Meander

Ok, so when the movie started out i thought it was going to be pretty good, i always liked mystery movies where someone wakes up in an unknown location and has to solve mysteries and puzzles to get out. To the films credit it had a lot of good set work and cinematography, but the main issue with it is how it gradually falls apart the longer it goes on. Its pretty clear that the writers were just making up stuff as they went along, apparent by how everything that happens in it gets progressively weirder and weirder, to the point where it gets completely nonsensical and all-over-the-place by the end. Theres also a couple conveniences in the script, theres several moments in the film where the main character should very well die but just... doesnt, because the plot needs her alive. Also this movie seems to have a similar problem with the movie "circle" and "cadaver" where it doesnt really have any progression or narrative, it just keeps going on and on without accomplishing anything narritive-wise until it hits its runtime. The majority of this movie is just watching a girl crawl through tubes and avoid traps, we didnt really learn much about what was happening until the very end, and until then it just never progresses anything.

Now despite everything ive said about this movie i would still recommend it if youre into the kind of genre, because even though the plot kinda sucks, everything else is pertty good, there were some pretty good puzzles and clever moments in the game itself, just dont expect a very well written plot.

Lisa (Gaia Weiss) is alone in the middle of nowhere. A vehicle stops. She reluctantly gets a ride from the creepy stranger. She gets knocked out and wakes up in a futuristic tunnel maze.

This really does meander. The basic premise is very Cube-esque with less people. Quite frankly, she's alone most of the time. The maze does not engender any mystery like the room numbers in Cube. It becomes a series of limited thrills as she crawl around and around. There are a few interesting ideas but the main story has no juice. It's really just watching this lady crawl around in the tunnels for an hour. Fast forward is very useful in this one.

This movie wants to be several things at once but sadly fails at all of them. It starts as thriller but it's not. Continues as Cube-type horror, but it's not. Finishes as metaphysical allegory with a sprinkles of sci fi, but it's not that either.

The visual at the end was nice. Other than that, I'm not sure what I actually watched.

Sometimes a film is confusing and you absolutely have to find out what is was about, while other times a film is confusing and you just find it annoying. 'Meander' was unfortunately the latter. I think I understand for the most part what it was intended to mean, but I certainly don't care enough to go seeking out confirmation. More than anything I just wanted it to be over by the end.

Which is a shame because it started out so promisingly. A decent opening scene setting things up and then a little mini-twist. Then we are introduced to the tunnels and get a real 'Cube' (one of my favourite sci-fi films) feel. But then the next 30 minutes are very disappointing. There is no character interaction in sight - which doesn't have to be a bad thing - but on this occasion made everything very dull and monotonous.

I was also disappointed by how simple the premise ultimately was. I won't describe what she needed to do, but it was so basic it created no intrigue whatsoever. Sadly I didn't enjoy 'Meander' much after being excited to see it for a while now. Not one I'd recommend.

To me this film was, to just quite plain and simply put it, " an absolute Meandering heap of junk"! It uneqivocally had no clear purpose or direction. Its an agonizing 1h:30m:46s of dreary nothing that you, at first, try to work out what the plot is so that you have some idea of a story; you soon give that up though as you quickly realize that you have become the meandering emptiness.

Someone said that it was a film that had you weaving through a discovery of different emotions...What the heck! Thats just arty-farty, complete and utter pompous clap trap! There is nothing hidden in this film, there is nothing emotive in this and there most definitely is no point in this. For a film to work it doesn't necessarily need a middle but, it absolutely must have a start and a definitive end; be it a closed end finàle or an open ended road to a possible sequel.

Unfortunately we have reached one of those fad time periods again in film-land...the escape thrillers! We had "Escape Room" (2018) and its sequel 2: Tournament of Champions, and a few more not so memorable also rans...just add this one to the latter description.

Un score nul de ma part mesdames et messieurs!

A zero score from me ladies and gentlemen!