... The year was 1986 and I was twelve years old and it was around this time that "Labyrinth" was first released, featuring a then 16 year old Jennifer Connelly as Sarah. That was it for me, and I suddenly had a new favourite film, as well as a new object for my affections.
Sarah is a girl ... Read review
Sarah (a teenage Jennifer Connelly) rehearses the role of a fairy-tale queen, performing ... more
for her stuffed animals. She is about to discover that the time has come to leave her childhood behind. In real life she has to baby-sit her brother and contend wi...
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Sarah (a teenage Jennifer Connelly) rehearses the role of a fairy-tale queen, performing ... more
for her stuffed animals. She is about to discover that the time has come to leave her childhood behind. In real life she has to baby-sit her brother and contend wi...
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Frustrated with baby-sitting on yet another weekend night Sarah - a teenager with a ... more
active imagination - summons the Goblins from her favourite book "Labyrinth" to take her baby step-brother away. When little Toby actually disappears Sarah must fol...
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Labyrinth is a major fantasy feature film starring a cast of incredible creatures created ... more
by The Jim Henson Creature Shop, and produced by Star Wars director George Lucas. Starring rock legend David Bowie, who performs five original songs, Labyrinth is...
Advantages: It's a wonderful way to revisit your youth Disadvantages: It has aged pretty badly, and the DVD extras aren't all that good
...she has to solve the labyrinth and get through the Goblin City to the Goblin King's castle, where she will find him. On her way, she will find many traps and meet many strange creatures, not all of whom are friendly or helpful. Unfortunately, she has only thirteen hours to reach Toby before he becomes one of the goblins forever. Does she have a chance of making it in time?
The major performances are really only adequate, but it can't ... ...what most of the cast consist of. David Bowie is suitably imperious as the Goblin King, although attempts to express any emotion other than anger don't really seem to come off too well. It's clear that he is a singer first and an actor second. Jennifer Connelly is more effective, but as a sixteen year old girl playing a sixteen year old girl, it's not really terribly difficult. She does show a wider range of emotion that Bowie, and manages to scream ... more
I'm sure that everyone remembers their first love and the first time they had a crush on someone, be it the girl next door or some famous figure. I can certainly remember my first crush. The year was 1986 and I was twelve years old and it was around this time that "Labyrinth" was first released, featuring a then 16 year old Jennifer Connelly as Sarah. That was it for me, and I suddenly had a new favourite film, as well as a new object for my affections.
Sarah is a girl who escapes from her real life with her father, stepmother and her baby stepbrother by living in a fantasy world inhabited by goblins. One night, sick of being called upon to baby-sit once again, she inadvertently calls upon the Goblin King to take her stepbrother away. Much to her surprise and distress, the Goblin King grants her wish.
There is only one way for Sarah to rescue her brother, Toby. To do so, she has to solve the labyrinth and get through the Goblin City to the Goblin King's castle, where she will find him. On her way, she will find many traps and meet many strange creatures, not all of whom are friendly or helpful. Unfortunately, she has only thirteen hours to reach Toby before he becomes one of the goblins forever. Does she have a chance of making it in time?
The major performances are really only adequate, but it can't be terribly easy acting along side a puppet, which is what most of the cast consist of. David Bowie is suitably imperious as the Goblin King, although attempts to express any emotion other than anger don't really seem to come off too well. It's clear that he is a singer first and an actor second. Jennifer Connelly is more effective, but as a sixteen year old girl playing a sixteen year old girl, it's not really terribly difficult. She does show a wider range of emotion that Bowie, and manages to scream and sulk pretty effectively when required.
But the majority of the cast are courtesy of Jim Henson, long famous as the creator of "The Muppets" and "Fraggle Rock". This time around, however, he has puppets in all shapes and sizes, from humanoid goblins through to a fifteen feet tall robotic looking gate guard, via the gorilla like Ludo and the Fraggle like Fierys. All of them fit in very nicely, although being puppets, they do seem a little stiff at times. The main problem with this film, though, is that the use of puppets does give it quite a dated feel. These days, this kind of thing would all be done with computer animation for much the same effect and the stiffness of the puppets does grate a little after so long of watching films with a little more technology involved in the making. That said, I'm sure many of the creatures may well still enthral younger viewers who are less used to seeing CGI created characters.
