Review: ‘DAVE MADE A MAZE’ is a wild and wacky journey.

presents

When I was a senior in high school, I took a psych elective. My best friends and I built a life sized maze for our classmates to run through. It was an exact replica of one we had built for mice. While we did not subject the mice to rock music and darkness, we did get a kick out of watching our friends get insanely lost and disoriented while we very scientifically studied and recorded their panic and need to beat their own times a second time through. In films like Labyrinth and The Shining, a maze can be a thing of life and death. In a quirky new film by Bill Watterson, you will find that and much. much more. Welcome to the wonder that is Dave Made A Maze.

DAVE MADE A MAZE tells the story of an unaccomplished and frustrated artist (Thune) who builds a cardboard box fort in his living room and winds up trapped with a gang of oddball explorers in a fantasy world of his own creation, threatened by booby traps and a bloodthirsty Minotaur.

Dave Made A Maze features Nick Thune (Knocked Up), Meera Rohit Kumbhani (“The Mindy Project”), James Urbaniak (“Difficult People”), Stephanie Allynne (Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates), Kirsten Vangsness (“Criminal Minds”), Scott Krinsky (Jobs), Frank Caeti (Stranger Than Fiction), Timothy Nordwind  (The Amazing Spider-Man 2) and WWE Star John Hennigan; along with Scott Narver (Monday Morning), Rick Overton (Groundhog Day), and Adam Busch (Sugar & Spice).

Steven Sears (Take Back the Couch) co-wrote the film with Bill Watterson (Jersey Boys), who makes his directorial debut.

This film is nothing short of awesome’/hilarious/bizarre/fantastic. I can only imagine that this must have been one of the most fun sets to work on. The hours it must have taken to construct, with each room completely different than the last. With nods to past adventure films around each corner, the tongue in cheek dialogue and perfect suspension of disbelief from the cast is pure genius. Speaking of the cast, you will easily think that this cast regularly hangs out with one another, as their chemistry is so chill and comfortable. The witty banter is endless. Mixing stop-motion animation, puppetry, and on camera optical illusions, you cannot help but enjoy Dave Made A Maze.  You’ll wish there were a replica of the maze (for the most part… no spoilers from this lady) for you to romp around in. Huge props to the artists that made big kid dreams come true. But don’t  just take the film at face value, there is a deeper message underneath all the fun. You can catch the film in theaters and on VOD this Friday! Check out the trailer below for a sneak peek at what waits beyond the “Enter” sign. 

DAVE MADE A MAZE -(8/18) release in theaters and on VOD.

About Liz Whittemore

Liz grew up in northern Connecticut and was memorizing movie dialogue from Shirley Temple to A Nightmare on Elm Street at a very early age. She will watch just about any film all the way through (no matter how bad) just to prove a point. A loyal New Englander, a lover of Hollywood, and true inhabitant of The Big Apple.

One Reply to “Review: ‘DAVE MADE A MAZE’ is a wild and wacky journey.”

  1. Pingback: Review: ‘The Right One’ oozes with charm, laughs, and hidden complexity. – Reel News Daily

Leave a Reply