Plot Details: This opinion reveals major details about the movie's plot.
No one gets to hide from their past, not even 5 time Oscar nominee and two time Winner Tom Hanks. Contrary to what you might think, he actually started his screen career with a Slasher Flick from 1980, He Knows You Are Alone. Then he cross-dressed in the “Bosom Buddies” TV Series. His first starring role was in this made for TV movie. And folks, I gotta tell you, keep this one covered in your old gym bag, or the smell will make you faint.
Oh maybe it isn’t that bad. Perhaps the smell will only make you swoon. Looking for movies of the stars in which they had a less than palatable role has been interesting for the purposes of this write-off. I had considered doing a series on Rutger Hauer, but realized to get all his bad films, I would be forced to review more than I could do in a lifetime. So I have decided this will be my last entry in this write-off. This time I thought I’d review a lesser known movie that few have seen, for good reason, as it happens. I bought it in my video collecting days, and have managed to successfully forget it for over ten years, until now.***
BACKGROUND FOR THE FILM-HISTORICALLY SUBJECTIVE VIEWPOINT
Dungeons and Dragons.
You all remember that craze? It was right before PC’s and it swept the youth of the nation. I was already gone from that special group, but I listened with apprehension to tales from OTHER parents. Some Fundamentalist friends insisted the game itself was evil, and would drag the nation’s youth into the pits of Hell. It was at this point that I realized that I had nothing in common with religious fanatics. I saw in this game, on the plus side, the ability to use your imagination, and creatively interact with your peers in playing it. The downside was no greater than the downside for any activities in which teen-agers are the main participants. They could become obsessed, they could crack under the strain, and they could forget about the other more mundane aspects of their lives. Teen-agers have been doing these very things for years. I did think the game playing was better for their chances of survival than drinking beer, doing drugs, and driving around town . But that is just me.
But the game Dungeons and Dragons was gaining a following in colleges, apparently, although I saw it developing more among high school kids, in the later part of the decade, as my daughter became a teen-ager. The popular paranoia about this game was amazing....and completely irrational. I saw the movie Mazes and Monsters years later as a preachy movie, meant to scare kids into stifling their imaginations, but also reassuring parents that the kids would be OK if they were OK in the first place. I suspect THIS is what really scared the parents of the 80's. They saw so little of their children, they had no way of judging whether or not they were OK.
Personally it is hard for me to see the work of the devil in the game itself. It is after all, merely a role playing game, which worked best for those with the best imaginations and the best ability to focus on the task at hand. I never played the game. I was too busy arguing with Swaggart followers that I didn’t think the game could be much worse than Jimmy’s assignation with street walkers. I heard horror stories about both news events ( the game and Swaggart). I was not popular in those circles. I just assumed that God gave us imagination for a reason.
FILM ELEMENTS
The director Steven H. Stern is Canadian,(which may explain the Canadian Cast) He has done some impressive TV series , starting with Hawaii 5-0 in 1968, and made myriad TV movies, but would probably expunge this bland experience from his CV if he could.
The movie was adapted for film from as novel by Rona Jaffe, who speaks through one of the characters in the film, although she has to have been at least 30 years too old for this to have been a real possibility. I find myself totally umimpressed with the story. The movie was made for TV, so it lacks stylish Hollywood sparkle, and the video transfer is horrendous in spots. Even the lighting fails to make use of the possibilities.
The acting in this film ranges from good (Hanks) to mediocre (Wallace) through a range of other values . It would probably behoove Vera Miles, Anne Francis, and Susan Strasberg to expunge this movie from their C’Vs as well. It has to have been an embarrassment.
The character development is poor for all the characters, including our big star. The most is made of little things, like his parents quarreling, his mother drinking, and his brother disappearing at his birthday party three years previously on Halloween. The girl wants to be a writer. All we know about her is that her mother gave her bad advice as a writer. The character Daniel is so flat and uninteresting that he seems to have all color leached from his presence. For my money, he is the one who should have gotten weird. The best character exposition was done on the kid named Jay Jay. More on that later.
The filming was industry standard nothing more. No points for cinematography, and fewer from the set design, which was pretty poorly done. The monster of the tale could have used a little help from Terry Gilliam. It was a bad monster, especially for a “hallucination”. This could have been spooky. Call this one of many missed opportunities.
The pacing on this movie is actually steady, although it is soporific from the start. It begins slow and ends slow, never reaching an adrenalin pumping crisis for the audience. I will say that this is one of the few made for TV movies that has made the 15 minute break splicing seamlessly. So I guess there’s faint praise for the editing.
The music for this piece, done by Hagood Hardy, a composer whose credits are mostly for the TV industry, is perfectly awful. It is not merely absent in scenes where it was needed, it was awful in the scenes where it is forced upon the audience.
The only endearing aspect of this whole movie was the Manhattan section, where the audience can go with our game players back to the World Trade Center and experience the view from the top one more time. That actually brought tears to my eyes.
