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One of the saddest days of my youth was the day when Jim Henson died. It was just so sudden...so tragic...so unexpected. Complications from pneumonia? What a horrible way for such a genius to go. Thank goodness, he left us with a treasure chest of work during his far too short career, one of those being "Labyrinth", a film that would never be made today because 'puppets' seem to be a thing of the past. I don't know why. I still get more entertainment from watching "Muppets Take Manhattan" than most of the garbage that comes out these days, and I don't have to be six-years-old to enjoy it. "Labyrinth" is a classic Jim Henson film that appeals to both children and adults. Some sequences might actually be a little too dark for most kids, but back in the 1980's, parents had a different idea of what was too much for their kids to handle. Parents were a lot cooler back in the 1980's.
When Sarah (Jennifer Connelly), a young girl with an active imagination, wishes her stepbrother away, the Goblin King (David Bowie) obliges and sends his army of goblins to take the child. Sarah quickly recants and wants her brother back, but the Goblin King is stubborn and will only give her stepbrother back if she can conquer a large and tricky labyrinth that will lead her to the Goblin City and eventually the castle. So, Sarah sets out on her quest, and meets an assortment of friends along the way, including a troll named Hoggle, a large beast named Ludo, and a very eccentric looking dog named Sir Didymus. As the group make their way through the labyrinth, they are met with an assortment of problems, from the Bog of Eternal Stench to Fire Monsters...just about everything. By the conclusion of the film, Sarah has learned some valuable lessons about friendship and loyalty that apply to her own life, and you kind of get this whole "Wizard of Oz" vibe through her relationship with the characters.
This is what classic storytelling is all about. "Labyrinth" is a gorgeous film from beginning to end, with the amazing puppetry and direction of the great Jim Henson. He knows how to tell a story, and tell it well. This film features some of his most incredible puppetry yet. One of the best sequences comes when Sarah falls down the shaft and through hundreds and hundreds of hands. This sequence is wonderfully constructed, and a little creepy to some extent. There is another sequence with Sarah and her friends on the run from a number of tumbling rocks that are crushing goblins left and right. And, who can forget the musical numbers, with David Bowie and his legion of goblin soldiers singing, "Dance Magik" and "Underground". Bowie wrote all of the songs for the film and contributes more than just a stellar performance. He helps create the world, through and through.
In the tradition of "Dark Crystal" and "The Princess Bride" comes "Labyrinth" -- Jim Henson's milestone work that showed he had more in him than a couple of Muppet films. I miss the days when a film like this could open and take a weekend at the box office. I miss the days when kids didn't need CGI effects or comic book adaptations to be entertained. Puppets are almost dead in film, and that is a shame because they rely on the viewer to use far more of their imagination than any computer generated something. "Labyrinth" is one of the best films to come out of the 1980's, and it's a blast. 10/10.
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