This movie, like the labyrinth itself, is not always what it seems. It has layers, and depending on where you are in your life, it can mean something different to you. It waits for you to catch up to it. On the surface level, Labyrinth is a fun fantasy movie for kids, and in this capacity, it delivers wholeheartedly. It follows a tried-but-true storyline--a girl finds herself in a fantasy world with a quest to accomplish, sidekicks who help her on the way, and a villain that both terrifies and entrances (and sings!). With fun songs, neat Muppet creatures, and plenty of humor, Labyrinth is an imaginative, yet classic, fantasy story that is always entertaining.
And then you grow up a little, and you realize that Labyrinth is also a coming-of-age story about a girl who's trying to grow up but doesn't know how to let go of her childhood fantasies. And that's what I love so much about this movie--it grows up with you. This is a movie about becoming lost in fantasy, about the dangers of growing up too soon or too late. The labyrinth is Sarah's fantasy, and solving it becomes more than just a matter of saving her brother--she also has to navigate her way to adulthood and responsibility. This may be obvious to an older viewer, but the experience of realizing it for yourself and relating to it as you grow up makes the movie something unexpectedly personal and powerful. It never stops being a fun fantasy movie with goblins, but there are bonus layers--what's real and what isn't? How much does Sarah control her fantasy world, and how much does it control her? What exactly does she have to give up? Labyrinth was one of my favorite movies as a child, and it's still one of my favorites, because I never stop relating to it.
Also, David Bowie is awesome. |
The Princess Bride was released in 1987, but I saw the title and dismissed it as a movie more for children and especially for girls. About a year ago, I was debating someone over the best sword-fights in movies, and The Princess Bride was nominated by my opponent. Surprised, I looked it up on YouTube, found the sequence, and promptly bought the movie, which I love.
What does this have to do with the movie Labyrinth? After "discovering" The Princess Bride, I wondered what other great movies I had mistakenly dismissed or knew nothing of. I went to the Amazon.com page for The Princess Bride. That site has a feature that shows what other products were bought by purchasers of any product, and Labyrinth was listed under The Princess Bride. Without further research, I bought Labyrinth.
Oops. Labyrinth was not at all what I hoped for.
Story: A girl (Jennifer Connelly as Sarah) gets stuck (Again!) baby-sitting for her baby half-brother, Toby, who will just not stop crying. Sarah loves to read fairy tales and folk stories, and had read how an unwanted child could be given to the Goblin King, if the right incantation is said. When Toby refuses to stop crying, Sarah is exasperated, and enacts the spell. Golden silence reigns! Sarah, though, immediately regrets her act, and must strive to retrieve Toby within a certain time period, or else he will become a goblin.
To retrieve Toby, Sarah must solve the Goblin King's maze, or labyrinth, go to his castle, and convince him she sincerely recants her wish, by reciting another incantation. The labyrinth is replete with illusions, dead-ends, blind alleys, and strange inhabitants, some of whom are hostile, but not so for all of them.
Acting: Jennifer Connelly does a credible job as Sarah, although she does not look the age she acts. Sarah is supposed to be fifteen, and Connelly looks that, but Sarah's behavior is pretty immature for fifteen, in my opinion. However, that is more of an issue for the screenwriter and the director than it is for Ms. Connelly.
David Bowie is the gem of this movie, although there are scripting and directing issues involving his character, too. As the Goblin King, Bowie is commanding, self-assured, and creepy -- exactly what a goblin king should be.
Jim Henson, who directed and co-wrote the script, gives voice to Hoggle, a grumpy entity whom Sarah finds, and befriends, in the labyrinth. He handles this role quite nicely.
Ron Mueck gets the unenviable task of giving Ludo a voice. Ludo is a rather large, scary-looking, big-hearted character whom Sarah befriends in the labyrinth. Mr. Mueck handles the job well, giving Ludo a voice that fit's the character. By the way, Ludo would fit nicely in Where the Wild Things Are.
Special Effects: The non-human characters, like Hoggle and Ludo, are Muppets. Yes, the late Jim Henson's Muppets, like Kermit and Miss Piggy. There are people inside the larger ones, and they are free to move around. The smaller characters, like the goblins, are clearly very detailed puppets. The labyrinth itself, and the backgrounds and vistas, are pretty impressive, given that no CGI effects were used (it was made in 1986). The Goblin King's castle is especially good, as they do a credible job of making it very Escher-like, where up, down, and sideways are completely interchangeable. I enjoyed watching Toby crawl around inside this topsy-turvy building, and Bowie chasing and eluding Sarah, as he strode around in ways not physically possible.
Music: Most of the music is to provide atmosphere and enhance the movie's mood. It does that unobtrusively and well enough, without being memorable. David Bowie has five songs, that are very good and their haunting, ethereal sound actually add to the creepiness of Bowie's character, making him more enigmatic. The songs are:
"UNDERGROUND"
Written by David Bowie
Produced by David Bowie and Arif Mardin
Performed by David Bowie
"MAGIC DANCE"
Written by David Bowie
Produced by David Bowie and Arif Mardin
Performed by David Bowie
"CHILLY DOWN"
Written by David Bowie
Produced by David Bowie and Arif Mardin
Performed by David Alan Barclay, Karen Prell and Rob Mills
"AS THE WORLD FALLS DOWN"
Written by David Bowie
Produced by David Bowie and Arif Mardin
Performed by David Bowie
"WITHIN YOU"
Written by David Bowie
Produced by David Bowie and Arif Mardin
Performed by David Bowie
Scripting and Directing: I think Jim Henson struggled with this one. I could be wrong, but my impression is that this attempt to make a movie for audiences older than many Muppet-lovers was a challenge that he did not quite master. The Muppet characters just did not come as being scary or menacing, or capable, enough to be goblins or anything frightening. They added to the confusing feel of the movie for me. Is it a children's movie? Is it supposed to be scary or funny? It seemed to land between the two, which is not good for a movie.
Jim Henson added much to children's and family entertainment, and the Muppets will go on for a long time, I think. His Dark Crystal was a good movie. I found Labyrinth disappointing.
Comparisons: I've tried to think what movies Labyrinth is like, but it is not easy. It bears little resemblance to The Princess Bride in tone or entertainment quality. The closest I could think of is the 1985 Return to Oz, but I think I liked that movie better, as it knew what it wanted to be. To me, Labyrinth loses its way by not knowing what it wants to be. I know that some people really like this film, and it was an ambitious project and it does have entertainment value. It's just not my cup of tea. |
Expedited Available
"They don't make them like this anymore"
"Awesome fantasy story, Henson at his best!"
"Meanders and loses its way"