Dave Made a Maze (2017) Reviews

• Fifty-fifty, maybe less

  voyou-703-6553502017-08-22

  The gorgeous images deserve that you watch this film. The dreadful dialogues might ruin the moment for you, however. Now I'll just develop a bit, so you can skip if it's TLDR : I don't know if the same person conceived the visuals and wrote the text, but the former are wonderful while the latter is unbearable. The maze's sets, effects, even costumes are imaginative and fantastic. They keep the promises that made you curious about watching the film. The dialogue, on the other hand, is written by a slacker. It's the kind of film where the line you hear the most is "Are you okay ?" surrounded by countless other platitudes and a distinct lack of real emotion. Drivel, simply put. Vapid, out of place, lazy, oafish, and much, much less. That's what makes the story. That's also what makes the viewing an ordeal. Thus I can't be sure about the actors : I have a bud of an opinion, but in their defense they had to work with trash. Likely, you can't predict if you'll endure the talking, which way it will tip your balance. I'm feeling generous, thanks to the handcraft, and I think Jim Henson would have approved.

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• Underdeveloped

  solemnphilosopher2017-09-03

  I had been looking forward to "Dave Made a Maze" since seeing its trailer. It looked like a quirky modern version of Cube and Labyrinth, two of my favorite films. It starts off decently enough. The plot and the maze itself are intriguing. I also liked some of its quirkiness and humor. Unfortunately, the film gradually unravels. The story, characters, and dialogue are underdeveloped. Despite only being 80 minutes long, by the third act I was patiently waiting for the film to end. For me, the climax and conclusion didn't come together in a compelling way. It is unfortunate, With a bit more development it could have been something of a cult classic or hidden gem.

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• Extremely original, bizarrely inventive, beautiful to look at, and quite amusing!

  Hellmant2017-08-15

  'DAVE MADE A MAZE': Four and a Half Stars (Out of Five) An indie horror-comedy adventure about a struggling artist that somehow magically creates a giant maze in his living room, that's contained inside a small cardboard fort. When he gets lost in the dangerous labyrinth, his girlfriend leads a team of their friends into the maze to rescue him. The film was directed by debut feature filmmaker Bill Watterson, and it was written by Watterson and Steven Sears (a debut feature screenwriter). The movie stars Nick Thune, Meera Rohit Kumbhani, Adam Busch, James Urbaniak, Frank Caeti, Scott Narver, Stephanie Allynee, John Hennigan and Kirsten Vangsness. I found the film to be extremely original, bizarrely inventive, beautiful to look at, and quite amusing. Dave (Thune) is a frustrated artist that feels like he hasn't created anything significant in his life, even though he's now over 30-years-old. While creating a cardboard fort in his living room, Dave somehow (magically) creates a gigantic maze inside it. The maze is full of deadly booby traps and vicious creatures, including a monstrous minotaur (Hennigan). When Dave gets lost in the maze, his girlfriend, Annie (Kumbhani), leads a team of their friends into the cardboard fort to find him (against Dave's warnings). The movie is definitely unique and creative, but it's also surprisingly beautiful to watch at times. The filmmakers really made the most of their budget. It's kind of a horror movie, but it's never really gory or even truly violent. You'll have to see it to know what I mean for sure, but I've seen far worse on Adult Swim (and even network TV). The actors are all funny in it, and well cast, and the story is kind of sweet hearted even. I had a fun time watching it, from the opening credits scene (which is also impressively creative) on. I think most film fans, looking for something different, will have an equally good time watching it too. Watch an episode of our movie review show 'MOVIE TALK' at: https://vimeo.com/230044658

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• See This Movie!

  starrluna2017-08-01

  This screened at the International Horror and Sci Fi Film Festival portion of the Phoenix Film Festival in April. It was a completely sold out show, and as far as I know, everyone left raving about this film. I admit, reading the plot I was really reluctant to see this movie. I tend not to enjoy horror comedies and I had no idea how a living room cardboard fort was going to capture my attention. Within the first 5 minutes, I was proved completely wrong. This movie was not only hilarious, it was also one of the more creative movies I've ever seen. Don't watch the trailer, just go in and experience this movie and enjoy the ride. You will not regret it.

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• I don't know what Dave made exactly, but I enjoyed it!

  beastwarsfan2017-08-20

  I won't lie to you saying that I completely get this film and what's going on it it (I'm not even sure we're supposed to get it completely), but I will tell you this - I certainly enjoyed it. The title is pretty self-explanatory. Dave's girlfriend comes back home to find out he's lost in a cardboard maze he built in the middle of their living room. Apparently the whole thing's way bigger on the inside. Dave's been inside for three days and can't get out. Friends come by to help, no one seems to believe Dave literally CAN'T get out of there, since the maze looks like a couple of boxes and paper leftovers taped together... and they get inside where weird stuff starts to happen. Call it whatever you want and it's probably all that! This film is entertaining, abstract, surreal, surprising, bizarre, quirky, enigmatic, random, creative, experimental, funny, offbeat, thought-provoking, sarcastic, visually pleasing, playful, whimsical, hand-made... I mean, it's a highly unusual mix, that makes watching it a really interesting experience. It feels like a commentary of 30s crisis, wasted youth and missed opportunities, artistic aspirations and all that, but it's also more. Every character is their own caricature. The film crew is especially spot-on, if you've ever had anything to do with the film industry you'd laugh out loud on some of their scenes. If you want to escape from the cliché enter Dave's labyrinth! You can analyze it, or you can look at the diverse sets and curious production design, you can look for the parody moments and film references scattered around the scenes... You can also watch it with friends over a drink and laugh and point out all the WTF moments in there. The film lasts a little more than an hour without the credits, so it will be over before it can bore you. Maybe :"Dave Made a Maze" won't stun you and puzzle you and get inside your head like Jim Henson's "Cube" (1969) or something by Terry Gilliam, but it's definitely worth checking out and has the potential of a cult following!

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