Title: Labyrinth
Starring: David Bowie and Jennifer Connelly
Synopsis: Often described as a cult classic, Labyrinth is Jim Henson’s 1986 adventure fantasy, starring rock legend David Bowie and a young Jennifer Connelly in the lead roles. The story – scripted by Monty Python‘s Terry Jones – follows a 15 year old girl called Sarah (Connelly), who gets sucked into a world of fantasy and adventure, after the characters of her favourite play – Labyrinth – come to life and threaten to change her world forever. Bowie plays the Goblin king – Jareth – who arrives (dramatically in a gust of glitter) after a frustrated Sarah inadvertently wishes for him to take her baby brother Toby far away to the Goblin City. Realising her mistake, Sarah pleads to get Toby back – only for Jareth to give her a challenging ultimatum; she must find her way through the labyrinth, to his castle in the Goblin city within thirteen hours, or Toby will be turned into one of his Goblins. On her quest to save her brother, Sarah meets a range of quirky characters, including the grumpy but oddly sweet goblin, Hoggle, a kindly beast called Ludo, and a cavalier dog named Sir Didymus. Meanwhile, Jareth and his goblins try everything in their power to prevent Sarah and her newfound friends from reaching the castle in time.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bcCb9MLShss
The above clip showcases one of the film’s best elements; it’s musical interludes, courtesy of Bowie. ‘Magic Dance’ is arguably the most iconic song of the film, but other original Bowie tunes, like ‘Underground’ and ‘As The World Falls Down’ also feature. Though Bowie’s appearance as Jareth is inexplicably extravagant – with his long blonde wig and frankly very tight leggings – the role proves his ability as an actor, to be both humorous and darkly villainous in equal measure. Meanwhile, Connelly’s fresh-faced performance in the film was arguably her breakout role and is a nice contrast to Bowie’s wicked portrayal. Ultimately though, the real magic comes in the hundreds of puppets – crafted by Muppet extraordinaire Jim Henson – that make up the Goblin City’s population. While they’re not as family friendly as the Muppets, the goblins are as amusing as they are grotesque, and really add to the fantasy element of the movie. Overall, Labyrinth is a fun and nostalgic adventure, that goes to prove that CGI is not always king when it comes to creating a magical world.
Watch if you liked: The Dark Crystal, The Muppets, The Wizard of Oz and Where the Wild Things Are.
And of course, it’s also a must-watch for Bowie fans!
Rating: 7/10. It’s Bowie, Goblins and a tonne of glitter. What’s not to love?
Words by Annie