Mazes and Monsters

PG

1982

1 hr. 40 min.

Mystery & Thriller

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Reviews

19%

2,500+ Ratings

Audience Score

A college student (Tom Hanks) begins to live the role he plays with three friends in a medieval fantasy game.

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This movie is hilarious. Written as a "warning" during the D&D satanic scare, it manages to create some pretty funny scenarios and a fun story about a guy who gets a little too traumatized from D&D. Worth the watch for D&D fans who want a cheesy laugh. 10/10 one of Tom Hanks best films.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/20/23

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Audience Member

A made for TV movie released at the peak of the moral panic about role playing games such as Dungeons & Dragons. A young Tom Hanks plays a college student who becomes so obsessed with his in-game character that he can no longer distinguish between the game and reality, eventually suffering a complete mental breakdown. Based loosely on the real life case of James Dallas Egbert III whose suicide was erroneously linked to D&D. I hoped Mazes and Monsters would be good for a laugh, but instead of being so-bad-it's-good it's mostly just bad. Tom Hanks does a decent job of portraying his character's mental deterioration, though. Probably best avoided unless you're interested in the historical controversy surrounding Dungeons & Dragons.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

01/14/23

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Audience Member

If you take it as a social commentary on fantasy role playing games, this movie seems shrill and over the top. But I have to admit that the scene on top of the world trade center towers took me back to a long time ago, when the towers still stood, and we hadn't mired ourselves in an ugly foreign war. It is a time when Tom Hanks was young. If you take it as a piece of entertainment this movie holds its ground. Watching Hanks' character go slowly mad is sad, and that makes the final scene all that more pathetic. A good movie, and recommended especially to gamers.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/21/23

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Audience Member

"Mazes & Monsters" is the "Reefer Madness" of the gamer set, hilariously mired in the early 1980's preposterous hysteria over the satanic influence of fantasy games like Dungeons & Dragons. Tom Hanks performs admirably well in an early role - although few others can claim that distinction. The script is weak (as one might expect for a fear-mongering art-screed). The lighting is poor. The direction is imitative of TV soaps like "Day of Our Lives" or "Ryan's Hope". The movie is on film stock of such poor quality, one might be excused for believing it was lifted from Soviet military surplus supplies circa 1978. The soundtrack is abysmally bad - I suspect also possibly acquired from Soviet overstock circa 1978. There's little to like in this hot-mess agitprop other than its delicious absurdity and an appreciation for Tom Hanks' evolving skill. Fun - but only if you're in the mood.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

02/01/23

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Audience Member

19%?! Blasphemy! This is a classic that should have gave Hanks an Emmy!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/30/23

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Audience Member

Worth a view if you're a fan of D&D as well as "so bad they're good" movies.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

02/23/23

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Steven Hilliard Stern

Director

Tom Hanks

Robbie Wheeling

Wendy Crewson

Kate Finch

Chris Makepeace

Jay Jay Brockway

David Wallace

Daniel

Lloyd Bochner

Hall

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Judith Crist

TV Guide

What follows leads to a sophisticated and credible conclusion, a rarity among made-for-TV films. And it's engrossing all the way.

May 25, 2006

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Emanuel Levy

EmanuelLevy.Com

Rated: 2/5

Oct 1, 2005

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Nicolas Lacroix

EnPrimeur.ca

Rated: 2/5

Sep 10, 2004

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James Sanford

Kalamazoo Gazette

Although intended as a cautionary tale, it's far more likely to inspire snickers than shudders.

Rated: 1/5

Jan 23, 2004

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Synopsis

A college student (Tom Hanks) begins to live the role he plays with three friends in a medieval fantasy game.

Director: Steven Hilliard Stern
Rating: PG
Genre: Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 12, 2017

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