ABOUT THE DVD
There was a DVD released September 2002. It was released in German without subtitles. Actually, it might be worth something at that. The dialog probably WORKS better is you don’t understand what they are saying.
THE PLOT
The movie starts with a boring newscaster describing the major premise of the movie, as sirens sound and lights flash. Then we get to see how it all started.
One by one the audience is introduced to the future four that would be playing Mazes and Monsters together to justify the title for the movie.
First we meet Jay Jay, the eccentric, A- student, who wears crash helmets instead of baseball caps, has an IQ of 190, and a Mynah bird. His mother’s passion is to redecorate his room every three months.
Then we meet Kate who is the product of a broken home, and meets with her mother. She tells her mother she has writer’s block (amazing since she has not yet written anything) and despairs of needing more experience to be able to write. Her mother advises her to just make stuff up.
Then we meet Daniel, whose father is a big executive, and who has a future in software. Lots of pressure, but boring.
Then we meet our protagonist, Robbie, who has already been kicked out of one college for skipping class to play Mazes and Monsters. His mother and father argue, and his mother drinks a bit.
They all meet at Grant College, nondescript small college anywhere, close, presumably, to the big Apple.
These will be the players. For a while Kate and Robbie seem to be developing a relationship. Robbie tells Kate about his older brother who just one day disappeared. Robbie is guilty because he gave him money to get to New York.
They continue to play Mazes and Monsters, but all is under control. The game is limited to the room, and their rules. Then one day Jay Jay takes the game to a new level, and sets up the game in an abandoned mine shaft with costumes and props.. Once the boundaries change, Robbie begins to take on more of the characteristics of his character, and actually sees the imaginary monsters.
It all follows a predictable course. Robbie’s obsession about his brother ‘Hall' is incorporated into the game. Some mildly interesting stuff happens in New York.
Well what do you think? Is there a happy ending? Can you bring yourself to care?
THE CAST
Tom Hanks as Robbie Wheeling- the boy with a problem. In the game he is a religious character, named Pardu. Pardu decides he has to have a quest, and gives up Kate to remain celibate(after she tells him she doesn’t want to love with him). Hanks for the next 10 years would be able to play these young parts with ease. He was 26 years old here, but looks younger. At this point in his career, this would have been a step up. He was two years away from SPLASH and one year from the Family Ties TV Series. He was actually pretty good, but this movie does not at all present a challenge, and the script is missing the necessary changes in his character to make it believable. His brother Hall appears to him at the other end of a cleaned out Campbell’s soup can.
Wendy Crewson-as Kate Finch, who is the storyteller here, and although she is pretty, her character seems more than a little shallow. There is very little chemistry going on here, as well. She was 2 months older than Hanks, but looks older. She has continued to act in many different parts, mostly in TV.
David Wallace-as Daniel. This guy is Ivy League for the hew yuppie generation, and although he is not a bad sort, only cheating once during the game, he is so bland as to be almost invisible. He was to go on to a career in Days of Our Lives and General Hospital.
Chris Makepeace as Jay Jay Brockway. This kid is the only one that acts his age. He gained some notoriety as Rudy in Meatballs. He was 18 in this film, but the character is 16.
Lloyd Bochner- as Hall, Robbie’s Dad. Brief appearance signifying nothing, except a seething pervasive anger.
Peter Donat as Harold, Daniel’s Dad. Has had a lot of bit parts, and was the nephew of Robert Donat of The 39 Steps.
Anne Francis-as Ellie (Daniel’s mom) This actress was cheated of a better career by the standards of Hollywood in the 50's which was incredibly chauvinistic. She got very few roles that were worthy of her abilities, including this one.
Murray Hamilton-as Lieutenant John Martini-yeah, a cop. Ho hum.
Vera Miles-as Cat (Robbie’s mom). I feel sorry that this exceptional actress had to do this in her advancing years, but she definitely adds some class to this flick. She is the only character in this movie that changes for the better.
Louise Sorel as Julia (Jay Jay’s Mom) a television actress with a little personality. Small role.
Susan Strasberg- as Meg (Kate’s mom). Definitely needs to expunge this movie from her CV. She was a better stage and screen actress by far than this movie. The daughter of the famous Lee Strasberg.
Chris Wiggins as King. This character actor of many years, plays a bum in the subway.
James O’Reegan as Paul-this guy is a well known actor in Canada. He directs, writes and produces as well. Take your name off this one Jimmy.
The only remarkable fact about a lot of these actors, is that more than 50% were born in Canada.
FINAL RECOMMENDATION
I can’t think of a single reason why anyone would want to see this movie.
These are the other participants in this write off!
See Simply_Crispy’s profile page for links to their reviews!
A ro ma ntic thriller about the effect of fantasy role playing games of four college students in a deadly game that goes too far.More at Buy.com Marketplaces
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