Dave Made a Maze

I did not expect much from "Dave Made a Maze." It was obviously low budget with no known actors. But in spite of this, the creativity and humor won me over. The puppet scene alone was purely enjoyable and several times I literally laughed out loud. Lead actor Nick Thune was unfortunately the weak link, but the other actors did fine. But the movie overall was fun and unexpectedly inspired.

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.

Wow. I'm confused. What was that? Horror? Comedy? Adventure? It was rubbish!!

But wait, I watched it all the way through and was glued to it. Yep, it has no well known actors, along with first time directors and story tellers, and that showed somewhat in the 'occasional' lack of professionalism.

However, It was the most original movie I've seen in years. I had no clue what was coming next and had no idea what was happening. But then I didn't need to, didn't want to and kept wanting to watch. Isn't that exactly what a movie should be?

Well with a watch. It's good to be different.

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.

This quirky film is amazingly creative but suffers from a lagging middle part and boring leads. Dave, who never finishes anything, has built a maze made out of cardboard in the middle of his apartment. But this maze is like The TARDIS - way bigger on the inside - and the truth is that Dave can't find his way out. Can't just rip it down, either, as it's a part of him now. His girlfriend and a host of friends and acquaintances enter the maze in an effort to retrieve Dave. Might have worked better if it was more fantastical, but it incorporates real-word consequences into the plot. Definitely imaginative, though.