Labyrinth - Review

Through Dangers Untold – A review of Labyrinth. 

It’s the late nineties and I’m sitting in my parents living room with some crayons and a colouring book. It’s a Saturday and, unsurprisingly for a UK summer, it’s raining. I am maybe six years old, and my parents have exhausted entertainment options for me. There are only so many pages a kid can colour in until they get bored, you know.

So, what are you to do with a bored young child on a rainy Saturday in the nineties? Reach for the VHS collection of course! It was this day that my dad pulled out what would become one of my favourite films of all time – Jim Henson’s Labyrinth.

Starring David Bowie and Jennifer Connelly, Labyrinth is a fantastical musical tale of a girl called Sarah (Jennifer Connelly) who is fed up of babysitting for her baby brother, Toby. One night, after a heated interaction with her stepmother and a lukewarm response from her father, Sarah takes a leaf from her favourite fantasy stories and, after saying the right words, summons the Goblin King Jareth (David Bowie) to take her brother away to the Goblin Kingdom forever. Now, with thirteen hours until her baby brother becomes a goblin forever, and with the help of some interesting and lovable characters, Sarah must solve the labyrinth and rescue Toby from the castle beyond the Goblin City…

Labyrinth is nearly forty years old now, and it does show. A true product of the times, Labyrinth is a glittery, fun loving but sometimes dark tale from the creator of The Muppets. There are no wholesome frogs or bears sharing jokes; instead, there are an array of characters with varying moral compasses and a teenage girl who shouts, “it’s not fair!” enough to be believable as a teenager. The puppets used vary from Ludo, a giant, cuddly orange monster to Hoggle, a small, wrinkly but (deep down) kind-hearted goblin. The magic doesn’t stop there – fairies are real, but they will bite you, and time can be altered in a magical ballroom, but you might forget who you are in the process. Nearly forty years on, why does Labyrinth still have such a cult following?

On its release, critics were not impressed with Labyrinth, and neither did it do particularly well at the box office, yet it’s still a beloved film to many. The plot meanders at times, there are hints at a slightly awkward love story (Bowie reportedly refused to film a scene in which he would kiss Connelly as she was a teenager herself at the time), and the sets are all very, well…eighties. Yet, despite its flaws, there’s something deeply charming and nostalgic about Labyrinth that keeps fans returning to it year after year.

Maybe it’s the music that keeps audiences returning. The soundtrack by Trevor Jones and David Bowie includes some incredibly catchy, memorable songs, such as “Magic Dance” and “Chilly Down”, as well as some incredibly moving songs such as “As the world falls down.” Indeed, this song has some absolutely beautiful lyrics, my favourite being “I’ll paint you moments of gold, I’ll spin you Valentine evenings though we’re strangers ‘til now, we’re choosing the path between the stars, I’ll leave my love, between the stars.” How gorgeous is that for a film full of puppets?

It could also be the development of the characters involved. Sarah learns what’s important and how much she loves her brother when she is faced with losing him forever, even giving up special gifts from Jareth and escaping an oubliette to reach him. Hoggle discovers he actually can have friends, and he is loved. Ludo finds that despite looking like a monster, he won’t always be treated as one. Sir Diddymus finds that his courage and willingness to help others is worth more than he could have ever imagined after finding himself a brother. The unlikely group of friends form a bond, and find that they do, in fact, need each other, a positive message reinforcing the importance of friendship and found family.

Bowie himself of course is a huge reason for the film’s popularity. His costume is iconic, all black glitter (and impossibly tight tights), his hair is big, his make up a work of art. He exudes evil, but a mischievous evil, coming across as someone who is truly enjoying the game of tormenting Sarah. He does, however, still seem to care for her in a way, offering her gifts, dancing with her, and watching her throughout the adventure. Is it healthy? Absolutely not. Yet you never get the feeling he wants to see her get hurt or worse; instead, he simply wants her to give up and go back to her ordinary life, playing with her dolls and her toys, forgetting that Toby existed. He’s a unique villain, one you can’t quite force yourself to dislike, with much of this being due to Bowie’s charisma and charm. Bowie was perfect for the role, and I really struggle to think of anyone else who could have played that role.

So, nearly forty years on, Labyrinth is still loved by a devoted fandom. With a sequel confirmed to be in production and directed by Robert Eggers, it’s likely that the film may even draw in a younger audience eager to catch up before the new films release – one who might, just like my childhood self, find themselves wishing that the Goblin King would visit them and send them on an adventure, too.

Written by Tam Page

Posted by Mr. Tomney

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