Labyrinth (1986) ***1/2 [Henson UHD Double Feature Pt. 2]
I love David Bowie. I love Jim Henson. But I don't quite love Labyrinth (1986). No matter how many times I’ve seen it, I always feel that it’s 15 minutes longer than it needs to be, it’s repetitive, and it loses me in certain scenes every time. I've always maintained that Labyrinth is the sillier, lighter version of The Dark Crystal (1982) (review). And to a certain extent, that was Henson's intention.
A lot of it doesn't work for me, but I think if I'd discovered it at a younger age, I'd probably be more enamored with it. I don't really remember seeing it until I was in my teens and I feel like I was past the prime demographic at that point (preferring much darker art at that period in my life).
I think part of the problem I have with Labyrinth is that it plays out more like an amusement park ride or a video game than a movie. The characters literally need to overcome obstacles in order to continue their journey. The action is merely a series of set pieces, which makes for less of an interesting story for me.
I also find the score pretty cheesy, which is a shame because Trevor Jones delivered a memorable and lush orchestral score for Henson in The Dark Crystal. The Bowie songs are fun and his performance, along with Jennifer Connelly's, is earnest and quotable. I'm a very big Bowie fan, but I didn't really delve deeply into his catalog until I was in my early twenties, having only known the big hits prior to that (and not associating him so much with this film).
The puppets in Labyrinth also have a goofy quality, which I suppose is charming to a degree, but I much prefer the odd, otherworldly, and even beautifully ugly character designs of The Dark Crystal. Yet, I can't deny the creativity and ingenuity involved in this film and it's a breezy way to spend 101 minutes, so I return to it fairly frequently.
I think part of the problem I have with Labyrinth is that it plays out more like an amusement park ride or a video game than a movie. The characters literally need to overcome obstacles in order to continue their journey. The action is merely a series of set pieces, which makes for less of an interesting story for me.
I also find the score pretty cheesy, which is a shame because Trevor Jones delivered a memorable and lush orchestral score for Henson in The Dark Crystal. The Bowie songs are fun and his performance, along with Jennifer Connelly's, is earnest and quotable. I'm a very big Bowie fan, but I didn't really delve deeply into his catalog until I was in my early twenties, having only known the big hits prior to that (and not associating him so much with this film).
The puppets in Labyrinth also have a goofy quality, which I suppose is charming to a degree, but I much prefer the odd, otherworldly, and even beautifully ugly character designs of The Dark Crystal. Yet, I can't deny the creativity and ingenuity involved in this film and it's a breezy way to spend 101 minutes, so I return to it fairly frequently.
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