Review: Labyrinth was…Something (Spoilers)

It’s October 1st, everybody and you know what that means. The official start of spooky season, where we can all cuddle up on the couch, drink our questionably flavored pumpkin spice diabetes beverages, and binge watch horror movies. Or just watch anything that might remotely remind us of Halloween because it has some creepy elements to it. One such movie that falls into the latter category is the 1986 Jim Henson/George Lucas film Labyrinth, starring David Bowie. I have only watched Labyrinth a few times in my life since I didn’t like it that much as a kid (the puppets freaked me out) and I just kind-of forgot about it from there until I found it for free on Hulu and later on YouTube Movies. So, let’s discuss the drug fueled trip that is Labyrinth.

#1: The Puppets

As I mentioned before, the puppets in this movie freaked me out when I was a kid, as did quite a few of Jim Henson’s other creations. While I’m still a bit disturbed by some of the puppet designs, I can now watch the movie and am amazed by how much work went into making them and moving them around. Except for Sarah, Jareth, Toby, and a few other people, all the characters are puppets and if you watch the movie, there’s a ton of them. Some scenes that especially stood out to me because of the puppetry were when the Fiery Gang attacks Sarah in the forest, the “Magic Dance” scene, and the last battle scene. In each one of these scenes, the puppets are doing some crazy stuff (such as dismembering themselves then putting themselves back together) and that alone must’ve taken forever to direct and get to look good.

#2: Costume Designs

The overall costume designs aren’t super remarkable since there are very few actual people in the movie. With that said, the only costumes I can really comment on are Sarah’s outfit, Jareth’s wardrobe, and the costumes worn during the ball.

Sarah’s outfit doesn’t change much but does an excellent job of tying her into the world that is the Labyrinth and showing how much of a theater kid she is as she runs around in a Renaissance-style blouse and vest. When it does change, we get to see some of the best costume design that I’ve seen in a while. Her dress looks incredible as it ties Cinderella’s dress with the dark-80’s-fantasy theme. The surrounding people also wear masks that are supposed to remind us of the goblins they represent, which I thought was also a nice bit of detail.

Then…there’s Jareth. I’m just going to leave it at he looks like an anime villain from the 90’s and should either be at a gay pride festival or Comic Con. If you want a more detailed critique of his outfits, ask someone else. Enough has been said about it.

#3: Animation and Practical Effects

Having been produced in a time where CGI was pretty rare, Labyrinth totally makes up for it through the practical effects used. Actors were running around on actual sets, not green screen backdrops, and when animation is used, it’s done on a blue screen (hence the sky which was painted and animated behind the characters and sets). The CGI in this movie is crap compared to what we have today and looks like something that could maybe be produced on Microsoft’s video editing software, but since it’s used so rarely, you focus more on the actual action, not the CGI background or the owl that flies in and out of the frame at the beginning and end of the movie.

#4: The Plot

The plot of Labyrinth is that Sarah, a spoiled 16-year-old theater kid is left at home to watch her baby brother, Toby, while her parents are out on a date. While bemoaning her fate, she notices that her toy bear is missing, finds it in Toby’s cradle, and recites a spell from the play that she’s obsessed with (also called Labyrinth) to take Toby away from her. Things go awry and her wish is grant by Jareth, the Goblin King, who kidnaps Toby and Sarah, not actually meaning for the spell to work, goes on a quest to save her brother.

On the surface, Labyrinth is a cautionary tale to be careful about what you wish for, a lesson that I think Sarah thoroughly learns at the end of the movie. However, if you look a bit deeper at the story, it’s clear that it’s also supposed to be a tale about learning to grow up and leave behind some of the things of your childhood. We see this throughout the movie as Sarah first gives Hoggle her bracelet, then gives her ring to The Wiseman, and later realizes that most of the stuff she cares about is all junk in the scene where she falls into the Junkyard. Later, the lessons she’s learned all culminate in her battle with Jareth when she tells him that he has no power over her, breaking his spell, freeing her brother, and sending her back home, showing the audience how much more confident she’s become over the course of the movie. She’s now able to take one more of life’s responsibilities without yelling, “It isn’t fair!” at everything.

Conclusion

This movie is a strange trip through the mind of Jim Henson, one where you could watch it hundreds of times and still not understand it completely. As a kids’ film, it would be fine if the kids in question aren’t scared easily, but for everyone else, it’s an 80’s cult classic that I would watch again.

Until next time,

M.J.