Labyrinth (1986)

• Year: 1986
• Released: 27 Jun 1986
• Country: United Kingdom, United States
• Adwords: Nominated for 1 BAFTA Award4 nominations total
• IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091369/
• Rotten Tomatoes: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/Labyrinth
• Metacritics: https://www.metacritic.com/movie/labyrinth
• Available in: 720p, 1080p,
• Language: English
• MPA Rating: PG
• Genre: Adventure, Family, Fantasy
• Runtime: 101 min
• Writer: Dennis Lee, Jim Henson, Terry Jones
• Director: Jim Henson
• Cast: David Bowie, Jennifer Connelly, Toby Froud
• Keywords: coming of age, surrealism, rescue, castle, child kidnapping,

	7.3/10
	50/100
	75% – Critics
	86% – Audience

Labyrinth Storyline

Sarah is forced by her father and her stepmother to babysit her baby stepbrother, Toby, while they are out. He does not stop crying and she wishes that he would be taken away. Out of the blue, he stops crying and when she looks for him in his crib, she learns that her wish was granted, and the Goblin King Jareth has taken him to his castle in the Goblin City in the middle of a labyrinth. Sarah repents and asks Jareth to give him back, but Jareth tells her that she has to rescue him before midnight. Soon she teams up with some allies. Will they rescue Toby in time?

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Labyrinth Movie Reviews

Magical, dreamlike adventure into self reflection

Labyrinth was directed by Jim Henson of the Muppet and The Dark Crystal fame. It was produced by George Lucas and featured David Bowie as the villain Goblin King. It’s also one of Jennifer Connelly’s first films. And it just might be the best live-action Alice in Wonderland film ever made.

Sarah (Connelly) is a proud cloudcuckoolander, someone whose head is permanently stuck in the clouds and who can very easily lose entire days playing make-belief in the parks. And then she’s given the unenviable task of looking after her baby brother while her parents go out on a date. And of course the kid gets kidnapped by goblins within fifteen minutes. Top notch job there, Sarah.

To Sarah’s credit, she’s obviously distraught by this and does everything she can to get her brother back. Nevertheless, her character is a bit tough to get behind most of the time. You can see that her heart is in the right place, but otherwise she’s a brat. Not helping the matter is Connelly’s acting. It’s atrocious, especially in the early scenes. As the movie progresses, she does get better, but she’s not going to be winning any Oscars anytime soon. (Which is ironic because fifteen years later she did just that with her role in A Beautiful Mind.)

But, putting that aside, the film is otherwise a whole lot of fun. David Bowie is an absolute blast, although the songs he’s given to sing could have been better. Jim Henson’s puppet work is also on full display and is easily the best part of the film. Furthermore, the story has that mad, no logic whatsoever dream quality to it, which makes it enjoyable to watch, and the characters aside from Sarah are very enjoyable.

Not the best film ever made and I’d personally rather watch The Dark Crystal again, but if you’ve liked Henson’s other films, this one is worth a watch.

Combining music, adventure, comedy and fantasy, this film is a timeless childhood classic!

I just want to start by saying I loved this movie as a child. As a matter of fact, I loved a lot of Jim Henson’s work, having grown up on the Muppet movies and of course on The Dark Crystal. At 17, I still love this film, it is a timeless childhood classic for the whole family to enjoy! Then again, I may be biased as my favourite film genres are musicals, animation and fantasy. Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King, Little Nemo’s Adventures in Slumberland, Mary Poppins, The Wizard of Oz, Meet Me in St Louis, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Princess Bride and NeverEnding Story were my favourites, and I know one or two reviews here have been disfavourable towards Legend, and that has got a lot of hate on IMDb. But I want to say despite Legend’s flaws, it is a visual feast to the eyes, with a great music score and one of the best villains ever in a fantasy film.

Back to Labyrinth, it may have one or two minor flaws. People have complained it is cheesy and dated, and that the ballroom scene slowed things down. Maybe so, but this film is so entertaining and such fun and the ballroom scene was exquisite visually I honestly don’t really care.

