The original: 

Labyrinth (1986)

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Directed by: 

Jim Henson (The Dark Crystal, The Great Muppet Caper, The Storyteller)

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Starring: 

Jennifer Connelly, David Bowie; with Brian Henson, Dave Goelz, Frank Oz, Danny John-Jules, Michael Hordern, Christopher Malcolm and Toby Froud 

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What’s it about? 

When sheltered and slightly spoiled teen, Sarah (Connelly) loses her baby brother Toby to Jareth, the Goblin King (Bowie), she has thirteen hours to navigate her way through the Labyrinth- an impossibly vast and fantastical realm, filled with riddles, tricks, traps, deceiving gatekeepers and mischievous tricksters. 

 

Along the way she befriends Hoggle, a dwarf with his own agenda, Ludo, a mammoth, kind and slow-witted creature, brave swashbuckling fox Sir Didymus and others, until reaching the maze’s centre for the ultimate confrontation with Jareth, the entire Goblin army, and her own fears. 

 

Filled with ingenious visual spectacle and gags, dialogue both sharply witty and subtly deep, with hugely inventive twists and turns, and an array of supporting characters and creatures which only the creator of the Muppets could conceive, Labyrinth is a film of wonder, fun, thrills and pathos. 

 

Excellent songs, surreal touches and a dreamlike spell woven throughout, not to mention a crackling, cackling turn by Bowie, this is fairy tale, rite of passage and splendid escapade. 

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So, sing along, take a walk, and don’t take anything for granted.  Especially directions from worms. 

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Sarah-             “It’s not fair!” 

Jareth-            “You say that so often. I wonder, what is your basis for comparison?” 

 

Jareth-            “I ask for so little. Just fear me, love me, do as I say and I will be your slave.” 

 

Didymus         (surrounded by a squad of mounted goblins pointing their spears at his chest)- 

“So, had enough, eh? All right then, throw down your weapons, and I'll see that you're well-treated.” 

 

Goblin-           “Your mother is a fraggin' aardvark!”