DAVE MADE A MAZE (2017)

Dave Made A Maze (2017)
Directed by: Bill Watterson
Written by: Bill Watterson, Steven Sears
Starring: Adam Busch, Frank Caeti, James Urbaniak, Kirsten Vangsness, Meera Rohit Kumbhani, Nick Thune, Scott Krinsky, Scott Narver, Stephanie Allynne

DAVE MADE A MAZE (2017)
Directed by Bill Watterson
Available from Arrow Films and Amazon Prime Video

Annie returns home to the flat she shares with her boyfriend Dave to find him inside a cardboard maze den taking up her living room. With Dave refusing to allow Annie to destroy his creation nor enter from his makeshift maze, she turns to his best friend Gordon for help. When even more friends of the couple arrive and with Dave ‘lost’ and unable to emerge, Annie has no choice but to enter the cardboard maze to fetch him out.

I’m not sure what the writers were thinking when they dreamed up DAVE MADE A MAZE but I wish I was there to witness this pure gem come to fruition. Combining the pure essence of adventure, complete with deadly traps, and the frustrations of a 30 year old man trying to find his purpose in life, Steven Sears and Bill Watterson have concocted a fantasy comedy that is a joy to behold.

The tone of the movie is set early on. Despite the ominous opener, where Dave is being interviewed and confesses to indirectly being responsible for a number of deaths in his quest for creation, Annie’s discovery upon her return home and Dave’s response from within his cardboard maze confirms that this is a film that’s not to be taken too seriously. From there, it simply gets better and better.

When Dave’s bearded bro Gordon arrives and invites a load more people to witness the peculiar spectacle in the flat, it truly signals the descent into crazy daft territory and it’s glorious. Not only has Gordon invited more friends around to the apartment, but also two Flemish tourists and a hobo seem to have arrived to gaze upon the cardboard labyrinth. The most funniest of them all though is a documentary crew, led by Kyle MacLachlan lookalike James Urbaniak as Harry. Captivated by the unusual goings-on in this seemingly innocuous flat, they do what every good documentary crew would do and film every moment, following Annie into the maze, along with everybody else in the flat who’s keen to experience the main attraction!

Upon entering the maze, it’s here where we finally see what Dave meant when he said “it’s bigger on the inside”. I can’t imagine how much cardboard must have been used to build the tunnels and rooms in this inventive comedy but bravo for really instilling the fantasy-esque vision which we all dreamt up as youngsters. Anyone who’s ever made a den when they were young, be it out of blankets, cardboard or other material, will appreciate what has been created here. This cardboard labyrinth fraught with danger, booby traps and a rampaging minotaur is exciting to behold. Whilst steam pours out of little turret-like vents on the outside, it’s like being a working machine on the inside. Rooms contain all manner of surprises, some of which can be life-threatening. And, yes, whilst there are deaths, which the opener alludes to, they’re executed in such a way that will have you laughing your head off. As I said, whoever dreamt up this creation and the set designers who’ve brought it to life, deserve a massive pat on the back because this is what success looks like. With puppetry and a sprinkling of origami-style computer-aided effects featured, and a room where depth and perspective is explored, the crew have clearly put a lot of thought and effort into this film with a cast that seems to appreciate the task at hand and give their all.

At the heart of it, it might be about a guy who feels as though he hasn’t achieved anything and is fed up of begging for a job he hates, and feels unsuccessful, but don’t we all sometimes? I suppose we just don’t all make Tardis-like cardboard mazes in our lounge as a result. However, I’m damn glad that Dave decided to so I could witness this God-given creation.

DAVE MADE A MAZE is an absolute hoot. Do yourself a favour and give it a watch.

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