Labyrinth (1986)
Last Watch Date - August 17, 2026
Total Times Watched - So many times
Comments
This movie was the one where I was like "Who is THAT?" I was just a little lad, a boy! Yet seeing Jennifer Connelly in this (she was older than me even in this movie) awakened things inside of me that I never knew existed. I still love her to this day. What a lovely, beautiful creature. It's funny to see her in this movie NOW as a middle age dude because you can see that she's cute but she's such a child in it. Despite that, she's really good as an actor and sells it all. This is a tough thing for a then-15 year old JC because she's basically acting against puppets and rocks the whole time. It must've been an odd experience.
She and David Bowie are pretty much the entirety of this movie. They have such an interesting dynamic too. Bowie plays the Goblin King in a way that you may not expect when you first look at the story, but it works incredibly well. He has this sort of stilted way of speaking, a ton of facial expressions, and interactions with both Sarah (JC) and the puppets that feel like it's all threatening and very serious while also being a touch silly.
People like to talk about his bulge in this movie, but I'm numb to it at this point. I think I've seen his dong outline more than I've seen my own kids at this point and my kids are all teenagers. What I'm always more interested in is his hair and eyebrow combo. It's such a bizarre look and feels SO 80s.
This movie had mixed reviews at the time of it coming out, but I've always loved it. It's one of those 80s theoretically kid-tilted movies with a dark premise. It has a sense of wonder and danger that is balanced and .. tasteful? I'm not a good writer but hopefully you get the idea. I saw that Jim Henson was saddened by the mixed reviews and then died a few years later. I like to think he'd be pleased with how it's become a beloved classic by so many.
Recommended?
YES. Amazing movie.