“The Scorch Trials” is a mess of a film. Yet many teens/tweens will go see it, and I understand why. While very light on story and any relatable characters, this movie is wall- to-wall action.

So if that’s what you’re looking for, you’ll enjoy it. But that’s about all it has to offer.

Picking up right after the first “Maze Runner” ended, it starts off with a bang. The characters from the first movie escape a facility they’re being kept in, and out into the barren wasteland of this world called The Scorch. It’s a cool-looking world with collapsed buildings and creatures called Cranks running around.

A virus has wiped out most of humanity – and those few humans who did survive live in these ruins. I’ll give the movie credit for the layout of The Scorch. It looks cool and you get thirsty seeing these kids walk through this wasteland.

The Cranks are creepy, too. They pop out of the dark, making horrifying sounds, and chase our heroes. When they’re around, the movie is at its best and is pretty intense.

But this movie runs out of steam with about an hour left. It uses the same rinse-and-repeat formula (they’re in trouble, now they aren’t, now they are). So by the end action scene, it just isn’t as interesting as it was.

Dillon O’Brien plays the lead, Thomas. He isn’t a terrible actor, but he is wooden. They put a better supporting cast around him to keep him from taking the life out of the entire movie – but the supporting cast just isn’t fleshed out well. By the end, I knew only a few characters’ names from a cast of about 10 people. I’m not asking to know their life stories, but I would like to know why I should care what’s happening to the whole group.

In the end, this really is just a mess of a movie. It has some really good action set pieces and some pretty great actors in it, too. But as it chugs along, it starts dragging, and eventually falls flat on its face. The only people I can recommend this movie to are those who enjoyed the first movie or enjoy the book series. For all others: Spend your money elsewhere.

Rating: 1.5/5: If you like the series see it.