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.

I like the sense of humor in Dave Made a Maze--for the most part. Here and there it gets a little TOO silly, but most of the time, the nonsense works. It really looks like they took a LOT of time making the sets, and there are some really awesome designs in there. It keeps topping itself as it goes. I liked most of the performances too, especially Annie. Very quirky but fun.

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.

Couldn't resist the Warren/Buffy reference.

I loved this film. Right from the opening scene it's clear that the rule book has been jettisoned, and we're in for a trip down the rabbit hole. Dave made a maze. It's bigger than it looks. He warned his friends and girlfriend not to go in after him.

Honestly this is a brilliant piece of creativity. The deadpan comedy is spot on (especially from the documentary crew), and it's visually stunning. There's so many great ideas crammed into each scene, and I could hardly take my eyes off it due to simply not knowing what was coming next. It's surreal, but the lead keeps it somehow anchored in normality.

This is a bizarre little world that is a pleasure to experience. A charming film that I'll definitely watch again.