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(Caution: minor SPOILERS ahead)
Sarah Williams is dreamy and highly imaginative young teenager who is caught in that awkward stage between child and adult. She does not get along with her stepmother or baby half-brother, Toby, feeling that they are both spoiled and selfish. Sarah loves to escape into the imaginary world of the Labyrinth, the setting of her favorite fantasy book.
One night, fed up with babysitting for her fussy little brother, Sarah looses her temper; in a moment of pure, unbridled frustration she wishes that the goblins of the Labyrinth would come and take Toby away. Unfortunately for her, it is revealed that the Goblins are indeed real, and have promptly stolen her brother and taken him to the Labyrinth.
Distraught, Sarah begs Jareth, the Goblin King, to return Toby to her immediately. Jareth refuses; however, he offers her a chance. If she can solve his Labyrinth within thirteen hours, she and Toby will be free to go. But if she fails... Toby will become a Goblin- forever!
In a race against time, Sarah battles her way through the Labyrinth to save her brother and correct her mistakes. But even with the help of her new friends that she has found, will she ever get there in time? And if she does, will she even be able to get back out?
The Labyrinth was a light, funny little adventure. It was made during the Eighties, and you can definitely tell. The music is... well... Eighties, I guess. And David Bowie's voice isn't the greatest voice in the world, in my opinion. But I still liked the movie. Deep down inside, I kind of like that whole corny Eighties feel. ;) And the effects of the puppets and animatronics were fantastic- especially for their time.
The protagonist, Sarah, with her imaginative ways and habit of dressing up in fantasy clothes to act out the scenes in her books, reminded me of myself a little. Although maybe I'm a little more grounded in reality....
There was also a bit of romance... an interesting kind. ***SPOILER*** One of those rare kinds where instead of a hero falling for the heroine, the villain falls for the heroine. ***END SPOILERS***
There were one or two instances of swearing (the D word), and one scene where some women are wearing rather low necklines. Sarah is very temperamental towards the beginning, and expresses her anger by yelling how much she hates her stepmother and brother. She's also a bit winy. However, I'd say she's learned her lesson pretty well by the end of the film...
If you don't like Eighties music, corny effects, or puppets, don't watch this movie. However, if you, like me, can find enjoyment in quirky old films like this, I'd wager you'll like this one. And if you watched and liked Dark Crystal, or The Storyteller, then you'll definitely like Labyrinth. :)
But just a warning... as bad as those songs may be, they can get awfully catchy.
*walks off humming "Magic Dance"...*
-Rayne Speryll
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(P.S. As an interesting piece of trivia, Jennifer Connelly, who played Sarah, was only fourteen when she played this part. I was impressed! She didn't look fourteen at all! and that dress she wears.... just beautiful. I would love to wear one just like it. ;)
I've heard this movie strongly recommended on another site and thought it looked interesting, though I was never quite sure what it was about. I'll have to look into it!
ReplyDeleteI liked it. :D My favorite character was probably Sir Didymus, the dog-knight, although I liked Jareth the Goblin King as well. He's one of those charismatic, confident, and charming villains, only with a musical twist. :)
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