Dave Made a Maze

Although it's a scrappy indie, the movie has something in common with many platinum-plated CGI blockbusters: The visuals are as strong as the script is feeble.

While the dramatic underpinnings could have used more work, the labyrinth that's the focus of "Dave Made a Maze" is truly an amazingly inventive sight to behold.

The charmingly offbeat turns seriously strange and then veers into the absurd - in a good way.

You won't come to "Dave" for the unpolished interplay, but you'll surely stay for its preposterously elaborate kid-crafty sets.

An episodic endeavor enlivened only so much by decent comedy talent dealing with absurdist situations in a hip deadpan that grows monotonous, with dialogue that too often sounds less-than-inspirationally improvised.

A likeably goofy creative achievement.

Watterson appears to have put most of his energy into crafty art direction and practical effects, sorely neglecting story and character development...might elicit a few giggles, but its padded 80 minute running time becomes an endurance test.

Dave Made A Maze ultimately wears out a thin premise.

It's still worth the trip, but only just.

Watterson does a fine job juggling tone and provides enough visual oddity to make this strangely sincere cardboard adventure work for much of its run time.

An inspired half-hour's worth of visual invention is spread out over a forced 80 minutes in Dave Made a Maze, a tribute to '80s horror-fantasy flicks that never quite decides what tone it wants to take.

"Dave Made a Maze" is totally unique.