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DVD Labyrinth (Collector's Edition Boxed Set)
Sarah (a teenage Jennifer Connelly) rehearses the role of a fairy-tale queen, performing for her stuffed animals. She is about to discover that the time has come to leave her childhood behind. In real life she has to baby-sit her brother and contend with parents who don't understand her at all. Her petulance leads her to call the goblins to take the baby away, but when they actually do, she realizes her responsibility to rescue him. Sarah negotiates the Labyrinth to reach the City of the Goblins and the castle of their king. The king is the only other human in the film and is played by a glam-rocking David Bowie, who performs five of his songs. The rest of the cast are puppets, a wonderful array of Jim Henson's imaginative masterpieces. Henson gives credit to children's author and illustrator Maurice Sendak, and the creatures in the movie will remind Sendak fans of his drawings. The castle of the king is a living M.C. Escher set that adults will enjoy. The film combines the highest standards of art, costume, and set decoration. Like executive producer George Lucas's other fantasies, Labyrinth mixes adventure with lessons about growing up. --Lloyd Chesley
Review(s): DVD Labyrinth (Collector's Edition Boxed Set)
Playful Castle Fantasy
When you watch the extras on the DVD and understand what it took to create the puppets and perilous labyrinth, you may gain a new respect for this classic puppet fantasy. This movie alternates between childlike scenes with puppets and very grown-up Cinderella fantasy sequences that will unearth your long-forgotten wishes to be a princess.
Sarah is leaving the world of toys to become a woman. She retains the belief that no one can have power over her mind and she plays out her fantasy by at first being a spoiled brat and then realizing her responsibilities.
When she wishes for her brother to disappear, her wish is granted. She must then navigate through an "Alice in Wonderland" style Labyrinth paradise filled with fantastical creatures and helpful puppets. There are scenes where we believe Sarah has met with certain doom, however the puppets lead her back to safety.
David Bowie is featured as the Goblin King and his playful taunting enhances the lighthearted aspect of his relationship with Sarah. When they are dancing in the "bubble fantasy" she still seems too young to be his love interest, but there is a definite chemistry to the connection. It seems to be a story of a woman emerging and yet still holding onto her love of fantasy and magic.
Throughout the movie we find David Bowie singing and the scenes of the staircases are quite fascinating because you never know where he will appear from next. There is a true sense of danger as Sarah tries to save her brother.
Enjoyable if you can become a child again while viewing this movie. The English humor is quite funny in places and I especially loved the knight on his horse who protected the bridge.
If you have any interest in puppets, David Bowie's music or fantasy castles, then this may amuse you. The costumes are beyond amazing and yes: "I want that dress." ~<:) Princess dreams.
If you enjoyed Star Wars or Lord of the Rings, this is a much more playful movie. If you have read Alice in Wonderland, many of the nonsensical scenes will make complete sense.
~TheRebeccaReview.com
Bowie Fan and Child-at-Heart Required
OK. I hate it when Bowie is bashed. This film is fantasy. This film has puppets. This film has GREAT Bowie music. This film has 2 cute kids. This film has stunning sets. The plot is good enough; it seems to conform to purgatory dogma and being "prayed" out of there. Oh yeah! Courage and perseverance do conquer all: Simplistic thought but very, very true and applicable.
Now, if you are seeking solutions and secrets to the Cosmos, look elsewhere. This movie targets children and the child in adults. You have been warned.
F.Y.I. The music that bugs some viewers is Bowie at "children," but with a ghoulish, mystical flair. Also, the music as soundtrack works to imply different dimensions between time and space. Thus, the musical interludes must be obliquely spaced.
Enjoy . . . or not.
Good For Younger Kids, But Not Sure For Adults...
While I am in no way a huge fan, I do like the works of Jim Henson. The Muppets are hilarious, and I have fond memories of Fraggle Rock. I had always meant to see this movie, but I could never get around to it. In addition to what I'd always heard as fantastic effects and puppetry, it has Jennifer Connelly in it (so beautiful, even at 16). My roommate has it, so I finally sat down and watched it. He had constantly praised it, so I was expecting a great, quirky, imaginitive film that would be good for an hour and a half of escapism. Well, it is quirky.
Connelly plays Sarah, a 16-year-old girl who is happier playing with her toys and pretending to be a princess than be around kids her own age. She is very smart, but somewhat socially stunted (or at least that's the impression I got). When her parents ask her to babysit her little brother Toby (Toby Froud), she goes off the deep end, complaining how it will take up too much of her time. She wishes that the goblins will come and take him away, absolving her of responisbility. When the wish comes true, she pleads with the goblin king Jareth (David Bowie) to get him back. He agrees to return Toby to her if she can navigate his enormous labyrinth in less than 13 hours.
Soon, Sarah is off exploring a fantasy world populated by goblins, talking worms, and a whole manner of bizarre creatures. Like the tagline says, nothing is what it seems and anything is possible. Anything goes in the labyrinth. Think Alice in Wonderland mixed with the muppets, and hopped up on LSD. Yeah, it's that strange. Some things work very well. Others don't. There's a scene where Sarah encounters these creatures that can remove their own heads, and while it looks marginally cool, it in no way advances the plot. Also, there is a plot point that references a scene from Snow White (you'll know it when you see it), and she is able to recover from the event without explanation. Finally, the ending is the biggest cop-out I've ever seen. It was pointless and did not fit at all with the rest of the movie.
Labyrinth is visually stunning. The puppets, the sets, and the costumes are all great. The choreography is wonderful, especially since most of the "actors" are puppets. Sadly, the story just isn't there. There was so much potential; there are many movies that can appeal to both kids and adults, and while this should have been going for both audiences, it really only applies to kids. Kids, for the most part, will love this (unless they're easily scared), while adults will marvel at the look at the film but will roll their eyes at many of the plot points and dialogue.
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