Review of Labyrinth (1976) by Sophie B — 09 May 2011

Man, how did I never see this movie as a kid? Well, better late than never, especially in the case of this fun, gorgeous movie. The archetypal quest storyline is appealing, the special effects are awesome for 1986 (and hold up surprisingly well), and the movie has David Bowie. What else could it need?

The screenplay by Monty Python veteran Terry Jones doesn't really waste any time before getting to the monsters. There's a girl, she has a baby brother, she likes fantasy, and BOOM! baby gets kidnapped by the goblin king. She has to make her way through the goblin king's labyrinth to save her brother, and we're off, into one demented encounter with magical creatures after another.

The story is basically just a line to hang the special effects and sets on, but man, what special effects and sets. There are tons of creatures in the movie, from a little worm to a short goblin to a huge red Chewbacca-esque monster, and they all look great and are pretty convincing. They are the creations, of course, of Muppet master Jim Henson, who directed the film. These creatures are more detailed and grotesque than the Muppets. The various sets for the labyrinth at various points are imaginative and often beautiful. At one point the heroine wanders into a set of M.C. Escher's staircases, and the crazy spatial logic the film employs in this sequence is totally worthy of Christopher Nolan's best tricks in Inception. It's a bizarrely convincing illusion for something inconceivable. The cinematography captures all of this fun stuff to look at quite well.

Jennifer Connelly is good in the main role, though it mainly just requires her to be amazed and confounded by all the crazy things going on around her, like a modern-day Alice from Alice in Wonderland. David Bowie is a fun, weird presence as the Goblin King Jareth. If all the other goblins are twisted little monsters, why does their king look like David Bowie? Ah, but that's a silly question. Why does he also sing a bunch of original David Bowie songs? Another silly question. This is quite a wonderful fantasy movie, and I wish I had seen it when I was younger.