Labyrinth-Jim Henson

I always remember Labyrinth as a title that was recorded on a VHS I had borrowed from my cousins that was sandwiched between two other gems from the 80's: Ernest Goes to Camp and Bon Voyage Charlie Brown, And Don't Come Back! I wasn't a huge fan of puppetry back then in my childhood and always favored cartoons over the live-action shenanigans of Sesame Street and Lois & Graham's The Elephant Show. These are still two shows from my childhood that I consider to be very near and dear to my heart as they hearken back to the golden years of sacred memories absent of any worry whatsoever. But at the time, Mario Bros., Rugrats, & Ren & Stimpy took precedence over everything else on the television. So to get from Ernest P. Warrel to Charlie Brown, I would always fast forward through Labyrinth and, in my infant impatience, get ever the more frustrated when having to press stop and then fast forward only to have guessed wrong and land on either the Bog of Eternal Stench scene or The Oubliette. But when I saw Jennifer Connolly and David Bowie walking up and down the weird stairways, I knew I was getting close to seeing the Peanuts Gang head on over to Europe and watch Snoopy get drunk on Root Beer in a French tavern. Ever since that point of my childhood I always held a lingering resentment towards Labyrinth for the association of aggravation it held that I had cultivated during the nurturing stages of childhood. And so I avoided Labyrinth. At the end of July of this year, I started working part-time at my buddy's record store Late Nite Records. One of the grandest rewards of working in a record store is enriching your musical palate by venturing into territories previously uncharted. Many friends of mine endear David Bowie as one of the supreme artists of his time. Before working at Late Nite, my knowledge of Bowie was very limited. I knew the broad strokes of what he was responsible for and paid him due respect, but, to the best of my recollection, had never taken the time to listen to any of his music. I slipped on the soundtrack of Lost Highway and was surprised to find out that David Bowie had sung the opening title Deranged, which I enjoyed very much. We have the bulk of his catalog so I decided to dive in even further. Some of his work I enjoyed, others were forgettable. One album that stuck out to me in particular though was the B-Side to Low. It was a rather dead evening and when I was sweeping and mopping the floors, the beginning—of what I mistakenly had believed—of a somber movie score replicate, began to play. The atmosphere of solitude changed instantly. I began to get into flow with the melancholy rhythm of Bowie's attempt at Kraftwerk and found great pleasure in this unexpected venture. The following day, when I was whimsically picking out titles at the library, I spotted Labyrinth and decided to give it a try. This delightful little odyssey, I found, after I sat down to watch it, was quite the treat. Adventure, fantasy, (subtle) horror, and comedy were all rolled into this hodgepodge of extreme imagination. Labyrinth felt, to me, like an adrenaline charge directed into the wildest of imaginations we have as children and then formatted into coherent physical form. Like a stroll back in time to when before the constraints of acquired knowledge had eroded our imaginations into the rational reality we as adults would settle into. Henson, Jones, and Lee take us on a roller coaster ride into a ridiculous world of eccentric goblins that stay with you long after the film ends. Even as an adult, three months removed from my inauguration, I find myself enjoying a good chuckle and saying randomly to the neighbors' cats "You remind me of the babe!". (Don't judge) And about once a week I watch the chilly down portion on YouTube. This is a movie that leaves a very pleasant aftertaste that sticks with you long after the credits begin and I must have rewatched the Dance, Magic, Dance scene about a dozen times since I returned the tape, saying to myself upon first viewing "Is David Bowie really throwing around a baby?" In terms of Wonderland ventures, this one sits snug among its brethren. Personally, I will always be partial to Alice In Wonderland, but in comparison to The Wizard of Oz, Babes In Toyland, and The Hugga Bunch, Labyrinth establishes a throne of its own. Henson's ability to align wild imagination with celluloid is second to none and Bowie shines brightly as master of all trades. Be it acting, music, or performance art there is absolutely no denying how naturally gifted he was as a human being and that the reverence he received was justly due. Great film and a lot of fun.

Stars: ****

Verdict: Watch

Cousins: Alice In Wonderland, The Hugga Bunch, The Neverending Story, The Wizard of Oz