Mazes and Monsters

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Zachary S @Zach154 Aug 19, 2026 Mazes and Monsters is definitely a film of its time, from its dialogue and themes to its overall craft. This made-for-TV movie landed on my watchlist because of Urban Legends, Ghost Stories and Folklore, which has a chapter about the Satanic Panic surrounding Dungeons & Dragons. The film draws from the real-life case of James Dallas Egbert III, a college student whose disappearance and suicide became sensationally linked to the game and its supposed occult influence. That anxiety is evident throughout the film, even though D&D is replaced by the fictional “Mazes and Monsters.” The caves and tunnels also give the story a literal setting to explore the blurred line between fantasy and reality. While heavily dated, the film still has its moments and is fascinating as a time capsule of the era’s fears. The biggest curiosity is seeing a very young Tom Hanks in only his second film role. Overall, it’s flawed but historically interesting. See more Melissa L @Agent99 Jul 19, 2025 I think this was a fun movie with Tom Hanks made before his movie career took off. I recommend it...especially if you are into games like "Dungeons and Dragons." Or want to see Tom Hanks. See more Terugspoelen P @RT62993031 Jan 17, 2025 If you bashing on people who are fond of 'silly roleplaying', then don your helmet and cape and be sure not to drink any sleep-well-tea. We enjoyed the theme of friendship by games, but the rest is as fake as the caves they get lost in. Is this movie truly worth a rewind? Our verdict: 1 out of 5 rewinds. See more nick s @Nick_S Aug 3, 2024 The movie certainly didn't go where I thought it was going. I was hoping for a little more spectacle. It was actually closely aligned to a real life incident on which it was based. I feel a lot more could have been done in the editing/sound room to give it a trippier vibe and foreshadow the main character's arc. Overall it fell a bit flat. The acting was generally good but there were a few soft patches. Sometimes the voices faded to a mumble... not sure if that was to do with the media I was watching. See more May 10, 2021 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. See more Dec 1, 2019 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. See more Read all reviews

Mazes and Monsters

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