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| Labyrinth
Year: 1986
Classification: Feature Film Family
Directed:
- Jim Henson
Actors/Actresses:
- David Bowie as Goblin King
- Jennifer Connelly as Sarah
- Warwick Davis
A wonderful movie for the kids... Great Jim Henson fun!!
I watched this movie for the first time as a young child and , I must say, it definitely appeals to the imagination of young and old alike. The puppets and the scenery are very fanciful and identify well with the fairy tale story line.Jennifer Connelly plays a young girl who lives in her ficticious dream world with princesses and goblins. When she makes the mistake of taking the fairy tale for granted, her bratty baby brother is swept away by none other than the almighty Goblin King (played by David Bowie.) She is forced to search through a twisting, mystical maze called the Labyrinth. Along her way she makes friends who are also fed up with the Goblin King and his shenanigans.The music provided by the talented David Bowie brings the story to life. It excites the kid in you and leaves you with at least one song in your heart. Jim Henson's muppets are as colorful and imaginative as ever and they conjure up rememberances of the fanciful visions that we used to dream of as children. This film is definitely worth seeing again and again and again...
We'll sadly never see its like again.
An exercise in imagination that would never be made today, LABYRINTH comes from the fertile creativity of Terry Jones, Brian Froud and Jim Henson. Jones is an accomplished fairy tale writer (and his comedic talents honed on Monty Python's Flying Circus are a plus to the script). Froud's designs are intricate and lifelike. Henson and his gang of puppeteers do an amazing job putting the whole thing together. The visuals are always interesting, and sometimes breathtaking.
Slightly less interesting (than the visuals) are the two lead roles. Jennifer Connelly is Sarah, a 14-year-old girl who carelessly wishes her baby brother to be taken by the goblins. This film comes early in her career and she clearly has great talent, but there are a few shaky moments. David Bowie is the Goblin King and he seems to put less than total effort into the role. We KNOW he can act, and act very well, but perhaps he's not treating the role with respect? Despite those minor quibbles, both actors WERE good choices and do fit the roles well.
The film does have its share of genius... the "helping hands" for example are brief but wonderful (and unforgettable). The puppetry is amazing. Sadly, we'll probably never see filmmaking like this again as it becomes easier and cheaper to do things with computer graphics.
The DVD documentary is an extra-special treat. It's an hour long and covers everything in great detail. It's especially interesting (naturally) to see how the puppets are operated. The anamorphic transfer is very fine, picture and sound are both very good. A well done DVD for a modern fantasy near-classic!
Unsurpassed tale of adventure and friendship!
I've been watching this movie since I was ten years old, forcing my dad to spend hundreds of dollars renting it, until buying two copies this past Christmas.
_Labyrinth_ is pure magic: the puppets are unreal, quirky, and hilarious. Hoggle and Ludo bring tears to my eyes, Ambrocious makes me laugh out loud, and the Goblin King scares me. Of course, Sarah was and is my hero of adventures. It is so easy to get involved in this film, to suspend your disbelief, and start to imagine life beyond the Goblin City, fate ticking away to the hands of a thirteen-hour clock.
This is what a film should do, transport us from the mundane in to such colours and planes of the human spirit. This is definitely a movie I will pass on to my future children.
Yes, I'm rambling, but it's harder than nails to describe this movie in a paragraph or two. I feel giddy just thinking about it. Watch it once and you'll never "turn back" ;)
Also recommended: Anne of Green Gables and The Princess Bride.
Magical fantasy adventure for all ages!
"Labyrinth", directed by Jim Henson, is one of my all-time favorite children's fantasies. It's about teenage aspiring actress, Sarah (Jennifer Connelly), who's sick and tired of being mistreated by her parents (Shelley Thompson and Christopher Malcolm) because she thinks her baby brother gets all the attention. Sarah soon begins to hate her baby brother and wishes that he would be taken away by evil goblins. Miraculously, Sarah's wish comes true...but now she's afraid of what might happen to her brother and wants him back. So to get him back, she must embark on a journey through an enchanted labyrinth maze to get her brother back from the evil king goblin (David Bowie). Along the way, she meets many magical creatures and defeats dangerous tasks as she learns what's really important about family.
The film's special effects were done by the Lucasfilm company (yes, George Lucas's effects company). The acting is superb from the entire cast, especially a very young Jennifer Connelly and David Bowie. The storyline is wonderful, but the DVD is lacking, with only trailers, production notes, and one documentary on the making of the film. "Labyrinth" might actually not be for all ages, since it can be a little scary...esepcially the goblins might creep some young children out. But it is still a must.
I highly recommend "Labyrinth".
Score:BR>100/100BR>A
Buy Labyrinth at Amazon.com
Buy posters at Allposters.com
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