Dave Made a Maze

Name: Dave Made a Maze
Genre: Adventure, Horror, Comedy
Released: August 18, 2017
Duration: 80 min
Rating: 60
Cast: Adam Busch, Frank Caeti, James Urbaniak, John Hennigan, Kamilla Alnes

2017

METASCORE

Mixed or average reviews based on 9 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 17 Ratings

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6.8

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6.8	Your Score
6.8	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 17 Ratings

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Dave Made A Maze

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Movie Details & Credits

Gravitas Ventures | Release Date: August 18, 2017 | TV-14

Starring: Adam Busch, Frank Caeti, James Urbaniak, John Hennigan, Kamilla Alnes, Kirsten Vangsness, Meera Rohit Kumbhani, Nick Thune, Rick Overton, Scott Krinsky, Scott Narver, Stephanie Allynne, Timothy Nordwind

Summary: Dave (Nick Thune), a frustrated artist who has yet to accomplish anything significant in his career, builds a fort out of cardboard boxes in his living room, only to wind up trapped by the fantastical pitfalls and critters of his own creation. Ignoring his warnings, Dave’s girlfriend Annie (Meera Rohit Kumbhani) leads a band of oddballDave (Nick Thune), a frustrated artist who has yet to accomplish anything significant in his career, builds a fort out of cardboard boxes in his living room, only to wind up trapped by the fantastical pitfalls and critters of his own creation. Ignoring his warnings, Dave’s girlfriend Annie (Meera Rohit Kumbhani) leads a band of oddball explorers (James Urbaniak, Kristen Vangsness & Timothy Nordwind) on a rescue mission. Upon entry, they find themselves in an ever-changing supernatural world, threatened by booby traps and pursued by a bloodthirsty Minotaur (John Hennigan). … Expand

Director: Bill Watterson

Genre(s): Adventure, Horror, Comedy

Rating: TV-14

Runtime: 80 min

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Critic Reviews

Bill Goodykoontz

Aug 17, 2017

Weird” is one word for it, and it certainly applies. But so does “creative,” “inventive,” “compelling” and, finally, “good.” Dave Made a Maze is all of those things, a one-of-a-kind movie from director and co-writer Bill Watterson. Read full review

Justin Lowe

Aug 14, 2017

Wildly inventive on a micro-budget scale, actor Bill Watterson’s shift to directing is an impressively crafted feature that’s full of frequent surprises. Read full review

Movie Nation Roger Moore

Aug 9, 2017

Actor-turned-director and co-writer Bill Watterson keeps the tone light and the surprises surprising, for the most part. The energy flags as the picture loses a little of its momentum in the middle acts. It’s only 80 minutes long, so even that doesn’t hurt it much. Read full review

Tom Russo

Aug 16, 2017

There aren’t sufficient words to describe the remarkable visual environment; suffice it to say that the production designers are the stars here as much as the cast. More so, really. Read full review

Dennis Harvey

Aug 17, 2017

The idiosyncrasy and resourcefulness are impressive, even inspiring to a point. But at 80-odd minutes, the self-conscious novelty begins to seem stretched, enough so that you notice this clever conceit is never particularly funny or meaningful — just cute. Read full review

Scott Wold

Aug 24, 2017

One of the more frustrating experiences in appraising art is arriving at the confusing intersection of admiring an artist’s work, while simultaneously not particularly enjoying it.... Bill Watterson’s fiercely creative yet endlessly frustrating Dave Made a Maze leaves the viewer in precisely this uncomfortable position. Read full review

RogerEbert.com Glenn Kenny

Aug 18, 2017

The all-live action section of this movie is lit and shot almost exactly like an episode of “The Adventures of Pete and Pete.” Read full review

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User Reviews

Cadillacjwc

Jul 30, 2020

Awesome movie. So glad I stumbled on it. Weird in a great way. Trippy and funny.

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

ThoughtfulScore

Jul 14, 2022

Great style, fun watch. Highly recommended to anyone who's looking for a few laughs and some childlike awe and wonderment. Dave Made a Maze is something special.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

JollyNiceChap

Dec 3, 2021

Enjoyable unique vision

I’m perhaps the worst person to write a review about this film. I will come clean, I am biased in favour of this type of film. There I said it, take away my critic licence. There’s one aspect of any watching or reading experience that will win me over every time andEnjoyable unique vision

I’m perhaps the worst person to write a review about this film. I will come clean, I am biased in favour of this type of film. There I said it, take away my critic licence. There’s one aspect of any watching or reading experience that will win me over every time and have me ignoring other, usually unforgivable but in these examples puny-in-comparison, inconsequential negatives such as poor script, bad acting or incomprehensible storyline. ‘But Rich’ they may say ‘the boom was visible the entire film and the main actor was replaced with a vase at the one hour mark when he quit due to an argument over artistic vision’. Yes I reply, but it has the one thing that absolves it of all sins.

