Labyrinth (U.K./U.S.A., 1986)
May 24, 2020
Fantasy in the 1980s had a “cutesy” problem. Setting aside
the deliciously bloody Schwarzenegger Conan the Barbarian, the field was
littered with productions steeped in the belief that fantasy=children’s fare.
Whether it was Disney’s big-budget animated feature The Black Cauldron,
the Rankin-Bass TV adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien’s Return of the King, or
the likes of The Neverending Story and The Dark Crystal, this
wasn’t an era for adult fantasy. Labyrinth fits right in with those
titles (and, in fact, is the ugly step-child of The Dark Crystal). The
names involved look promising – Jim Henson directing, David Bowie playing the
villain, George Lucas doing an uncredited rewrite and helping out in the
editing process, and a screenplay credited to Monty Python’s Terry Jones. With
all that talent – and I didn’t even mention contributions by Frank Oz and
Elaine May – how come Labyrinth feels a lot like Xanadu? (In the
1980s, such a comparison would not have been considered a compliment, although
the passage of years has transformed the Olivia Newton-John bomb into a cult
classic. Ditto for Labyrinth.)
Part of the problem with Labyrinth is the Muppets.
Oh, these aren’t Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy. They’re goblins, worms, and
other assorted creatures but they are recognizably Muppets and it’s a rarity
that a Muppet can be effectively integrated into a serious-minded motion
picture. (The most obvious counter-example is Yoda.) Although it might be
possible to create a fantasy milieu with only Muppets, the introduction
of humans into the mix creates an awareness of their essential fakery that
might not be evident in another setting or situation. (The Muppet Movie
gets mileage out of the co-existence of people and puppets, but it’s
lightweight, comedy-based entertainment, not fantasy.)
Labyrinth’s central character is 15-year old Sarah
(Jennifer Connelly) who, like most kids her age, isn’t thrilled with having to
babysit for a baby brother – a task she’s given when her father (Christopher
Malcolm) and step-mother (Shelly Thompson) go out on a date. Toby is a
difficult child and, when he won’t stop crying, Sarah reaches the end of her
wits and says “the words” necessary for the boy to be spirited away by the
Goblin King Jareth (David Bowie) and his minions. Immediately regretting her
impetuousness, Sarah pleads with Jareth to release Toby. The Goblin King
replies that in order for Sarah to retrieve her brother, she will have to
travel through the labyrinth to his castle in the Goblin City, but the clock is
ticking. In 13 hours, Toby will be Jareth’s forever. Accompanied by the
cowardly Hoggle (voice of Brian Henson), the peculiar warrior Didymus (David
Shaughnessy), and the mighty creature Ludo (Ron Mueck), Sarah navigates the
labyrinth but rescuing Toby proves to be more difficult than she imagined.
Although there’s no doubting that glam-rocker David Bowie
has a magnetic screen presence, there’s no way to perceive his performance
other than campy. Extending the Xanadu comparison, his legs aren’t as
nice as Olivia Newton-John’s but his hair is at least as good (and certainly
bigger). Bowie occasionally breaks into song but, unlike ONJ’s vocals, none of
the tunes have survived the passage of time. (Xanadu’s soundtrack soared
courtesy of endless radio play and Top 10 spots on the Billboard Hot 100.)
There’s too much Jareth – the scenes of him surrounded by goblins in his castle
make for an interesting spectacle but they are superfluous. That’s the problem
with putting an iconic figure into what should have been a supporting role –
the desire to beef up his screen time to the point where it becomes intrusive.
(This was a problem screenwriter Terry Jones wrestled with.)
Over the years, Jennifer Connelly has developed into an
excellent actress, taking on daring roles (such as the explicit Requiem for a Dream) and winning an Oscar for A Beautiful Mind. At this stage of
her career, she was fresh-faced and unpolished. Labyrinth was her first
major role and she’s one of the worst things about the film, delivering her
lines in a stilted, unappealing fashion. She has an expressive face but creates
a heroine so shallow that it’s difficult to care about her or her quest. It’s
no exaggeration to say that the Goblin Muppets are more interesting and
sympathetic.
Labyrinth’s tone is weird and at times off-putting. There
are three obvious influences fighting for dominance: Terry Jones’ Python-esque
humor, George Lucas’ action-oriented spectacle (more Indiana Jones than Star
Wars in this case), and Jim Henson’s family-friendly fare. Although
inspired by Henson’s 1982 feature, The Dark Crystal (which he
co-directed with Frank Oz), the finished film is different in scope and intent.
And, although the puppet work is expectedly excellent, many of the other
special effects are substandard even for 1986. (Remember: the era’s state-of-the-art,
Return of the Jedi, came out three years earlier and, with Lucas
on-board, there’s no excuse for the spectacle aspect to be underwhelming.) The
Dance of the Fireys, with its awful green-screen work, is an example of Doctor
Who-level ineptitude. (Henson was reportedly unhappy with how it looked but
decided to leave it in because he liked the puppets in the scene.)
Many of the most visible 1980s fantasy films, such as Willow, The Neverending Story, The Dark Crystal, and Labyrinth, have been embraced by audiences who remember them with fondness from their youth. Their renewed “cult classic” status, however, doesn’t alter the fact that, at least in the case of this movie, nostalgia isn’t necessarily associated with quality. The post-‘80s decades have generated some top-notch fantasy efforts. Labyrinth is worth resurrecting and watching only to remember the awkward understanding Hollywood had of the genre back when people snickered at Tolkien as being an author for nerds.
Labyrinth (U.K./U.S.A., 1986)
Cast: David Bowie, Jennifer Connelly, Brian Henson, Ron Mueck, David Shaughnessy
Home Release Date: 2020-05-24
Screenplay: Terry Jones
Cinematography: Alex Thomson
Music: Trevor Jones, David Bowie
U.S. Distributor: TriStar Pictures
- Princess Bride, The (1987)
- Lord of the Rings, The: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
- Lord of the Rings, The: The Two Towers (2002)
- (There are no more better movies of David Bowie)
- Basquiat (1996)
- Prestige, The (2006)
- (There are no more worst movies of David Bowie)
- (There are no more better movies of Brian Henson)
- (There are no more worst movies of Brian Henson)
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