Les Monstres du Labyrinthe

I'm a longtime gamer and a lover of trash movies. I had heard of this film before, but not much about it. So, i took the plunge and rented Mazes and Monsters. I laughed 'til i nearly cried. many have commented upon the bad acting and low budget.. yes, it's bad, but i think that in at least the cases of Hanks and Makepeace the problem was not a poor performance (though by no means stellar) but that the actors had so little to work with anyway.

The gaming scenes are absurd even if you know little about gaming. For example, although the most classic gamer paraphernalia, polyhedral dice, are displayed, they don't seem to be used in the game. note also a serious lack of junk food at the table.

anyone who has ever played a tabletop RPG will know that some folks do get awfully wrapped up in their characters, but i doubt anyone has ever been as far removed from reality as Robbie. is this an attempt at propaganda, or simply to cash in on a faddish wave of hostility? i'd say somewhere in between, but leaning toward cash-in.

this mentality may have once been a threat to gaming, but time has borne out the weakness of the arguments against it. walking down the street, or drinking tap water is far more dangerous.

who would enjoy this movie? i'd recommend it to gamers with a sense of humor, camp lovers, and anyone wanting a more complete historical perspective of Hanks and company. if you're looking for exciting action, logical plot, or serious drama, choose something else. for farcical humor, give it a go.. it should be cheap fun.