Twenty years of getting older has improved my memory of the soundtrack slightly as well. Although the incidental music still seems to fit in as well as it ever did, matching mood and circumstance pretty well without ever seeming overbearing, I can't say the same for David Bowie's songs, or the one sung by the Fierys. Indeed, with their appearance and there being very little need for that whole part of the film, it does almost seem as if that whole scene, song included, was borrowed from a rejected "Fraggle Rock" script. That said, as a lifelong fan of "Fraggle Rock", that doesn't concern me as much as it may do others. At least Bowie's songs do tend to be integral to the plot, although his voice annoys me now in a way it didn't then. Again, maybe I've gotten a bit too used to hearing things done bigger and better since this film was released, but Bowie always seems a little stilted and out of tune and just seems to be singing the songs, without actually performing them.
The thing with this film is that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Despite the obvious limitations of both the performances and the age of the film, it still manages to entertain. Although some of the parts do look a little rough by today's standards, "Labyrinth" still manages to take you back and remind you what things were like when you were younger. You may not feel the same sense of wonder that could have accompanied your first viewing of the film twenty or so years ago, but the songs are still catchy, the monsters are still unique and the challenge facing Sarah is no less than it ever was.
As with another film of this era, "The Goonies", it's a good thing the film still charms, as the Special Features on the DVD are for the most part nothing to really talk about. There is the standard selection of languages and subtitles and a couple of different trailers. As with many DVDs, the Filmographies are largely a waste of time, being less than you can get from IMDb and the storyboard isn't really all that impressive, with many of the pictures not being terribly clear.
The photo gallery is little better, especially with the supposed "Behind the Scenes" section, which is largely shots of the stage Well worth a look, however, is the "Concept Art" section, which doesn't really add much to the film, but if you like fantasy style art, there are some decent examples on show.
The "Inside the Labyrinth" making of feature goes a long way towards saving the DVD extras. It covers the whole span of the movie, from the concept through getting those concepts into a real form and on to the filming process. At nearly an hour long, it's more than half the length of the film itself and there are some amusing moments and some slightly surprising ones. For anyone who has ever wondered how they get films like this onto the screen, it's a great thing to have.
Still, even allowing for the disappointment of the extras, thanks to the age of the film, it can be picked up relatively cheaply. Do not buy it from Amazon, however, as the £11.99 they are currently charging is more than the £9.99 I paid offline, in WHSmith. As ever, the Amazon Marketplace is more reasonable at £6.32, but you can get a brand new copy for £6.99 from play.com, or £5.99 from sendit.com, which makes that hardly worthwhile, either. As ever, copies can be found on eBay from as little as 99p.
If you can still remember how it feels to be young again and can still be entranced by something like "Labyrinth", or even "The Dark Crystal", this is definitely worth buying and watching over and over again. Indeed, if you have children of your own, there may be additional benefits in watching them discover the joy you once did. The DVD has a "U" rating, which means it should, in theory, be suitable for all, although very young and/or particularly sensitive children may be slightly upset by some of the goblins or Ludo.
As a film, "Labyrinth" is showing signs of wear around the edges. As a DVD, it's not really terribly impressive, thanks to an unimpressive set of extras. As a walk down memory lane, however, this is wonderful. I can't think why I didn't take that walk sooner. Maybe I was afraid I'd take a wrong turn?
Advantages: Fantastic timeless family film, Jim Henson's direction, David Bowie's music Disadvantages: Not the best actors in the world
...same friend suggested we watched Labyrinth I decided this was probably a good idea. Apparently this is another one of those films that everyone has seen, both my boyfriend and our friend were again shocked and horrified that I hadn't seen this one. So over the weekend I decided to watch Labyrinth, having been told nothing about the story, I thought this would avoid being disappointed. The film opens with a young girl addressing camera about a magical ... ...to find her father and wicked stepmother leaving her with the baby. After hours of inconsolable crying Sarah (Jennifer Connelly) can stand it no longer, she calls to the goblin king and asks him to take this baby away. In the blink of an eye the goblin king Jarreth (David Bowie) appears, when Sarah begs him to give her baby brother back he refuses, the only way she can get him back is to get to the castle through the labyrinth. The film follows Sarah's ...
Expired-Account 04.04.2008
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Labyrinth (Collector's Edition) (DVD)
Advantages: great for the whole family Disadvantages: no CGI effects, not that matters to a classic like this
...forever. Unfortunately for Sarah, the labyrinth is full of tricks, moving walls and talking doors. She must solve riddles, avoid traps in order to reach the castle. With her guide Hoggle (a dwarf), her loyal friend Ludo and her protector Sir Hugh Didymus (a plucky talking fox with no sense of smell). Will she be able to reach the castle in time? Just be careful you don't fall into the bog of eternal stench.
