Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
Meera Rohit Kumbhani | ... | Annie | |
Nick Thune | ... | Dave | |
Adam Busch | ... | Gordon | |
James Urbaniak | ... | Harry | |
Frank Caeti | ... | Boom Operator | |
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Scott Narver | ... | Cameraman |
Stephanie Allynne | ... | Brynn | |
Kirsten Vangsness | ... | Jane | |
Scott Krinsky | ... | Leonard | |
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Timothy Nordwind | ... | Greg |
John Hennigan | ... | The Minotaur | |
Rick Overton | ... | Hobo | |
Kamilla Alnes | ... | Flemish Tourist | |
Drew Knigga | ... | Flemish Tourist | |
Etienne Eckert | ... | Shadow Dancer |
'Dave Made A Maze' re-imagines classic 80's adventure films with a modern comedic edge and a higher body count. Dave, an artist who has yet to complete anything significant in his career, builds a fort in his living room out of pure frustration, only to wind up trapped by the fantastical pitfalls, booby traps, and critters of his own creation. Ignoring his warnings, Dave's girlfriend Annie leads a band of oddball explorers on a rescue mission. The handmade fantasy world comes to life with puppetry, stop-motion animation, and in-camera optical illusions, re-igniting the tactile sense of wonder from the movies of our childhoods.
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.