I and many other people have used the phrase “action-packed” to describe a movie, often it is used unnecessarily and inaccurately. After seeing Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials I honestly think it is fitting to say that this really is action-packed. From the first moment to the last, every part of the movie was either action or building up to action. It kept my undivided attention throughout.

In this sequel of The Maze Runner, the group of survivors from the maze including Thomas (Dylan O'Brien), Teresa (Kaya Scodelario), Newt (Thomas Brodie-Sangster) and Minho (Ki Hong Lee) have to face their biggest challenge yet. The surviving Gladers and the surviving Gladers from other similar mazes are living in a facility that at a first glance appears to be protecting them from the powerful organisation known as WCKD but, as they discover, all is not as it seems.

As they escape the facility and into the tough, rugged and unknown landscape made up of abandoned shopping centres, partially collapsed skyscrapers and harsh deserts, the Gladers must fight to survive and find a way to hide from WCKD. On their journeys they find people affected by the flare virus, a virus that slowly eats away the brain, and eventually turns victims into blood-thirsty and cannibalistic humans. Throughout the movie they are referred to as everything but “zombies”. Maybe the word zombie was wiped from their brains along with all their memories. If you compared those virus suffering humans to a zombie in any zombie movie ever, they are the same thing, but in this movie, they are all the fast zombies.

In comparison to the first Maze Runner, this sequel is as good if not better. I think that The Maze Runner was planting the seeds, allowing you to learn the characters, and learn all the bonkers names for everything. I mean seriously, “Grievers”, “Gladers”, being “stung”, I need at least one film to understand something this complex. Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials is where it all kicks off. You know the characters, you understand the pace of the movie and the fact you’re never in one place for more than a minute. It allows you to better understand the situation the characters are in.

This movie has a lot of plot twists and unexpected surprises; so thankfully, this isn’t a movie where everything is given away in the trailer. Even though 20th Century Fox force fed me lots of pizza before seeing this movie, I did expect to see something ridiculous, something below par, but I was pleasantly surprised. This isn’t the pizza talking, I genuinely thought this was a good movie; however I do think it will struggle. Having to cope with comparisons to The Hunger Games and having to compete with Legend and Straight Outta Compton in UK cinemas on opening week, I think, despite it being a good film, may be out performed.