Cult Flops - Labyrinth

Tri-Star, 1986
Starring Jennifer Connelly and David Bowie; Voices of Brian Henson and Ron Mueck
Directed by Jim Henson
Music and Lyrics by David Bowie

Jim Henson experimented with unusual puppets and dark fantasies in the mid-80's that went far beyond the Muppets and Sesame Street characters he was associated with. Labyrinth was his attempt at a modern Wizard of Oz, a hallucinatory fantasy with a blossoming young girl at its core. Today, it's best-known for its dark and imaginative special effects and for glam rock star David Bowie swishing around in long capes and tight trousers. How does this fairy tale about a girl who goes on a quest to find her brother in a fantastic maze look today? Let's head to a green field in a park, where a teenager (Connelly) recites her favorite book, and find out...

The Story: Sarah (Connelly) is a fantasy fan who would rather be acting out the world of her favorite book The Labyrinth than taking care of her baby brother. After her stepmother leaves her to babysit him one rainy Saturday night, she rashly calls to Jareth, the King of the Goblins (Bowie) to take her brother away. He's heard her cries and does so, whisking the baby away to his castle and his Goblin guards. He tells her he'll give her everything she wants, but she realizes she regrets her request and refuses him. She ends up in the labyrinth outside of castle, a series of stone walls and sculpted bushes where nothing is every what it seems.

Eventually, she befriends Hoggle (Henson), a cowardly dwarf who leads her through much of the Labyrinth, Sir Didymus the fox knight (David Shaughnessy), his sheepdog "steed" Ambrosius (Percy Edwards), and giant horned monster Ludo (Mueck). Jareth and a junk lady (Denise Bryer) try to distract her from her quest and make her forget, but she eventually realizes how much she'd rather have real friends and family than a false fantasy, and how important it is to make good choices rather than acting without thinking.

The Song and Dance: Kudos to Jim Henson and his puppeteers and writers for coming up with a truly original fantasy, with echoes of everything from The Wizard of Oz to Where the Wild Things Are. Bowie revels in his performance as the mysterious and deeply sensual Jareth, who lords his power over his underlings and does everything he can to convince Sarah to live in her dreams and forget her quest. The puppets and backgrounds are intricate and creative; the macabre fantasy world of the Goblin King's city and the trails of the Labyrinth itself are rich in detail and design, with very little CGI used.

Favorite Number: "Underground" begins the film over the credits with Jareth singing about his land in his owl form; it's heard again towards the end as he once again attempts to beguile Sarah. He gives her a swirling masquerade ball in a massive white gown in "As the World Falls Down," but she ends the dream by smashing a mirror. "Magic Dance" gets a little too weird as he and the Goblins revel in the stolen baby and their power over his sister. "Chilly Down" is the only number to be performed by someone besides Bowie; the Firey fairies sing it to Sarah as they attack her.

Trivia: This was the last movie Jim Henson himself directed before his untimely death in 1989.

What I Don't Like: Oh boy. This is the most 80's fantasy there is. The odd characters and confusing script sometimes revels in weirdness for its own sake, and Bowie can be more campy than mysterious at times. While the songs aren't bad, they're really kind of shoehorned in and don't have much to do with the film. I can kind of understand why audiences were confused in 1986. If you're not into Bowie or heavy-dark fantasy, this absolutely is not going to be your thing. Connelly can sometimes be a little annoying or grating, but keep in mind too that she really was a teenager when this was made.

The Big Finale: If you love Bowie or macabre Wizard of Oz-style fantasy tales, you'll want to take a trip into the Labyrinth with Sarah and her unusual friends.

Home Media: This film's cult audience assures that it's easily found in all major formats; the DVD can often be found for under five dollars.

DVD
Blu-Ray
Amazon Prime