| Photos (see all 2 | slideshow) |
| Tom Hanks | ... | Robbie Wheeling | |
| Wendy Crewson | ... | Kate Finch | |
| David Wallace | ... | Daniel | |
| Chris Makepeace | ... | Jay Jay Brockway | |
| Lloyd Bochner | ... | Hal | |
| Peter Donat | ... | Harold | |
| Anne Francis | ... | Ellie | |
| Murray Hamilton | ... | Lieutenant John Martini | |
| Vera Miles | ... | Cat | |
| Louise Sorel | ... | Julia | |
| Susan Strasberg | ... | Meg | |
| Chris Wiggins | ... | King | |
| Clark Johnson | ... | Perry | |
| Tom Harvey | ... | Hayden | |
| James O'Regan | ... | Paul | |
| Kevin Fox | ... | Punk | |
| Angelo Rizacos | ... | Punk | |
| Eric Fink | ... | Video Tech | |
| Kevin Peter Hall | ... | Gorvil | |
| James Bearden | ... | Parole Officer (as Jim Bearden) | |
| rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
| Marshall Jay Kaplan | ... | Tim, Bar Patron | |
Directed by | |||
| Steven Hilliard Stern | |||
Writing credits | ||
| Rona Jaffe | (novel) | |
| Tom Lazarus | (teleplay) | |
Produced by | |||
| Richard Briggs | .... | producer | |
| Rona Jaffe | .... | associate producer | |
| Tom McDermott | .... | executive producer | |
Original Music by | |||
| Hagood Hardy | |||
Cinematography by | |||
| Laszlo George | |||
Film Editing by | |||
| Bill Parker | |||
Casting by | |||
| David Graham | |||
Art Direction by | |||
| Trevor Williams | |||
Makeup Department | |||
| Linda Gill | .... | key makeup artist | |
Production Management | |||
| James Margellos | .... | production manager | |
Sound Department | |||
| Owen Langevin | .... | sound mixer | |
Camera and Electrical Department | |||
| Bruce Macaulay | .... | still photographer | |
Music Department | |||
| Judith Lander | .... | composer: song "Friends in This World" | |
Other crew | |||
| Linda Callow | .... | stand-in: Vera Miles/Anne Francis | |
| Michael Davenport | .... | assistant: Tom McDermott | |
| Norman S. Powell | .... | developed, Director Movies of Television CBS | |
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| Auntie Mame | The Hours | A Streetcar Named Desire | The Ice Storm | Die unendliche Geschichte |
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| Full cast and crew | Company credits | External reviews |
| IMDb Fantasy section | IMDb USA section | Add this title to MyMovies |
I didn't even know this was originally a made-for-tv movie when I saw it, but I guessed it through the running time. It has the same washed-out colors, bland characters, and horrible synthesized music that I remember from the 80's, plus a 'social platform' that practically screams "Afterschool special". Anyhoo.
Rona Jaffe's (thank you) Mazes and Monsters was made in the heyday of Dungeons & Dragons, a pen-and-paper RPG that took the hearts of millions of geeks around America. I count myself one of said geeks, tho I have never played D&D specifically I have dabbled in one of its brethren. M&M was also made in the heyday of D&D's major controversy-that it was so engrossing that people could lose touch with reality, be worshiping Satan without knowing, blah blah. I suppose it was a legitimate concern at one point, if extremely rare-but it dates this movie horrendously.
We meet 4 young college students, who play the aptly named Mazes and Monsters, to socialize and have a little time away from mundane life. Except that M&M as presented is more boring than their mundane lives. None of the allure of gaming is presented here-and Jay Jay's request to take M&M into 'the real world' comes out of nowhere. It's just an excuse to make one of the characters go crazy out of nowhere also-though at that point we don't really care. Jay Jay, Robbie, Kate and Daniel are supposed to be different-but they're all rich WASPy prigs who have problems no one really has.
But things just continue, getting worse in more ways than one. The low budget comes dreadfully clear, (I love the 'Entrance' sign and cardboard cutout to the forbidden caverns) Robbie/Pardu shows why he's not a warrior in the oafiest stabbing scene ever, and the payoff atop the 'Two Towers' is unintentionally hilarious. Tom Hanks' blubbering "Jay Jay, what am I doing here?" made me laugh for minutes on end. Definitely the low point in his career.
Don't look at it as a cogent satire, just a laughable piece of 80's TV trash, and you'll still have a good time. That is, if you can stay awake. The majority is mostly boring, but it's all worthwhile for Pardu's breakdown at the end. At least Tom Hanks has gotten better. Not that he could go much worse from here.