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Labyrinth
1986
Jennifer Connelly plays Sarah, a young woman who wishes her baby brother would be taken away by goblins. She gets her wish and now she must rescue him by going through the forbidding passages of a magical labyrinth to reach the castle of the mighty Goblin-King. A delightful rescue movie penned by Monty Python's Terry Jones and .. Read more
| Starring | David Bowie, Jennifer Connelly, Toby Froud |
|---|---|
| Director | Jim Henson |
| Genres | Children, Family, Music/Musical, Sci-Fi/Fantasy |
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Critics' reviews (3)
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The Muppet team go into “Alice in Wonderland” territory as babysitter Jennifer Connelly wishes her younger brother into the Goblin King's clutches and has only hours to rescue him from a castle maze. With plenty of fuzzball gremlins, cute sugar plum fairies and clumsy Hoggle the dwarf to keep the children amused (adults will laugh at David Bowie's Tina Turner wig for entirely different reasons!), Jim Henson's panto Monty Python (written by clan member Terry Jones) is weak on suspense and thrills, but still emerges as firm fantasy fun.
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"...A fabulous film...[and] in many ways, a remarkable achievement..."
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"...[Bowie] looks intriguing..."
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Most helpful members' reviews (3)
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25 out of 29 people found this review helpful
Nostalgia ain't what it used to be
Surely most people renting this will have fond nostalgic memories of this from watching it first time round in the '80s. The bad news is that this film has aged badly, very badly. My son said of David Bowie 'that man is ugly, and he can't sing.' Indeed. The fact is, that contemporary family movies such as Shrek and the Pixar films have raised the bar far higher than this muppettry.
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13 out of 14 people found this review helpful
Disc details
Note, this is the Collector's Edition, not the Superbit Edition like in the picture.
Extras are:
*'Inside The Labyrinth': a 'making of' featurette
*Behind the scenes photo gallery
*Character, concept art and vintage poster galleries
*Filmographies
*Storyboard
*Theatrical trailer
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- pinksy from Nottingham
- Posted 26 Nov 2004 10:16
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10 out of 10 people found this review helpful
Actually, there are both SuperBit and Collector's editions available...
....but it seems to be pot luck which one you get. See the previous comment for details of the Collector's: the SuperBit may have a better picture (I dunno - not with my cheap telly) but has no extras at all so a bit disappointed there to be honest.
Still the film is the thing - and I can say nothing more than read the reviews. Well worth watching, if only to see David Bowie talking to a grubby Muppet and revel in the retro soundtrack.
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Most recent members' reviews (2)
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1 out of 1 person found this review helpful
Adult film disguised as a childrens fantasy.
There is so much more to this movie than meets the eye. It's an adult film disguised as a children's fantasy. There is enough there to captivate children and lure them into a magical world, but as an adult there is quite a bit of subtext involving Sarah's (Jennifer Connelly) coming of age and dealing with reality as someone who is not a child but not considered an adult. She has to deal with feelings of a sexual nature that she's not sure about, (hence an older man in the Goblin King played wonderfully by David Bowie) and she must make choices that bring her closer to leaving her fantasies behind and becoming an adult. All of this will go over your children's heads, especially the Ballroom scene and the now famous tights. They will simply love the film for it's magical and romantic properties. It is wonderfully brought to life by Henson, Froud, Terry Jones of Monty Python fame and the two main actors, Connelly and Bowie, who both do a fantastic job. Connelly playing the perfect teenager who grows wiser and Bowie being the best romantic villain put on screen.
Just a bit about Bowie's acting. He was slated for this film by music and film critics alike when it was released. But what more could one want? It's still a children's film, albeit with adult undertones. He couldn't be too evil yet was still bad enough to be seductively watchable. I think he played it for all it was meant to be and possibly more..(perhaps the producers and Henson didn't realise how sexual he came across).
As for the songs... please try and put them into context of the scenes they appeared in, (and also the time period). Magic Dance was in a raucous, mischievous party like scene... the lyrics were full of childish magical terms. Worked very well in the scene and lets face it...it is infectious. As the World Falls Down, a beautiful lullaby placed in a scene where Sarah is 'dreaming', (well hallucinating due to being drugged..;)) and invokes a sad mood regarding a lost girl physically and emotionally who is confused and craves the love of her Prince but knows she shouldn't. It is quite possibly one of his most romantic lyrics ever and his voice is divine. Chilly Down was just for that scene and that scene alone. Perfect characterisations of the puppets mentality. (Remember David is writing for the film). Within You was written just for the scene where he is confounded by Sarah's attempts to deny his affections. Quite sad when viewed in the film. Underground neatly wraps up the film with tales of another land inside and outside ones mind. His vocals on this song are brilliant and even reminds me of something off of Young Americans. So you see I believe he did a fantastic job with this movie both acting and music wise. It was what was needed from him and he delivered ten fold.
I really hope Bowie and Connelly are not embarrassed by this film. I think they should be proud to have been in something that has captivated generations of slightly alienated young pre sexual girls (and a few boys), and has lead many of them onto their careers...what more could you ask? -
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful
Excellent film
“I really enjoyed this film because of all the personalities of the characters and I loved the eyes and the hands poking out of the wall.
My favourite characters were Ludo and the firies, which throw about their heads. I also really liked the Labyrinth itself because it wasn't what it seemed. An excellent film."
