It's very hard for me to believe that a Muppet fanatic like myself
living with a little brother who is even more of a Muppet fanatic should
find herself watching Labyrinth for the first time within a
month of her 21st birthday. How could I have gone so long without seeing
it? It remains a mystery. Nonetheless, I have finally seen the Jim
Henson fantasy that seems to have far outranked The Dark Crystal
in terms of popularity. My brother liked it so much that he ran out and
got the DVD two weeks later. I admit that my reaction was a bit less
enthusiastic, and I am inclined to prefer The Dark Crystal. But
the film was certainly a showcase of Henson's creative talent, and if
nothing else, I enjoyed the wide array of characters that showed up
throughout the course of the movie.
Labyrinth is the tale of Sarah (Jennifer Connelly), a teenager with an imagination rivaling that of Anne Shirley of Anne of Green Gables
fame. She spends her time acting out fantasies in which she is the
heroine, and her bedroom is filled with fantasy characters, many of whom
show up later in the movie as living creatures. Her adventures begin
when she returns from the park late to be reprimanded by her
step-mother, who has stuck her with babysitting duty yet again. Sarah's
baby brother, Toby, seems to be feeling particularly cantankerous
tonight, and it isn't long before Sarah finds herself wishing that he
would be stolen away by goblins. Much to her surprise, her appeal to the
goblins is successful, and Jareth (David Bowie), King of the Goblins,
shows up to present Sarah with a mystical gift.
Immediately
remorseful, Sarah reluctantly refuses Jareth's offer and demands her
brother back. Jareth informs her that she has just over a day in which
to find her way through the labyrinth and into his castle. If she does
not reclaim her brother in time, he will become a goblin forever. Eager
to start, Sarah enlists the aid of Hoggle (voice of Brian Henson), an
old dwarf caretaker who is spraying fairies with pest spray when she
first meets him. Although he is rather gruff, he warms to the girl, and
the next time they meet he agrees to help her find her way to the goblin
castle. Sarah also finds friends in the form of Ludo, a gigantic
sloth-like creature, and Sir Didymus, a fox-like knight who guards the
bridge of the Bog of Eternal Stench and rides a sheepdog.
Other creatures include an ancient oracle with a bird on his head; a
pair of two-headed playing cards that guard the entrances to two
pathways, one leading to the castle and one to sudden death; flamboyant
birds that juggle their heads around; two doorknockers, one who can't
hear and one who can't talk; an enormous stone monster; and lots of
goblins. Some strange new creature is always popping up, so you have to
keep your eyes on the screen so you don?t miss any of them. One of the
neatest scenes in the film involves a long tunnel of Helping Hands.
These hands guide Sarah downward to the oubliette, and they constantly
rearrange themselves in order to talk and convey a variety of
expressions.
The film has many moments of cleverness, mostly
in the way that Sarah overcomes various obstacles standing in her way,
and it all ends happily ever after. That said, I must admit that this
movie didn't really resonate with me the way Henson's movies usually do.
There seemed to be an air of incongruity about the film, and at times I
had a bit of difficulty following the action. The characters,
especially Sarah, seemed to develop in spurts. Each change of heart was
instantaneous rather than gradual. And the songs left me completely
cold, a rarity for Henson; I usually sing along with gusto while
watching one of his movies. I couldn't understand the words half the
time, the tunes didn't click with me, and the songs just seemed pretty
out of place overall. I was hopelessly confused as soon as Jareth
started droning, "You remind me of the babe/the babe with the power/the
power of voodoo?" And the later songs didn't make much more sense to me.
Jareth is the most enigmatic character in the film, and it is
hard for me to decide whether or not to like him. He's a villain,
obviously, but there's more levity than menace in his most villainous
moments, such as the scene where he promises to make Hoggle "Prince of
the Land of Stench" if Sarah kisses the dwarf. He seems genuinely
overjoyed with Toby and treats him with paternal affection. Meanwhile,
he is a melancholy presence when Sarah is near, and he seems to be quite
taken with her and wishing she would reciprocate his adoration. He
gives me the creeps, and yet I can't help but feel sorry for him. I find
him to be the most engaging character in the film, and so I would
probably, ironically, rate him my favorite character.
Since
Nathan acquired the DVD, I suspect I will have plenty of time to grow
into a deeper appreciation of this film. Perhaps it is one of those
movies you must see several times to really understand. I hope that is
the case. Though I didn't hate the movie, I think the most accurate
comment I could make would be that I didn't get the movie. It?s a must-see for any Muppet enthusiast, and the bonus feature at the end which describes the making of Labyrinth is fascinating. But if I were to rank Jim Henson's films, I think this one would fall at the bottom of the list.
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