Mazes and Monsters (1982)

Director: Steven Hilliard Stern
Starring: Tom Hanks, Wendy Crewson, David Wallace

Synopsis:
A college student who used to be an obsessive roleplayer gets drawn back into the game when he transfers to a new school.

Impressions:
This movie would have been forgotten among the flood of after-school specials exposing all the social evils and moral bugbears of the day were it not for being the first leading role of Tom Hanks and notorious for its part in the D&D moral panic. As you can imagine, it's not remotely accurate as far as the D&D stuff is concerned, but I guess I can at least give the story credit for setting up the personal issues of the main cast to better sell the idea of the game as an outlet for maladjusted individuals that can add to their problems when taken too far. You'd think misfit teen whiz kid Jay-Jay, he of many hats, would be the main one having issues, but that gets dropped to focus on Tom Hanks' Robbie, probably because he was better equipped for the necessary freakouts (the most memorable parts of the film). I liked having Murray Hamilton (Mayor Vaughn from Jaws) as the detective, even if the police investigation goes nowhere. Most of the movie is a slog, so unless you really feel like committing yourself to the full experience, just catch the highlights for a quick chuckle. I can't really recommend this even as riffing material, but anyone curious about the D&D moral panic or Tom Hanks' early career might want to check it out. Otherwise, just pass on it.

Rating:
Avoid It