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 !

Your Highness (2011) Movie Review

There are some great maze movies out there if you were looking for one. But there is also the complete opposite, with a lot of terrible, mostly weak horror movies. So today we will will figure out which movie bucket the 2011 adventure comedy Your Highness fits into.

Your Highness (2011) (IMDB)

Your Highness (2011) movie poster

Your Highness is an adventure comedy that pairs 2 brothers on a quest to find one of their kidnapped brides. One brother is good looking and seems to do everything right (played by James Franco) while the other is a bit lazy (played by Danny McBride). The comedic portions of the movie are very much similar to other Danny McBride shows/movies so if you enjoy his type of comedy then this is for you. If you are not a fan, this might be something to watch in the background.

So what about the reason you are reviewing this here, you know the mazes ? Well, in the last half of the movie the group comes upon a maze and of course a very excited Minotaur that they must defeat to move on in their quest. It actually becomes one of the funnier parts of the movie punctuated with a nice ending to the scene. Except for the Minotaur. This was not a good ending for him.

The bride they are rescuing is played by the lovely Zooey Deschanel and along the way the brothers are joined by a warrior played by Natalie Portman. So this movie has a lot of star power.

Overall, this is an average movie made with actors and actresses you know that is fine to watch for free, but is not something you should ever seek out unless you love Danny McBride. It ended up being a box office bomb despite the stars and a large $50M budget. I give it a 5.3/10. You will laugh a few times because of the ridiculous of it all.

The trailer gives a good idea what you’ll find in the movie:

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:

Wrath of the Titans (2012) Movie Review

Wrath of the Titans (2012) IMDB

Wrath of the Titans 2012 movie poster

How do you feel about watching a big budget adventure fantasy movie that did over $300M in worldwide box office ? What if it was also the sequel to Clash of the Titans which did almost $500M ? Lets see how this big budget sequel, Wrath of the Titans stacks up. We get the return of Liam Neeson as Zeus and Ralph Fiennes as Hades from Clash, but this story focuses on the main character Perseus, played by Sam Worthington.

Tens years after the close of our first film, the gods have a problem because mankind has stopped worshipping the gods like they had in the past and they are losing their power as a result. Part of that power they gain is used to hold together the walls of the underworld prison Tartarus. Eventually, as the power wains, we have a large prison break and monsters (titans) are released on the world. Zeus is betrayed and imprisoned in the Underworld. Now we have some action taking place, with Perseus needing to defeat a series of monsters. We get fights with some fun mythical features like a Chimera and a Cyclopes (see the video thumbnail blow for a glimpse).

The story eventually becomes a fantasy quest to defeat the “final boss” (Kronos) and save Zeus from the Underworld. Perseus needs to make his way through a shifting labyrinth in Tartarus and eventually encounters the mythical Minotaur. The story unfolds in a typical big budget fashion. The monsters are good and the special effects are also. I didn’t expect much from this film and that is what it delivered.

I would say 6/10. Worth seeing if you like this kind of film. Unfortunately this film did not do well enough at the box office to greenlight the last part of the trilogy, Revenge of the Titans.

Check out the trailer: