both financially and in terms of overall quality. With the success of those films, the expectations were set for Ant-Man And The Wasp to deliver a similar splash with audiences, while lighting the tone significantly as audiences were left devastated by Infinity War's finish along with waiting anxiously to see how Endgame concluded. Thankfully Ant-Man And The Wasp lives up to those expectations while essentially giving both Marvel fans, as well as audiences a detour from the intensity of the Infinity War saga.

      The plot for Ant-Man And The Wasp picks up after the events of the first film as well as Marvel's Civil War with character of Scott Lang (Played by Paul Rudd) finding himself balancing out his two different lives with him acting both as a member of the Avengers team with the other being a father figure. Scott however, soon finds himself being presented with an urgent mission by Hope Van Dyne and Dr. Hank Pym (Both played by Evangeline Lily and Michael Douglas), that places the Ant-Man teaming up with the Wasp to help uncover secrets from their past. Much like the first Ant-Man which was enjoyable though not thought-provoking or deep in regards to carrying social themes, the sequel retains the same kind of lightheartedness the previous film had while taking the story in a more emotional direction, which largely revolves around the theme of family. At a time where Marvel was heading in its most serious and mature direction with the latter Avengers films and Black Panther, Ant-Man And The Wasp proves to not only be a joy to watch but also a reminder that not everything needs to be taken seriously. What makes the film so work so well is the strong screenwriting which included Paul Rudd's input, as well as the easygoing chemistry that the main cast shares. As a sequel to the first Ant-Man, The Wasp is a solid sequel that builds upon the story and characters established by the previous film. It feels like it carries more freedom in regards to creativity, as well as confidence in its intentions to be light-hearted entertainment coming out in a year where Marvel films were aiming for large doses of maturity or darkness that gave audiences flashbacks to The Empire Strikes Back, Ant-Man And The Wasp serves as being the one entry in the Marvel universe in 2018 that dared to take things down several notches in regards to being less serious and dramatic, but make things fun and colorful again, even if its for a brief period as Endgame came right after it.

      One of the films key elements that makes it work is the strong performances from its main cast, all of whom possess great chemistry as a whole. Paul Rudd once again proves to be the perfect choice as Scott Lang with his performance blending both comedy and heart, along with possessing great comedic timing. Evangeline Lily does a solid job once again playing Scott's love interest and sidekick Hope Van Dyne, with Michael Douglas delivering a strong performance as her father Hank. Michael Pena once again steals the show as Luis, Lang's former cellmate and member of his X-Con Security crew. Other returning faces from the previous Ant-Man film are Judy Greer reprising her role as Scott's ex-wife Maggie along with Bobby Cannavale as Cassie's stepfather Jim, T.I and David Dastmalchian as Scott's friends and other members of his X-Con Security Crew Dave and Kurt, with Abby Ryder Fortson in an impressive role as Scott's young daughter Cassie. As for the films new casting additions, Michelle Pfeiffer proves to be a welcomed addition as Hopes long lost mother as well as Hank's long lost wife. Randall Park adds to the fun with a notable performance as the FBI detective Jimmy trying to catch Scott's character in the act. Laurence Fishburne and Hannah John Kamen both give likable performances as Hank's former colleague Bill Foster and Ghost, one of the films main antagonists who possesses molecular instability allowing her to phase through objects. What makes the cast work so well in this film is the fact that they all share fantastic charisma together. Rudd and Lily make a perfect superhero duo and love interests with Hannah John-Kamen shining in her supporting role along with Walton Goggins as one of the films main antagonists. It also helps that the films source material allows for the actors and actresses to have fun playing their parts as the audience can clearly witness, as well as feel the energy being poured onto the screen from the performances.

