Description: Journey into the fantastical world of LABYRINTH, starring David Bowie, and Jennifer Connelly in one of her first lead roles, and a cast of incredible creatures created by Jim Henson and produced by the Master of Myth, George Lucas! The classic fantasy adventure film available in an all-new Collector’s Edition. DVD will be re-mastered to add new bonus materials.
Amazon.com essential video: Sarah (a teenage Jennifer Connelly) rehearses the role of a fairy-tale queen, performing 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 with parents who don't understand her at all. Her petulance leads her to call the goblins to take the baby away, but when they actually do, she realizes her responsibility to rescue him. Sarah negotiates the Labyrinth to reach the City of the Goblins and the castle of their king. The king is the only other human in the film and is played by a glam-rocking David Bowie, who performs five of his songs. The rest of the cast are puppets, a wonderful array of Jim Henson's imaginative masterpieces. Henson gives credit to children's author and illustrator Maurice Sendak, and the creatures in the movie will remind Sendak fans of his drawings. The castle of the king is a living M.C. Escher set that adults will enjoy. The film combines the highest standards of art, costume, and set decoration. Like executive producer George Lucas's other fantasies, Labyrinth mixes adventure with lessons about growing up. --Lloyd Chesley
Utterly Wretched Beyond Imagination This is without a doubt the worst thing to ever molest my eyeballs. The only thing that could make the treacherous expirience worse was seeing that people actually enjoyed it.
This movie is easily summarized by three elements; obscenely tight pants, mind-blowingly hideous and disturbing puppetry with obnoxious voice actors, and horrific acting by the only people in the film.
I could live the rest of my life in absolute peace knowing that I would never watch this again. I would never put this atrocity in front of a child's eyes as suggested by some (possibly crazed) reviewers. This film is simply not suitable for anyone and if you should ever come across a copy you must destroy it immediately if you have any love for humankind.
A must have if you love either Jim Henson or David Bowie OR.. if you are a big kid at heart and are a fan of fantasy! You will love this movie if you are any of the above and especially if you are all of the above!! The soundtrack by the way is worth buying at the same time too!
Decent, but Dated Labyrinth / B00000K3D4
*Spoilers*
It seems like just last week I was reviewing The Dark Crystal (25th Anniversary Edition) and hailing it as a timeless classic adventure, enjoyable for both children and adults. Having just also seen "Labyrinth", which is often packaged together with "The Dark Crystal", I have to say that, though I enjoyed "Labyrinth", it isn't a timeless classic for all ages in the way that "The Dark Crystal" is.
In an ominous foretelling of Lucas' now much-lamented propensity to prefer attractive young actors/actresses as opposed to ones who are skilled at their craft, lead actress Connelly, seems ill at ease here, often pausing excessively long as her lines are (apparently) fed to her and providing the same blank expressionless face repeatedly. The scenes between her and the Goblin King (Bowie) are often charged with sexual tension that is, in my opinion, largely inappropriate, and can someone please explain why they felt the need to dress Bowie in skin-tight tights with an accompanying jutting cup in his nether region?
Someone also felt the need to include music that can only be described as "very eighties" and while none of it is bad, one really does not make a "timeless classic" by slapping a music genre like this on it - an action which invariably dates it.
Once you get past the over-sexualized, under-achieving Connelly and maintain eye-contact only with the suggestive Bowie, things improve. The labyrinth is intriguing and amusing, with its hidden doors, moving passageways, loose stones, and excessive traps. The theme is a little more specialized than some (saving a brother as opposed to saving the world), but is something that will resonate with children - particularly children with a younger sibling, I suspect. The supporting muppets are superb, with an over-sized Yeti ("Smells bad!"), a quixotic fox (riding an adorable doggie), and a troll who dares to hope that the lovely Connelly will be his friend in spite of his ugly face. (Again, though, this is a little creepy, with the troll receiving a much-anticipated spontaneous kiss from Connelly, albeit of the friendly 'on-the-cheek' variety.) And, of course, the crystal ball juggling featured throughout the movie has to be seen to be believed, along with a hallway mirroring the famous M.C. Escher stairwell painting.
I don't regret watching "Labyrinth", and I think children may appreciate the movie for the bright colors and fun music, but definitely the movie is lacking the strong heroine, good acting, and overall appeal of "The Dark Crystal". I definitely would have liked the movie much better with a more decent actress and a lessening of the sexuality overtones that someone, I suspect Lucas, thought was a good idea to include.
Muppets and a Puzzle The Muppet Movie - Kermit's 50th Anniversary Edition Good movie for pre-teens and any muppet fan.
I love this movie! I loved this movie as a child and I am now able to enjoy it with my boys as well. It's great for a family movie night! I love David Bowie's music and the muppets add to the fun.
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