It’s original.

More money is made these days by reimagining’s, reboots, and remasters than new ideas. The trailers I watched at the cinema last week before Spiderman: no way home (the third iteration of the franchise since Tobey Maguire fought Venom in 2007!) were almost exclusively for films that already existed. It’s the perfect formula. Most people who have grown beyond having ‘teen’ used as their primary defining adjective get swamped by nostalgia and those lucky enough to still possess the wonderous naivety of ignorance before it gets squashed by the crushing relentlessness of modern life, get a tried and tested concept as reliable at making a good impression as penicillin is at clearing up that rash you were worried about. But what if you are part of that minority of viewers; disillusioned and grumpy with the monotony of an entertainment culture that makes remakes of remakes of ideas that ripped off that other thing (that did it much better) but was inspired by that film about two other films crossed over. The group of people that don’t cheer with remembrance but sigh with exhaustion as another example of history repeating appears before us. I may be labouring the point but not all of us are in-love with the constant rehashing of once great Ip’s.

It seems it’s often left to the lowly independent producer to experiment with the potentially riskier new ideas. This is writer and director Bill Watterson’s debut feature, initially a Kickstarter, it’s easy to see the shear effort he poured into the film, in certain areas at least.

Dave is an artist who hasn’t managed to finish anything in his life. A chronic procrastinator who discovers a medium to finally focus his concentration. A cardboard fort. We get an impression that the enthusiasm he displays for this fort may be the first example of him really feeling inspired. Therefore, he is obsessed to actually finish it. It will prove to himself that he is capable of completing something extraordinary, his magnum opus, or perhaps his only opus.

Without doubt the star of the film is the visual effects. For me graphics and art in a film have always added a layer of satisfaction but could never be the defining feature of a film. And prior to Dave Made a Maze I wouldn’t have wanted it to define a film. I would have made a pretentious scoff noise ‘probably some arty uni film’ I may have uttered. Focusing too much attention on effects ‘it takes more than an art degree to make a good film you know’.

Don’t get me wrong, artistic direction is vital in a good film. But even in visually astounding films, such as The terminator or Transformers, the graphics were always a supplement to the film for myself, a catalyst that enhances my enjoyment but couldn’t stand up without its supporting compatriots. Dave Made a Maze its clear they had the visual concept first and let that be the trunk of the film tree which plot branches grew out of.
The use of paper and card to display a surreal world plucked from an artist’s imagination is so clever, god knows how long it took to film. From origami birds convincingly flying around, to a goliath easter island style god head, to hypnotic lady parts. I don’t want to spoil too much, but the ‘violent’ scenes had me open mouthed with awe. Every few minutes you’re confronted with a brand new impressive feat of visual effects that surpasses the previous.

Its funny too. The first half of the film especially had me laughing out loud many times. There’s enough light humour running through the film that matches the tone of the underdeveloped characters.

The storyline is relatively mundane, the acting is fine, there’s no Oscars being nominated here.
I personally found the camera crew following them unnecessary and annoying for most the film. It gives an opening for the characters to explain the situation and flesh out backstory when the director literally asks ‘what are you feeling right now’ but most the time I felt it wrestled the narrative away from what was happening rather than deepening it.

On the whole I really enjoyed Dave Made a Maze. The innovative aesthetic and light hearted attitude allowed me to easily overlook the lukewarm storyline and dialogue.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

ryanecho

Jan 30, 2020

I don't exactly know what I just watched. All I know is it was cheesy, strange, and just simply amazing.

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

temptershell

Sep 5, 2017

Stylized on adventure films from the late 80's. Original and specific humor and unquestionable talent of the editor is a big plus of this production. Several funny scenes but mostly the storyline is too simple. Highest ratings should get scenography and costumes. Very nice cinema.

2 of 2 users found this helpful20

Brent_Marchant

Aug 19, 2017

A quirky, fun-filled romp that pays an edgy homage to '80s adventure films, featuring inventive cinematography, clever special effects, and an unusual mixture of thoughtful notions and big, sometimes-cheeky laughs. This one may be a little hard to find, but it's worth the search.

4 of 4 users found this helpful40

Steprock

Apr 27, 2023

Sorry, it's really stupid. There are a few good ideas in here, but they aren't tracked down very well. Add in a dumb script, slow edits, and spotty acting and it adds up to a dull movie.

I was waiting for a moving analogy that tied things up, but no. It just happens. Then it stops. SetSorry, it's really stupid. There are a few good ideas in here, but they aren't tracked down very well. Add in a dumb script, slow edits, and spotty acting and it adds up to a dull movie.

I was waiting for a moving analogy that tied things up, but no. It just happens. Then it stops.

Set design is done well. Otherwise, watch it if you're bored.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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