      The films directing by Peyton Reed proves to be a solid effort as Reed gives the movie a more fun-spirited atmosphere by allowing it to further embrace its comic book origins, while delivering moments full of seriousness, goofiness, and sentimentality. Peyton finds the right balance with the film in terms of making it fun for the audience, while connecting them with the characters in terms of feeling their emotions (Particularly Hope and Hank when they're temporarily reunited with their mother/wife through her using Scott's body as a form of communication. It's a scene that both hilarious and touching with a clever mixture of the two emotions). Compared to the first Ant-Man, Reed directs the sequel with more confidence in what he wants to show that's largely thanks to having a bigger budget. He keeps the films atmosphere light-headed​ and full of laughs, while directing the films action sequences with a steady hand. As far as the films technical aspects go, the movie is well shot with its impressive cinematography that gives the film a comic book style edge to it when the story has Scott shifting into Ant- Man mode. The films editing allows the story to keep moving at a fairly quick pace, while allowing both the plot and characters to develop thoroughly. The film never moves too fast nor moves too slow either with it being shorter than the average Marvel film nowadays, which run on average from two and a half to Endgame clocking in at a full three hours. The films score by Christophe Beck does an effective job of adding to the fun and excitement of the story, with the music projecting the right emotions for the story when cued. The films visual and sound effects are once again top notch and impressive with the CGI emphasizing the strength of Scott's suit, which allows him to both shrink as well as double in size. The makeup effects are often quite impressive particularly when Michael Douglas character is shown to look much younger during key flashback sequences. The films visuals once again dazzle, which has come to be the expected norm when dealing with an MCU film as the cinematography gives it the look of a comic book movie brought to life. In terms of the films overall directing, Peyton Reed does an admirable job of creating an atmosphere that has the appropriate balance of excitement, comedy, and heart in regards to storytelling with the films technical aspects complimenting those strengths of the film.

      The films screenplay written by Chris McKenna, Erick Sommers, Paul Rudd, Andrew Barrer and Gabriel Ferrari does a notable job of taking the characters from the first movie and further elaborating on them, as well as expanding the Ant-Man universe in a way that's both effective while maintaining the audiences interest. The scriptwriting works effectively in regards to the films main plot being both fun-spirited as well as humerous and never taking itself too seriously. This time audiences get to see the aftermath of the events of the first Ant- Man with Scott attempting to balance out his two lives while being there for his daughter Cassie. His relationship with his ex-wife and her new husband, is also shown to have improved after the end of the previous film despite the desire of the authorities to catch Scott in the act of breaking his parole requirements to be Ant- Man again given the events of Civil War. The film also offers more development aimed towards Hope and Hanks family tree, which makes the audience care about their characters even further along with giving a plausible reason for their partnering with Scott again. Walter Goggins character is effective as being the sleazy low-level criminal, who wants Pym's technology to sell on the black market. His character arc is about as as generic as one would expect from this type of character in a Marvel movie, but the writing as well as Goggins performance still makes it work. The audience even manages to care about the character of Ava Start/Ghost with the script portraying her character as being a bit mysterious while adding to the fathers-and-daughters theme, that mirrors the other arcs in the film. Even Laurence Fishburne's character despite looking like an antagonist, is presented as being complexed like Ava, though ultimately likable and sympathetic as both men show Hanks success as well as his shortcomings with his work. The rivalry between Hank and Bill is well-established with both men shown to be highly intelligent individuals, who think they know better than the other. The film does a strong job of driving home the stories themes regarding superheroes, family, friendship, parenting, trust, regrets, and forgiveness with the films ultimate message being that working together towards a common goal can benefit many others. Given the emotional investment that audiences had with Black Panther as well as Avengers: Infinity War, it's refreshing that in between the large scale spectacles is a film that possesses all heart with the intention of being just playful fun for the fans. It maintains themes that can be considered mature or serious, but presents them in a fashion that feels down to earth and excellently weaved in with the films action and laughs.

      Perhaps the fact that both this film and Ant-Man are too lighthearted for the MCU given how their recent movies have delved into deeper themes, is ultimately a factor that works against them as these films while being extremely entertaining and harmless, don't have the same kind of impact the recent Marvel films have on audiences. Despite that shortcoming, the first Ant-Man as well as Ant-Man And The Wasp work great together as their own story within the MCU. Perhaps a little detour for the fans was needed after being taken on an emotional journey with Infinity War, which stayed with the audience long after its gut-wrenching finale. It was the palate cleanser the MCU needed in order to make it's fans laugh and be hopeful again after what they experienced prior. With the scope of the Marvel Cinematic Universe up to this point, Ant-Man And The Wasp being just a simple superhero movie with funny laughs and solid action sequences may seem like a step back given how much more mature and serious the universe has come with incorporating serious elements into it's stories. However, given the wild ride that Marvel has put it's fanbase through as well as the general movie going audience, one can't help but feel Ant-Man And The Wasp was necessary in order to change up the current flavor. As a sequel to the original, it's solid and manages to surpass the previous film in terms of both storytelling and quality. However much like that film, it doesn't go beyond both movies amounting to just being fun experiences with the occasional nod to the rest of the MCU. Considering how devastating and impactful the current ending of the MCU turned out to be, that's not necessarily a bad thing.

Final Verdict: For fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe or Paul Rudd in general,  Ant-Man And The Wasp is absolutely worth watching even if it doesn't stack as high as the recent additions to the MCU.