Jim Henson's Labyrinth

Labyrinth is the 1986 Jim Henson-directed eighties classic. Yeah, I called it a classic. This movie is so evocative of the 1980's in so many ways. There's the style of the costumes, the David Bowie music throughout, the Henson puppet performers at their prime, and that's just for starters.

Many people pass this movie over, especially men. They look at the cover and they see David Bowie in full makeup and they think that it's some cheesy love story. But it's not. It's like a live action "Alice In Wonderland". It uses the same puppet masters, creators and performers responsible for the Muppets, "The Dark Crystal" and even Yoda from the Star Wars films. Yes, like all eighties movies it feels and looks like it came from that decade. But since when is that such a bad thing? The movie has a theatrical feel and is highly stylized, which helps it to stand up to the passing of time far better than movies like, "Xanadu". Instead of looking like just another eighties film, it evokes some of the styles from its time while managing to set the story in a world of fantasy. This makes the fantastic and far-reaching aspects of the film far more believable.

This is one of those movies that could technically be considered a kid's movie. But it's so entertaining that it still works for adults. What's unique about these kinds of movies is that they totally lack cynicism. There's nothing dark about this film, other than a few scenes here or there that deal with slightly creepy subject matter. (The tunnel made entirely of hands and arms, for example.) That's why Labyrinth works for all age groups. Much like, "Lord of the Rings", the center of the movie is a fairy tale-like plot. There's one simple goal, the character of Sarah, played by a young Jennifer Connelly, must find and retrieve her kidnapped brother in this strange fantasy land. The simple plot allows for elaborate scenes, settings, and characters. We go on the journey with Sarah in a land where, as the tagline states, "Everything is possible and nothing is what it seems."

At times the movie plays with optical illusions, camera tricks, musical numbers and clever concepts. It's definitely an eighties classic, and if you are into films from that time period and haven't seen this one, you are really missing out. If you want to share this movie with your kids, you may be surprised to find that they end up really enthralled. Why? Because they're far more familiar with computer generated images than they are with puppets. So you might get some questions about the "real" puppets, but that's half the fun of watching this one with the family. I highly recommend that you pick up a copy of your own, as this is well-worth owning. Especially for anyone who loves films from this decade. Anyone who has a soft spot for Jim Henson will really enjoy the bonus materials.

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