Now here is a film that I have been meaning to watch for years, and I have even attempted to on more than one occasion. ‘Labyrinth’ (1986) is a film that I seemingly know so much about without having ever seen it fully. It is constantly referenced by my friends or in other media I watch and when you are exposed to something that much there comes a time when you have to relent and join them. Fortunately, I wanted to see the film anyway, so it was no huge effort to finally sit down to watch. And while I can totally see why people adore this film, on the whole it just isn’t for me. The film follows Sarah (Jennifer Connelly), a young girl who feels underappreciated and outshone by here baby brother. In jest she asks the Goblin King to take her brother away from her. However, when the King does this Sarah is regretful and must find her way through the Labyrinth before the time runs out and her brother becomes part of the goblin kingdom forever.
There is a lot about this film to love, which I will get to later, but for the most part the film just didn’t do it for me. The thing is, I can’t quite put my finger on what it is about it which didn’t click with me. I mean it involves David Bowie, Jim Henson, and Terry Jones. That is one hell of a team and it should have led to a film I loved, but alas it left me quite disappointed, and in fact I found the film quite boring. For me the narrative is weak, with the film feeling more like an excuse to be show off a world and characters rather than have an engaging narrative. I think a good example of this is in the songs of the film. As songs I actually really enjoy them. This is unsurprising seeing as they are David Bowie songs and that man is a genius. But like a lot of the film, they feel lie they are there just to have them there rather then them connecting with the story all that much. Magic Dance is a great example of this. Yes, it is a great song, but it comes out of nowhere in regard to the narrative and the whole scene is literally just that song. This is the feeling I have with the entire film, things just kind of happen. I guess that is the point, but it didn’t work for me. In terms of performances I can’t complain to much. Bowie is great as the Goblin King and Connelly, despite a couple of dodgy line reads, puts in a good performance. I big shout out to all the puppeteers and voice actors as well who had a huge hand in bringing all the characters to life and making them feel real, which is where the film really shines.
For what I feel this film lacks in narrative intrigue it somewhat makes up for in the world it creates. In those terms this is masterfully done. The film puts so much love into even the tiniest of details in its world and it pays off big time in creating an environment that is brilliant to explore with your characters. Just everything about it is great, the character design, the sets, its all great and the creativity that has gone into the film is immense and it allows the film to be visually stimulating from start to finish. One moment that sticks in my mind specifically is where Sarah is talking to a worm and on the wall next to her is what looks like moss, but they have eyes and move ever so lightly. No attention is brought to them specifically, but their existence adds so much to the scene and your understanding of the world and what exists within it. I have no doubt that it is this aspect of the film which is why it is so highly regarded and has a cult status about it.
I really wanted to love this film. There are so many aspects of the film that would seem right up my street. I mean its David Bowie, Muppets, and Monty Python, that should really have struck gold with me. However, although the world and the mount of love and detail that went into it is brilliant, I just couldn’t get myself into it and the film ended up dragging for me. That said I would recommend it because it is one of those that I totally understand the love for, and it may be right up your street. Unfortunately, it just didn’t do it for me, although maybe it is one that will grow on me in time, if I ever go back to it that is.