Review of Labyrinth (1986) by Berringer C — 21 Jan 2019

Many people I have known find it hard to believe the creator of the Muppets also created darker, less accessible material such as "Labyrinth." Personally, the Muppets may have been a mainstream success for Henson but I've always thought he was much more interesting when dwelling amongst the fringe element, i.e., this film, "The Dark Crystal," "Fraggle Rock," even the underrated "Dregs and Vestiges" from the first season of "Saturday Night Live.".

Put upon Sarah (played to perfection by Jennifer Connelly) wishes for her baby brother to be taken away by the goblins and their king, Jareth (David Bowie). When they actually answer her call and remove the crying child, she decides she wants him back and will have to face the deadly traps and weird creatures residing in the labyrinth which leads to Goblin City. There are twisted allusions to "The Wizard of Oz" in the choice of lovable characters who accompany Sarah on her journey. Hoggle is reminiscent of the Scarecrow, only battling himself to acquire a conscience rather than a brain. Sir Didymus, a charmingly noble character who rides upon an old English sheepdog in lieu of a real steed, could be viewed as a sort of Tin Man. Ludo is a shaggier version of the Cowardly Lion. Even though the acquisition of courage plays a large factor for all four members of the group, it seems to affect poor Ludo the most.

That leaves Jareth to take the place of the wicked witch, and Bowie is certainly up to the task with his preening and sneering. Being a successful musician, Bowie is also given the opportunity to perform five songs on the soundtrack. While the material isn't on the level of goodness as Bowie's earlier "Let's Dance" album, it's still better than a lot of what appeared on his "Never Let Me Down" album released the following year. Bowie even manages to give the overly cutesy song "Magic Dance" more credibility than it deserves. Like many fantasy films though, it falls apart in the finale under the weight of its own creativity as there's simply nothing left to throw at the viewer they haven't already witnessed without defying its own context.

On a side note, I've always wondered if author J. K. Rowling was a fan of mid-Eighties puppeteer fantasy cinema. Let's face it, folks . . . Hogwarts was a misspoken nickname for Hoggle in this film while Harry Potter was the name of the father in John Carl Buechler's "Troll" released five months prior. Seems like a mighty big coincidence to me. Could Rowling's subconscious be revealing itself in such a clear manner? Or is mere coincidence THAT large of an existent entity? It boggles the mind should one choose to dwell on it for a long enough period.