The above was written by my 9 year old cousin who loved the film. I wasn't too sure if he would like it or not but they absolutely adored it and I would definitely rent it out again.
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25 out of 29 people found this review helpful
Nostalgia ain't what it used to be
Surely most people renting this will have fond nostalgic memories of this from watching it first time round in the '80s. The bad news is that this film has aged badly, very badly. My son said of David Bowie 'that man is ugly, and he can't sing.' Indeed. The fact is, that contemporary family movies such as Shrek and the Pixar films have raised the bar far higher than this muppettry.
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13 out of 14 people found this review helpful
Disc details
Note, this is the Collector's Edition, not the Superbit Edition like in the picture.
Extras are:
*'Inside The Labyrinth': a 'making of' featurette
*Behind the scenes photo gallery
*Character, concept art and vintage poster galleries
*Filmographies
*Storyboard
*Theatrical trailer-
- pinksy from Nottingham
- Posted 26 Nov 2004 10:16
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10 out of 10 people found this review helpful
Actually, there are both SuperBit and Collector's editions available...
....but it seems to be pot luck which one you get. See the previous comment for details of the Collector's: the SuperBit may have a better picture (I dunno - not with my cheap telly) but has no extras at all so a bit disappointed there to be honest.
Still the film is the thing - and I can say nothing more than read the reviews. Well worth watching, if only to see David Bowie talking to a grubby Muppet and revel in the retro soundtrack.
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9 out of 9 people found this review helpful
Timeless
I remember being amazed, scared, happy, excited when watching this film as a kid, and watching it with my niece brought back all the memories. OK so the effects aren’t as good as now, but so what!?
A perfect Jim Henderson product with a very good cast and a great soundtrack.
Get this, rent this and watch this with your kids. -
7 out of 8 people found this review helpful
Bowie in scary trousers shocker..
My other half insisted we watch this in some kind of effort to re-kindle her childhood.. it's the usual Henson adventure about a young Jennifer Connelly searching for her screaming sibling through a Goblin invested (you guessed it) Labyrinth.. fairly amusing characters and some horrible songs along the way.. Bowie on a bad hair day with some of the most ill advised trousers ever to grace the screen? it all ends happily ever after, though children below the age of 5 may be disturbed by the lack of CGI...
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7 out of 8 people found this review helpful
Good for the kids ...
My wife wanted to watch this film. She liked it. I didn't. Returned rapidly.
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6 out of 8 people found this review helpful
Has not stood the test of time
Remember seeing this at the cinema when it first came out and being suitably impressed. However, 20 years on (released in 1986), and a much wider knowledge of film, this film has not stood the test of time. It looks so mid-80's (Bowie's hair-do especially) and the puppets are dire compared to what you might expect by modern standards. Only see this if (1) you are aged below 14 (even then I wonder) or (2) you have a David Bowie obsession.
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6 out of 8 people found this review helpful
Nostalgic review
As the review title suggests, Labyrinth was the movie I watched when I was in my youth- the same as many others.
I was warned against watching it again as it would shatter my nostalgic fondness.... but I love Jennifer Connely and LOVE David Bowie... so how could I not??
And heres my take ....I'll try not to shatter any of your memories.... It's awful. The songs are forgettable, story is stupid, acting is weak and effects far far from special.
BUT... Don't let that put you off. If you force yourself (or your memories are particularly fond) then you can make it through the narrow gap of memory lane. But unless your insane or dead you'll never watch it again. So just indulge that nostalgic curiosity once and then leave it alone.
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- Dante3000 from Liverpool
- Posted 25 Aug 2007 11:06
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5 out of 5 people found this review helpful
OLDIE but GOODIE
Old hat as far as I was concerned. But Bowie must be doing something right, 'cos the kids didn't want to send it back ?!
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5 out of 6 people found this review helpful
The ultimate comfort movie
This is a classic. Wonderful animated puppet creatures from Jim Henderson, a gorgeous David Bowie and Jennifer Conolly, a fantastic array of characters (especially the giant, hairy, soft-hearted monster - Ludo) costumes and scenery. The songs sung by Bowie, and a funny script that has huge quotability. The perfect film to curl up on the sofa to on a Saturday afternoon or if you're unwell. It'll make you laugh, cry and smile and you'll want to watch it again.
Critics' reviews (3)
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The Muppet team go into “Alice in Wonderland” territory as babysitter Jennifer Connelly wishes her younger brother into the Goblin King's clutches and has only hours to rescue him from a castle maze. With plenty of fuzzball gremlins, cute sugar plum fairies and clumsy Hoggle the dwarf to keep the children amused (adults will laugh at David Bowie's Tina Turner wig for entirely different reasons!), Jim Henson's panto Monty Python (written by clan member Terry Jones) is weak on suspense and thrills, but still emerges as firm fantasy fun.
-
"...A fabulous film...[and] in many ways, a remarkable achievement..."
-
"...[Bowie] looks intriguing..."
Buy from the LOVEFiLM shop
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- Labyrinth - BLU-RAY Version
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Jennifer Connelly plays Sarah, a young woman who wishes her baby brother would be taken away by goblins. She gets her wish and now she must rescue him by going through the forbidding passages of a ... -
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Labyrinth
Jennifer Connelly plays Sarah, a young woman who wishes her baby brother would be taken away by goblins. She gets her wish and now she must rescue him by going through the forbidding passages of a magical labyrinth to reach the castle of the mighty Goblin-King. A delightful rescue movie penned by ...
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