The Labirynth (1971) Movie Review

Not to be confused with David Bowie and that sweet hair from Labyrinth. This is the animated story of the Greek myth done by Russian animators.

The Labirynth (1971) (IMDB)

The Labyrinth 1971 movie poster

This is the story of Theseus and his attempt to kill the Minotaur and then escape the maze in Crete. You might think I spelled this title incorrectly above because it clearly says The Labirynth and not The Labyrinth. That is almost the Polish spelling of the word if you drop the h from the end. Either way I checked it.

It’s odd watching Greek characters speak Russian even if you are reading the subtitles (SEE THE UPDATE BELOW). The animation is not Pixar or Disney, but I’m not sure what to expect from 1971. It’s not Hanna Barbara either. If you want a quick 20 minute version of the story….I guess it is ok, but only if your queue is empty. The real highlight comes just after the 8 minute mark when, while on the ship to Crete a Bollywood-like dance number breaks out ? Because ? Well I’m not exactly sure. It feels awkward to me in the movie. I would rate this movie a 5.7/10.

If you like this story I suggest you check out my Maze Comic Book Reviews - Theseus and the Minotaur that reviews 4 different comic book versions of the story ! There are so very good illustrations to go with the story you probably already know.

This movie is part of a series of Greek animated short films made in Russia: Prometheus (1974); Argonauts (1971); Perses (1973) and Return from Olympus (1969). Each is about 20 minutes long and well reviewed. All were directed by Aleksandra Snezhko-Blotskaya, who was born in Russia in a part of the country that is now in Ukraine….maybe. This may be a bad time to get into where this city is…

UPDATE: A version of the movie has been restored with English dubbing and is now posted onto YouTube. Notice it is titled Labyrinth and not Labirynth !! Enjoy ! I rewatched it and changed my review rating higher !

The Man in the Maze (2011) Movie Review

It’s time to review another Maze movie ! This one is a standard low budget horror film. Let’s get to it !

The Man in The Maze (2011) (IMDB)

The Man in The Maze (2011) movie poster

I have always liked how James Bond movies start with action. Like the story has been happening and they turned the camera on mid-story to let you in on what is going on. The Man in The Maze starts with a masked man having already captured 3 people, all of them injured and passed out (maybe dead ? - the viewer isn’t sure yet ) and the assumed assailant working to bind them. I prefer stories that begin like this.

Not giving too much away, not that most of you would care, but this becomes a horror chase movie through a wooded area that the 4 main characters do not know, making it a bit of a maze. And there is a curse on some of the ground they stumble upon, the ancient Native American burial grounds from the Trail of Tears. Things get complicated. Who is this masked assailant and can the group escape from the grounds ?

I have seen some bad movies. This is plagued by bad acting, dialogue, and a script similar to a much better Spanish movie Los Cronocimenes, which has nothing to do with a maze but has a similar masked chaser. You may know that movie as Timecrimes from 2007, which I highly recommend. Watch The Man in The Maze only if forced to, I rate it as a 3/10.

I do want to mention the title of the movie and where it comes from. The Man in the Maze is a symbol from the Tohono O'Odham nation. It shows a man named I'itoi, a creator and God of the people standing at the entrance to a maze. The symbol is said to represent a person’s journey through life. The turns of the maze (it is actually a labyrinth) represent the choices one makes as they move through life. You can learn details about it here, and here.

Man in the Maze Labyrinth

You can find this symbol in the movie poster, although it can be missed since it tends to blend into the background. Here is a look with less noise of that part of the poster:

Man in the maze logo close up

Here is the trailer:

Exit (2011) Movie Review

Today we dive into another maze related movie review, the 2011 Australian TV Movie Exit.

Exit (2011) (IMDB)

Exit (2011) movie poster

Here is the premise of Exit: groups of people wander around a city looking for a door that leads to an exit to another place, out of the maze of the city. They aren’t sure what this new place is or what it is like but they become obsessed with finding the door and getting there. Cool concept. I also want to mention that the design of the movie poster is excellent. It seems like posters are all derivative of one another, but this poster looks different to me. I like the idea that the exit could be up through the skyscrapers. It’s a nice twist on the search for a door.

The best part about this movie by far is the cinematography with excellent sweeping views of the city landscape really capturing the essence of the place. It feels industrial and very much like a city of large grey buildings. The music also fits well and creates the appropriate mood.

The pace of the movie is a bit slow. I think that is because beyond long sections of dialogue, not much is really happening. Things are mysterious, but they never feel very tense or urgent. The movie trailer gives a very good representation of this in my opinion. I think with a few tweaks this could have been a really good movie. Instead it’s average for what it is, a low budget sci-fi movie. A big budget remake with some action, a compelling dark antagonist, and a Dan Brown type puzzle unfolding makes this a big success. All you need is a couple million and Dan Brown to help with the script, that should be easy !!!!

Of all of the movies that I have reviewed this one seems to have the most consistent range of reviews. You can find people all across the board rating this movie from 1 to 10/10. If you are someone who works in a large city in an office you will relate to the “escape from the rat race vibes” this movie gives off. This is a movie that gives you a framework to think about. If you like action and answers you are in the wrong place. This film will not give you clarity if that is what you are looking for. If you want action maze movies I suggest Cube (1997) or The Maze Runner (2014).

I give it a 6.2/10. It is worth watching if you like sci-fi movies and you can find it. Good news ! At time of this writing the movie is on YouTube ! I suggest watching this on a weekday after work when it is raining to set the appropriate mood.

Iteration 1 (2016) Movie Review

Today we dive into another maze-ish related short film from 2016, Iteration 1, directed by Jesse Lupini.

Iteration 1 (2016) (IMDB)

Iteration 1 (2016) movie poster

Here is the premise of the short film Iteration 1 : A woman (played by Katharine Isabelle who you might know from Ginger Snaps) wakes up in a bed in the middle of a well-lit white room with black grids on the walls. She has 60 seconds to, well, after 60 seconds she collapses and everything resets. Her goal, although never stated is to find a way out of the place she is in (which is about as specific as I can get because it isn’t really clear except this place is maze-like). Each time she awakens a voice declares the Iteration # she is on. This feels like a time travel/groundhog day movie where our character needs to learn from their mistakes to move forward in the time loop. And it happens after just 60 seconds in this Iteration so things are sped up.

The film is weird with little dialogue but actually fun to watch. You’ll find yourself talking to the woman and giving her suggestions based on what you might do in this situation, like, hey, maybe try this (or that). Definitely worth a viewing ! I give it a 7/10 and suggest you invest the 14 minutes you will need to watch this film.

Bonus points to the designer of the poster who used a labyrinth for the “O” in Iteration but made it off center so it looks something like a thumb print. Is this a clue ? Here is a close-up of the design in higher resolution.

Iteration O labyrinth

The best part about short films is you can often watch them for free on YouTube !! Check it out: