Labyrinth (1986) – 3/5

The creativity and magic was there, but it felt like something was missing to make it a really great watch

„Labyrinth“ is a co-production between the United Kingdom and United States from 1986, which means that this is of course a film in the English language and also that it is over 35 years old now. I had the chance to see this on the big screen on the occasion of a horror-focused film series, even if this is really more about fantasy than horror overall. I mean it is still about the idea of a boy being abducted by monster creatures, but they kept it as child- and family-friendly as they could. But I will get to the story later on. Let’s look at the basics first, there is enough interesting stuff to report there for sure: The director is Jim Henson who sadly died less than five years after this film. But if you feel like some of the characters in here are moving a bit like Muppets, you are not completely wrong I would say. As his by far most known work to this day is also something that was rather for kids, so it should surprise nobody if families with children were maybe what the makers here were going for the most. Henson is also one of three writers and the one in charge of the screenplay is also also a pretty interesting name, namely Terry Jones. Yep, the Monty Python Terry Jones indeed. He also died not too long ago sadly, but at least not at an early age like Henson. The one still alive in 2022 from the trio is Dennis Lee. Looking at his body of work, you will find mostly music inclusions and he has also worked with Henson on other occasions, so this was his one and only journey into the world of penning films. For that it turned out pretty fine. As for the actors, the cast is relatively small because most creatures in the labyrinth that is mentioned in the title are not humans. So there is more of a voice cast in here, one that also includes Jim Henson’s son being in charge of a key supporting character(’s voice). He is luckily also still alive. The big mention must go out to Jennifer Connelly. Who would have guessed that she would become an Oscar winner roughly 15 years after this film. Well, actually some maybe. Her acting here was really nice most of the time and elevated the film as a whole. I wish I could say the same about David Bowie, but I really cannot. Admittedly, the writing did not do him too many favors either and his singing also felt too staged for my taste and I hate to write that because I like some of his music.

Bowie plays the king of goblins in this film. I already struggled a bit with that because of how differently he looked compared to these low creatures there. How tall and lanky he is. And he also behaved really differently. At some point, he just did not really fit in and I can see why they gave it a music approach with him at their disposal, but it was not the greatest idea overall. But even if he is the main antagonist, he is not depicted as fully evil. It felt like he would always treat the boy kindly and not hurt or even kill it or eat it. He also offered the girl to make all her dreams come true somehow with this special little crystal ball or what it was in exchange for the kid, but she changed her mind quickly and what she said before that was just the spur of the moment really. She loved the kid like (actually, as) a brother and it was not just that she was scared of her parents‘ reaction or anything. The labyrinth itself had pros and cons. Let’s look at some negative aspects first: How she just keeps walking forward and nothing happened was a bit strange and the idea that she should just try to get through a wall and boom it works… meh. Reminded me of the train station in Harry Potter. There, it was handled better I felt, but okay, that was many years later. The missed chance comment from a tiny character on how the girl could have gotten to the castle immediately was also a bit ridiculous. Like I mean look at the labyrinth. Could this even be logistically possible and would Bowie’s character then not have come up with some other obstacles. When the girl gets there, it was also a bit strange like how easy it was. I mean she eats that fruit, then is about to forget everything and then manages to remember and get out of her fake haven down there with all the toys she loves. And where does she get out? Right at the foot of the castle. What a lucky coincidence! Still, the king then sends out all his military to stop her of course, but that was as hopeless as the gladiators fighting the Gauls in Asterix at the Colosseum at the end of the journey before they are declared divine beings. Okay, sorry, that is another story.

Now a few more words on Labyrinth and actually the labyrinth itself: There was a lot about it that I liked as well. The goblin there that the main character spends a lot of time with was really interesting. Also the elaborations on friendship. Friendship in the face of danger and so on. I also kinda liked how he had to give her the fruit basically because it was an order from his king. I mean and it was not a fruit that could kill her as it might have been in other, (not necessarily) darker fairytales. And the consequences for her were also not a total mess. There could have been worse fates than playing with beloved toys for the rest of your life or so as she did not recognize it was an illusion. At least not right away. With this scene, they could have done something more, like maybe how the goblin manages to warn the girl somehow by putting something in her pocket. Or „warn“ is not the right word. More like inform her, make her remember again there. Something that helps her come up with a connection to her brother. Or maybe they did something like that and I overlooked it, but the fact that she remembered on her own somehow was not too convincing to me, even if you can maybe explain it from a caring position with how much her brother meant to her and that her memory of him cannot simply be erased. By the way, erasing one’s memory has been a thing for some time now in movies I see. Look at the newest Fantastic Beasts film. But with this one here, from soon 30 years ago, it was also a factor already. I must also mention that I really adore Ludo. He was the best. Or maybe second best after Sarah. But I want a Ludo myself as well. I loved everything about him, his strength, his talking, well „talking“, his looks. What a rich character. I would love to watch a(n animated) film that solely focuses on him. Not that that is ever going to happen unfortunately.

If you look at this film, you will also find some parallels to The Wizard of Oz with how a girl character goes on a somewhat dangerous journey to find her way back home safely and that everything should be for the most part the way it was before. And she is accompanied and supported by a group of misfits you could say. Also the way Connelly was talking and using the intonation of her voice reminded me a bit of Garland less than 50 years earlier. And did you not even see a copy of The Wizard of Oz at Sarah’s home? I think you did. Not a coincidence. The final member of the gang, whatever it was exactly, was alright too, but a bit less memorable to me compared to the previous two. I want to mention two specific moments also that were quite interesting to watch: First, the stench water which was pretty entertaining with how they were all so disgusted there. Really nice. I could almost smell it with them and wrinkle my nose because of the foul odor. And the second would be the little riddle involving two fantastic characters, one always lying and the other always telling the truth. (There even death was mentioned I think, wow!) That was a very witty inclusion that you could think about for a long time and I was amazed by how Sarah solved it this quickly. Maybe a bit too quickly actually. The location with all these stairs at the very end was alright. Solid depiction there and we see riddles like this often too, but it was not one of the film’s highlights as it could have been in the end as some kind of final battle between the girl and the wicked king. Oh well, there was not really any battle, let alone bloodshed, because they kept it all kids-friendly. Of course Sarah manages to save her brother and as the icing on the cake is, after a brief mirror sequence (another fairytale reference), that she is even reunited with all her new friends (and their friends) back at her home. Honestly, they tried to keep this film so harmless all along that I would not have been surprised had Bowie’s character been there with them too in the end celebrating. I mean when he took the boy early on, he only followed what Sarah said before that, so he was not a gruesome kidnapper or anything.

Interestingly enough, I see that Toby Froud, who plays the boy as a baby, is now still in the industry and he has worked as a sculptor on Oscar-nominated animated films. What a twist. Even if he has never acted again in anything. He is in his late 30s now, roughly my age. I wonder how many times he has watched this film here. Surely his hair is apparently not light anymore the way it was when he was so young. And Connelly is over 50 now. How time flies! Bowie is sadly not with us anymore and while I still think he was not the greatest choice for this film, I hope he rests in peace. That is all. „Labyrinth“ gets a positive recommendation from me, albeit not the most enthusiastic one. The one thing it cannot be denied though is that it was a really interesting project and also has some nice heart. But also some aspects did not work too well, key aspects from the story like the special words she has to say to overcome the goblin king. But this was here and there made up for by creative inclusions like a clock with thirteen numbers on it. And a lot more. It’s probably not going to happen anytime soon this is shown on a big screen (in your area), but no worries as this is a film you can just as well enjoy on a television screen. Give it a chance, especially if you like Bowie (and Connelly). Thumbs-up for this also visually really striking film.