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Back in the good old days, when we were kids, we could spend long rainy days building forts out of couch cushions or cardboard boxes, creating our own worlds. And in the quirky indie adventure Dave Made a Maze, a grown man creates a cardboard maze and gets trapped in his own imaginary world.
Dave Made a Maze goes on a wildly eccentric adventure through a living room fort that’s much bigger—and more dangerous—than it seems. When his girlfriend goes away for the weekend, Dave (Nick Thune) decides to build a labyrinth in their living room, only to end up trapped inside. As his friends gather in his apartment, trying to figure out how to rescue him, he warns them not to step inside. But they ignore his warnings, and they soon find themselves racing through a gigantic cardboard world of puppets and origami birds and a vicious minotaur.
If you’re tired of the lack of imagination in today’s big-budget studio features, you’ll want to seek out this wacky and lovably bizarre comic thriller. The set-up is one that will appeal to the kid in all of us. After all, who wouldn’t love to have the time to build a grown-up cardboard fort just for fun? Just the sight of the fort alone will make viewers long to crawl right in (only to end up complaining about sore knees and backs a few minutes later).
But, of course, it’s not all fun and games for this 30-year-old in crisis. The playfulness and whimsy of this cardboard creation take a dark turn when Dave and the rescue party that comes in after him find themselves lost in the labyrinth, hunted by the minotaur while facing booby traps and other unexpected dangers. And if you don’t know what’s coming, the quirky violence and creepy imagery can catch you off-guard.
Even in its darkest moments, though, Dave Made a Maze is still creative, kooky fun. A documentary crew races along with the rest of the characters, asking leading questions while trying to direct the action. The characters are eccentric and often silly. And even the violence is handled in surprisingly creative ways—making for a slightly eerie but entirely entertaining adventure.
Dave Made a Maze isn’t a flawless film—but that’s all just a part of its crafty charm. It’s strange and unexpected with a handmade feel—and it’s probably more imaginative that anything you’ve seen in theaters in a long time.
Listen to the review on Reel Discovery:
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