For a movie that includes two of the most recently overused tropes: zombies and teen heroes after an apocalypse, “Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials” is fairly entertaining.

The movie never explicitly calls them zombies, but ‘the cranks’, people infected after a virus spread through the world, might as well be. They fit all the criteria: decaying flesh, a hunger for humans and an infectious bite. The movie doesn’t really have anything we haven’t seen before here, but the zombies are still scary and the jump scares are effective.

As for our teen heroes, they aren’t fleshed out much.  Most of the characters remain broadly sketched, but are still fairly entertaining to watch. Thomas (Dylan O’Brian) is the leader of the ragtag group of kids, but the movie never really explains why he’s so special. And he’s not the most interesting of the bunch. Minho (Ki Hong Lee) and Newt (Thomas Brodie-Sangster) would be much more intriguing if they were given more time in the spotlight. But the focus is on Thomas’ struggle.

His female counterpart, Teresa (Kaya Scodelario), falls flat on screen. As I looked into her blank stare, I found myself wondering why Thomas was so in love with her in the first place.

The movie does narrowly avoid the dreaded love triangle. Brenda (Rosa Salazer) obviously has a crush on Thomas, but the love triangle never fully comes to the forefront. Instead, Brenda mostly seems to be there to show us how brave and noble Thomas is.

The villains aren’t particularly compelling either. Besides the zombies, there are a few generic evil scientists and military personnel.

The real shame is that the movie has a good theme at its base, but it isn’t explored until the last 20 minutes. It could raise some thought-provoking questions about ethics in science and the greater good vs. individual liberty, but instead this is pursed away in favor of action shots.

For its many faults, the movie is still entertaining. It’s fast paced and exciting. For all the movies about beautiful teenagers in an apocalyptic wasteland, “The Scorch Trials” is a good time. Just don’t expect anything deeper.