Labyrinth, I think has held up well. The puppet characters are fantastically designed and move seamlessly, and the film is filled with widely imaginative sets that are both haunting and enchanting. The film began and ended very effectively I thought, and the special effects are well above average. I especially love the feel of the film, it is like a Grimm’s Fairytale. A lot of effort went into making this movie and it shows, the battle at the Goblin King’s castle especially was a masterstroke.

The story is timeless, filled with exuberance, charm, comedy and adventure. This is what a fantasy film should be like, and reasons why Wizard of Oz and NeverEnding Story work so well even on repeated viewings. The scripting is not that bad, Dungeons and Dragons especially had inane and vomit inducing dialogue that alone ruined the film. There is some good dialogue in this film though, Jareth gets the best of them. There were some funny moments here, the fiery dudes who take off their own heads were great fun, same with the cute little dog. And I like Hoggle, a gruff but somewhat humorous character. As well as the feel of the film, and the characters I love the fact that Labyrinth teaches values about growing up without preaching.

I have heard complaints about the music being cheesy. Maybe I am wrong for saying this, but while it isn’t the most imaginative music score ever in a fantasy film, I liked it. It has a unique sound to it, and gave David Bowie the opportunity to show off his strengths. I like David Bowie, there are songs of his I like more than others, but then again it is like that with most musicians. His songs here are fun, the lyrics are nice and the melodies are memorable. The final confrontation between him and Sarah was a definite highlight.

The performances and the characters were also great. I have also heard complaints that Sarah is a vapid heroine and that Jennifer Connelly is just eye candy. Can I be one to disagree? Jennifer Connelly isn’t the best actress ever, but in an early role she is not bad at all. Her character is the sort of character that goes on a journey, she starts off perhaps unlikeable, but in the end we want her to succeed. Think along the lines of Princess Lilli from Legend. The best piece of casting is David Bowie as Jareth the Goblin King, there may be those who may laugh at his Tina Turner- like wig, but Bowie plays a unique sort of villain. Nothing too sinister or camp, but one that is evil but also charismatic, manipulative, sympathetic and sexy. Bowie played all these qualities flawlessly, as he was ever so sexy, his voice was in great shape and some of his costumes are to die for. And the voice acting is very well done, I noticed some Muppet regulars there, including Brian Henson as Hoggle. Plus Toby Froud as baby Toby is absolutely adorable.

All in all, I love this film and will cherish it for years to come, no matter how many minor flaws there are. 10/10 Bethany Cox

Strictly for kids

Jim Henson’s fairy tale adventure is definitely one for the kids only as I found when watching this appallingly childish production. Packed with inferior effects, cheesily dated music from David Bowie and some of the tackiest ’80s fashions you’ll ever see, this is by far a product of the period in which it was made and one which is difficult to take seriously otherwise – unless you’re the same age as the annoyingly cutesy baby which makes its appearance here. Toddlers are guaranteed to have a wonderful time with the song and dance routines, the colourful sets and scenery and the variety of weird puppets that pop up along the journey but this is one for the under fives only.

The problems? Well, a total lack of plot for one doesn’t help, with Jennifer Connelly and her baby brother suddenly being transported to an alternate reality for no apparent reason when she makes a wish. You never really know what’s going on or why, only that Connelly must rescue her sibling. It’s just an excuse for lots of dodgy adventures involving stinking bogs, a extremely disturbing dwarf-man known only as Hoggle, and a monster that tries to be Chewbacca from STAR WARS and fails miserably in the charisma stakes.

The lead is taken by Jennifer Connelly, who proves to be more annoying here than in her debut outing, PHENOMENA. David Bowie struts his stuff in a cheap wig as the Goblin King, who does things like walk upside down on ceilings but proves to be a disappointment when its revealed that he has no power to actually hurt Connelly and co. after all. As for the puppets, well they’re mainly played for laughs and are reminiscent of FRAGGLE ROCK and nothing else. All of the usual suspects are here under the makeup – Frank Oz, Warwick Davis, Kenny Baker – but they play generic caricatures and are of little interest. As for the labyrinth itself and the numerous dangers and wacky situations that our heroine encounters, from talking walls to moving stones to creepy witches, again kids will enjoy but adults may find their attention wandering. Unlike something like STAR WARS or HARRY POTTER which can be enjoyed by kids of all ages, LABYRINTH is a childish production so if you’re over five years of age, give it a miss.