Labyrinth: A True Modern Classic Film

In the latter years of his life, Jim Henson pulled away from the more traditional children's works like the Muppets movies and Sesame Street, and shifted his focus to the realm of fantasy. The result was two classic films, The Dark Crystal and Labyrinth. Some will continue to debate which is the better movie. Regardless, both films achieved great success as cult hits.

Dark Crystal sets the entire plot completely in another world. Labyrinth, on the other hand, marries our world with another. In the film, the protagonist Sarah, played by a younger Jennifer Connelly, has immersed herself in fantasy, through books mainly, so much that her parents believe she's lost her grip on reality. They leave her at home with her baby step-brother, a baby-sitting job. Frustrated that she never has adventures in real life, Sarah wishes for goblins to come and take away her brother, Toby.

To the viewers's surprise, it works. Sarah leaves the room to the child's wailing, enters the hallway to dead silence. When she returns to Toby's room, she finds his crib empty and encounters the Goblin King Jareth. That's when the film shifts to the fantasy world, where the Jareth rules from his castle in the Goblin City beyond a great Labyrinth. Sarah wants her brother back, perhaps to avoid punishment from her parents, but she must cross the puzzling and deadly Labyrinth and challenge and best Jareth himself.

Oh, she has to do it all in 13 hours. The film even features a clock with 13 numbers on its face. This film really demonstrates Henson's creativity. Couple that with George Lucas, who served as producer, and what we see are colorful characters, reality-bending situations, and a spectacular conclusion. In the world of Labyrinth, tiny men live beneath the paved stones of the street, some bird-like creatures can remove their appendages and reattach them at will, including their heads, fairies that bite instead of granting wishes, even the walls can speak.

The film offers a few laughs along the way, like when Sarah encounters two door-guards, one always tells the truth and the other always lies. She uses her logic to deduce the correct entrance in a scene that will leave you scratching your head. Unfortunately, she was wrong. Sarah and her companions later cross the Bog of Eternal Stench, where they encounter another companion, the rather diminuitive Sir Didymus. The sequences are a constant charm.

The icing on this cake, however, is the film's antagonist. The roll of Jareth, the Goblin King, is played by pop icon David Bowie. And what a performance he puts in. No stranger to elaborate, and even strange costumes, Bowie pulls off the fantasy villain/warlock with amazing ease. He also adds his musical talents to the film, giving Labyrinth even more charm and laughs.

The conclusion features Sarah encountering Jareth in his castle. The castle resembles an M. C. Escher painting, with staircases leading in literally every direction. Jareth walks from one to another as if gravity doesn't apply. This final showdown melds reality and fantasy to bring the viewer back to Toby's room, with everything resolved.

Despite the utter enchantment, Labyrinth was a colossal box-office failure. It failed to make back its budget. But in the years that followed, through television airings and home video releases, the film achieved cult status. It still lingers as a pleasant memory in the minds of the masses. In 2006, Tokyopop released a manga series entitled Return to Labyrinth. The series continues today and follows the lives of the characters from the film as they have aged. Sarah became a teacher, and Toby, now much older, has no memory of the events of his past. Jareth continues to observe Toby, hoping to make him the heir of the Goblin City.

After more than 20 years, Labyrinth is still hailed as an '80's classic. Many fans would like to see another installment on screen. Return to Labyrinth has proven that the film still resonates and produces interest. With a Dark Crystal sequel on the way, is another Labyrinth film a possibility? Well, so far no plans have surfaced. But if the interest is there after Dark Crystal's sequel wraps, we may well see David Bowie return to screen.