Labyrinth (1986)
Starring Jennifer Connelly and David Bowie
Directed by Jim Henson
***This film is currently streaming on Netflix***
I don't know how I never watched this as a child of the 80s, but I never did. I must admit that I'm a little upset I've waited so long to partake of this trippy flick, because, for the most part, I enjoyed it quite a bit.
Labyrinth is the weirder, drugged-up cousin of Alice in Wonderland and Wizard of Oz (and, let's be honest, those too stories are already on the nutty side), complete with Jim Henson muppetry magic and a freakish performance from David Bowie as Jareth the Goblin King who has fallen in love with the teenaged Sarah (Jennifer Connelly). As part of his scheme, Jareth kidnaps Sarah's infant brother and forces her through an elaborate labyrinth in order to find him, seemingly hoping that Sarah will long leave the real world to spend her life with him in the strange realm he calls home.
The obvious high points of the film are the elaborate, intricate sets and the fantastic puppetry from Jim Henson Studios. Both are of an amazing caliber and make the film certainly worth watching. Admittedly, everything else about the film -- especially the overacting from David Bowie and Jennifer Connelly -- is simply middle-of-the-road, but oddly enough, it doesn't really matter in a film like this. Films like Labyrinth are about whimsy, charm, and magic and Labyrinth has all these in spades. One is able to look past the flaws and simply enjoy the film as it unfolds. Is it a masterpiece? Certainly not, but it's a film that I absolutely plan on visiting again sooner rather than later. Sometimes, simply being "fun" is reason enough to like a flick.
The RyMickey Rating: B
The answer to the first question of your post is yes.
ReplyDeleteHuuuunnngrrrryyy
ReplyDeletesmmmellllllllllllllllllll