Movie: "Labyrinth"
Year: 1986
Rated: PG
Genre: Science Fiction / Fantasy
Directed by: Jim Henson
Writing credits: Terry Jones

Reviewer: Dr. Boogie
Posted: 4/29/2008

Plot: A young girl with a love for fantasy is left to babysit her baby brother. Instead of tucking him in for bed, however, she invokes a curse that summons Jareth the Goblin King, who takes the child and offers to give him back only if the girl can navigate his labyrinth in 13 hours.

Review: As a kid, I had only seen bits and pieces of this movie. All I could remember about it was that there was a girl, a labyrinth, and that David Bowie never wore a cup. It wasn’t until about a decade later that I would actually wind up seeing the whole film, and even with the passage of time, I think it still holds up remarkably well.

It would be impossible to overstate how well Jim Henson’s Muppet creations look in the film. Everything from hulking steel golems to marauding goblins, even down to a talking worm, is made with incredible detail. The only thing they couldn’t seem to make into a muppet was the CG barn owl from the beginning of the film (said owl being the only thing in the movie that shows its age).

And the music, composed entirely by Bowie, really lends itself to the strange, silly atmosphere of the labyrinth. Bowie himself makes for quite a strange, memorable character, but he really captured the essence of the film, particularly with “Chilly Down”, a song for goblins that love to dismember, and then re-member, each other to up-tempo singing and dancing.

If you haven’t seen the movie, you owe it to yourself to check it out. It plays out like a children’s movie, but you’ll still find a lot of humorous, surreal elements that you’d find in all of Terry Jones’ films. It’s fun for the whole family, apart from any confusing feelings that may arise from seeing David Bowie splaying in tights while holding a riding crop.

Overall rating:
(Scored on a 0.5 - 5 pickles rating: 0.5 being the worst and 5 being the best)