Labyrinth (1986)

Why it's here:
We already know David Bowie as a singer with incredible presence; it seems right to check out his presence as an actor. He doesn't disappoint!

Specs:
Just over an hour and a half; PG

Our family's average rating on a scale from 1-10:
7.7

More about the film and our reaction to it:
My 15 year old gave this a high compliment when he said, "this film surprised me. I really liked it." That's as good as I can expect from anyone these days and clicked with me, because I felt the same way.

Of course it is heavily steeped in 80s weird funk, but it is good. And I've now seen, time and again, that good movies can really transcend their date-trappings.  We noticed many transcendent themes in this film that make it a classic story of adventure and the comforts of home and stability. In fact, in large part, it seems to have borrowed plot and purpose from the Wizard of Oz. There are also numerous parallels to the story of Alice in Wonderland and even Harry Potter.  It is a classic fantasy tale told with high-level production values for its time.

The only human actors to have any appreciable screen time are Jennifer Connelly and David Bowie and they are both extremely solid. Connelly plays a teenager who wishes for (and then gets) more adventure. Bowie plays her evil nemesis -- the Goblin King -- i.e. the guy who's taken her baby brother. The Goblin King is shadowy, unknown and unknowable; he is mysterious and amorphous; he is compelling and repulsive. And Bowie is perfect in the role. He shows the screen presence we were expecting and the acting chops we were not. Connelly, too, is admirable here. She is understated, unflappable, direct and shows very little teenage primping and posing. Pretty amazing, really.

The animations, muppets and special effects are very enjoyable if you watch with the right attitude. Don't expect modern CGI, just high-end visual effects circa 1986. There is a lot of "technology" going on in the production and, at times feel it feels a bit cluttered. But it is all cool and in fun. Near the end when Jennifer Connelly, David Bowie and the baby are scrambling around on an Escher drawing come to life, the effect is extremely well done and very cool. Overall, the effects add greatly to the whimsical fantasy story and the feel of the film is etherial and entrancing.


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