Look, these films get a bad reputation. If “The Hunger Games,” “Divergent,” “Twilight” and the small herd of young adult novel adaptations didn’t oversaturate the market, “The Maze Runner” series might be better received. As is, hate rains down on something otherwise relatively enjoyable, albeit a touch corny at points.

Jacob Lofland as Aris, Alex Flores as Winston and Dylan O’Brien as Thomas make their way through “The Scorch” in the new film “The Scorch Trials.” (photo by Richard Foreman, Jr.)

Half the fun of “The Maze Runner” was the mystery behind everything. Stop right here. If you haven’t seen it, stop reading and go watch. That mystique makes the whole experience rather splendid. OK, did you see it yet? Good, let’s continue.

The survivors of the maze escape one manufactured obstacle and move into something more hazy. As the leader, Thomas (Dylan O’Brien) finds momentary relief when the crew encounters some unknown saviors. Upon arriving at a large facility, we learn what’s going on. Get this: zombies, kind of. The world fell prey to a virus that zombifies anyone bitten by the infected. But maze survivors, and our crew, aren’t the only ones who hold a natural antidote within their blood.

So why then does Thomas freak out and coax Minho (Ki Hong Lee), Newt (Thomas Brodie-Sangster), Frypan (Dexter Darden) and Winston (Alexander Flores) to leave the safe confines of a potentially dangerous place and make their way through the Scorch – ground zero for the zombie apocalypse? Teresa (Kaya Scodelario) can’t help but wonder what the next phase should be.

But what’s a next phase without new characters? I give you two more cast members from “Game of Thrones” joining Brodie-Sangster: Nathalie Emmanuel as maze survivor Harriet, and Aidan Gillen (Littlefinger from “Game of Thrones”) as Janson, a rather shady station operator who enjoys controlling things far too much.

We also meet Brenda (Rosa Salazar), a fun love interest for Thomas who also serves as his guide through the scorched world, and Jorge (Giancarlo Esposito), a seedy fellow with a heart of gold. If you watched “Breaking Bad” or “Revolution,” Esposito’s performance here feels like a mix of both, though it hardly breaks new ground.

“Maze” was a better film, but “Scorch” actually functions more like a horror film, featuring more chase scenes than dialogue and plenty of jolts around dark corners. It’s scarier than most horror flicks lately, so props to a PG-13 film with more terror than your average found-footage story or generic R-rated slasher.

Why do these films have terrible endings? “Hunger Games” and “Mockingjay Part 1” did the same thing. And “Maze” was cheesy too. We tend to judge things based on the first and last five minutes. “Scorch” starts well but falls to uncomfortably cheesy by the conclusion. Luckily, we won’t have to end the series on such a juvenile moment.

But we will have to wait until February 2017 to see the conclusion. And unlike all those young adult adaptations, “The Maze Runner” series won’t split the final book into two parts. It’s nice to know there are standards out there, even if that bar is this low.

You might notice several peculiar parts, like the introduction of Blondie, played by Alan Tudyk, an actor known more for his comedic roles. Sure, he’s no stranger to sci-fi (“Firefly,” “I, Robot,” and the upcoming “Star Wars” anthology film “Rogue One”), but he’s out of place here.

For that matter, so is a rather strange hallucination sequence to add a little sexual tension between Thomas and Brenda.

“The Scorch Trials,” while not the best film of the year,  is a refreshing tale amid a month of unfortunate options. If you liked “The Maze Runner,” you’ll enjoy how “The Scorch Trials” expands the world, answers some questions and lets several more linger for the third film.

I must admit though, we probably won’t get a good reason why such an elaborate maze was created in the first place. Likely answer: it looks cool. Welcome to the primary cinematic rational.