Labyrinth

It's sad to know that in this day and age with the advent of CGI and Pixar animated movies, with Bert and Ernie leaving behind their puppetry for the more modern feel of claymation, with stop-motion and video games becoming the core of our children's entertainment, it's sad to think that my children and their children after will never fully know the magic of Jim Henson.

Anyone in my age group knows about Jim Henson. He is the creator of some of our childhood's most beloved characters. From Kermit the Frog to Gonzo to the Fraggles, I was a fond admirer of the puppeteer. I also loved the Muppet Babies Saturday morning cartoon series. I had managed to introduce my kids to the Muppet movies with moderate success. Alas they are not fans of Fraggle Rock and have never really experienced the magic of Sesame Street. But I continue to push on and have now introduced them to Henson's two major movie productions besides the Muppet movies. His first, The Dark Crystal, is sitting on the Netflix queue awaiting it's turn. Labyrinth, a movie I remember fondly as a child, became the first of the two films they watched.

Labyrinth stars a very young Jennifer Connelly as Sarah. Sarah spends a lot of her free time acting out fantastic scenes in a world ruled by the Goblin King. Sarah is charged with babysitting her younger brother, Toby, by her stepmother and father as they head out for a date night. Babysitting Toby is not something Sarah wants to do, and when the baby cannot seem to calm down she ends up wishing that the goblins and their king would come and take him away. Of course that is exactly what happens. The Goblin King, Jareth, is played by David Bowie (channeling his Ziggy Stardust days), and makes a deal with Sarah, who realizes she made a grave mistake sending her brother away. If Sarah can solve Jareth's labyrinth in the next 13 hours, she will have her brother back. Otherwise, young Toby becomes a goblin himself. Sarah enters the labyrinth and on her journey encounters several companions (all played by puppets) including Hoggle, Ludo, and Didymus who help the young girl on her way.

The movie is full of rich eye candy. The labyrinth itself is visually interesting and the characters that inhabit it are fun and intriguing themselves. A few notables are the Junk Lady, Didymus, and the two door knockers.

I am surprised at how well the movie holds up today. There are a few things that seem dated, one being David Bowie's musical montages. The montages are presented as cheesy '80s music videos and at times really seem larger then the movie, weakening the overall structure of the film. Also, the movement of some of the puppets is very stiff, especially Hoggle and a few of the goblins.

What is really weird (and a little worrisome) is that the baby who plays Toby actually seems to be scared or distressed by all the goblin puppets when he shares scenes with them. I mean, if a baby is crying, that usually means he's upset, unless he's a damn good actor (like those babes in Look Who's Talking).

There has been some discussion by fans and critics that Sarah's journey through the labyrinth takes place all in her head. There are several clues that support this theory, at the start of the movie when we first see Sarah's room and at the end with the conversation between her and her new friends back in her room. This is an interesting premise and brings to the front an idea that the movie could be a commentary on one's journey through childhood. It says that children use their imagination to help cope with real world problems that surround them. And really, isn't that what childhood is really about? Being able to escape from the harsh reality of the adult world and find strength and solace in the magic of our minds? Maybe Henson was able to keep that ability as he grew older, and that is why his creations proved to be so wonderful for all of us.

My children did not like Labyrinth. And I must admit, it was not as good as I remember it to be (looking through my jaded adult eyes), but there is still a lot of good things in the flick. Once you fast forward through David Bowie's music video collection that is. Well, I hope that the Dark Crystal fares better.

Grade: B-