The whole fun of watching the film is ... ...child like humour. An Unfair Labyrinth that just wont behave and a timeless classic in my opinion. This is definitely my favourite film ever. It brings back my childhood every time I watch it. I was so obsessed watching it I eventually knew all the words (sad I know!). Back in the 1980's the special effects looked amazing and used the latest technology. It still looks magical now, despite the lack of CGI. I believe this film will still be enjoyed ...
wyvern9lb 16.06.2009
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Labyrinth (Collector's Edition) (DVD)
Advantages: A magical and memorable story, great music, unforgettable visuals. Disadvantages: Not for very young children; some frightening images.
...of the way first. While Labyrinth -- with its basic storyline and use of little puppets -- may seem like a "kid's movie," is probably more suitable for adolescents and adults. Young kids likely will have trouble understanding the characters, and be frightened by the imaginative monsters and scenery.
~*~ "How You Changed My World, You Precious Thing..." ~*~
When I first watched Labyrinth, I was about seven, and the movie was being broadcast on TV. ... ...I happened to pick up Labyrinth by chance at the rental's, and only then did I realize it was that mystery movie I saw on TV! Of course, I was able to appreciate the movie a LOT more, but one aspect remained: Labyrinth still invoked in me that magical, dreamlike feeling that it gave me when I was young.
~*~ "It's Only Forever, Not Long At All..." ~*~
So just why is Labryinth, a kid's flick from 1986, so enduring? It's probably because of its relevance. ...
hallospacegirl 02.10.2004
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Labyrinth (Collector's Edition) (DVD)
Advantages: great story, good costumes, and a classic film! Disadvantages: a little outdated, but good nonetheless
...13 hours to navigate a labyrinth and rescue her brother before he becomes "one of them".
In navigating the labyrinth, Sarah comes across all kinds of bizarre traps and bizarre creatures, courtesy of Jim Henson. Among those she meets are Hoggle, a small and particularly unattractive dwarf, who becomes her friend and helps her on her search for the goblin castle, but not without incidents of treachery and deceit. Ludo, a large and hairy character, ... ...but actually lead nowhere. The labyrinth itself is fairly well animated, but again, you can sometimes see just how fake it is, such as when looking out to the castle from the middle of the labyrinth.
Jennifer Connolly's acting is fairly standard, but I suppose that it would be next to the great David Bowie. This is definitely his finest moment - his acting is superb, his singing is amazing (there is a soundtrack available of songs specially written ...
emmorticia 12.01.2003
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Labyrinth (Collector's Edition) (DVD)
...has 13 hours and the labyrinth is a big place, and its full of strange creatures.
So why do I like this film so much?, well maybe be because of the sentiment, living in a fantasy world, being a child and all those things you want to do, the pretence, the things that being an adult you no longer do, because you either feel your an adult and you shouldn’t or that you’d look silly, being able to step in to a fantasy world where
all these ... ...relate to the way Sarah feels, lets face it who does want to face real life?.
David Bowie puts in a fairly good performance (as does Jennifer Connelly), he performs five new songs in the film, which aren’t bad. One song in the film called Fire Dance, ‘performed’ by puppet creatures called fiery’s, the more astute of you might pick out Danny John-Jules’ voice (yes he who played the Cat in Red Dwarf) from the group.
...
seagulls-lost-horizon 17.08.2001
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Labyrinth (Collector's Edition) (DVD)
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Advantages: Excellent film, acting. Disadvantages: None that i can think of
that I will watch again and again.
The DVD comes with many features including the making of The Labyrinth, behind the scenes photo gallery, cast photo gallery, characters photo gallery, concept art photo gallery, vintage poster gallery, storyboards, theatrical trailer and Filmographies.
I enjoyed watching these extras on the DVD although they did seem to ruin the film and take some of the fantasy element out of the film. Items like the storyboard and the scene photo gallery are very interesting to look at.
I would recommend this film to everyone it can be apt for all audiences from young to old. It will leave you with a feeling of warmth and a feeling of wanting more. Please watch this if you have not yet done so you are missing out on a great film.
Labyrinth is available at
Ebay, around £5, although watch out ...
jonathanw3 12.01.2006
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Labrynth
A young woman wishes her baby brother would be taken away by goblins. Her wish comes true and now she must rescue him by going through the forbidding passages of the labyrinth to reach the goblin castle of the mighty wizard king.
Release details
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DVD
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SONY PICTURES HOME ENTERTAINMENT; CINRAM LOGISTICS
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 starring a campy David Bowie as the Goblin King, LABYRINTH is directed by the Muppet's own Jim Henson, whose team provide the goblin creatures, so who could fail to be transported to this magical adventure world of goblins.
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