Labyrinth (1986) - Wild, wacky and incredible fun!

The blending of talents from the likes of Jim Henson, George Lucas and Monty Python’s Terry Jones results in a unique blend of wonder as the trio take us into what some of the more cynical among us might just write off as The Wizard Of Oz meets The Muppets. And while that is the bare basics of the narrative, the deep undertones of puberty and the emotional changes that come with it, add a more complex layer to the narrative, as well as the conflict between our two leads.

Admittedly, Jennifer Connelly’s performance does start out very poor, with the emphasis of making her character a whiny pain, making her easily comparable to the likes to Haydn Christiansen in Revenge Of The Sith. (Lucas, 2005) Thankfully, once Connelly enters the Labyrinth, her performance drastically improves, especially in moments where she interacts with the main draw for this film, the incredible David Bowie, who owns every second he’s on screen. Whether he’s interacting with Connelly, an infant baby or a gang of puppet characters, Bowie nails each and every moment, creating one of the most entertaining, albeit hard to understand antagonists in the last 40 years.

The intentions of Bowie’s character have been questioned and debated by many, but ultimately, I find that if you let the film speak to you however it wants to, you’ll be able to process the answer that works best for you. And besides, as well as Bowie, the main draw is the terrific production design. And with Jim Henson’s team behind all the puppets and large costumes truly makes these inanimate characters feel alive and real. For all the technological advantages of CGI, practical options can still be some of the best looking results a film maker can get. And besides a few dodgy green screen shots, and a more than obvious doll standing in for the baby in parts of the film, the effects have held up extremely well.

Labyrinth deserves so much more praise than it gets. Sure it can be hard to process the narrative and some of it’s effects work hasn’t aged as well as it could’ve, but the effortless charm and endless entertainment value makes this a truly classic 80s film. Bowie’s mesmerising performance will keep you entranced as you dive into the wild, wacky and highly fun world of the Labyrinth!

SCORES

Story - 4/5

Characters - 4/5

Production - 4/5

Acting - 4/5

Music - 4/5

Overall - 8/10