Labyrinth shouldn't have been anywhere near as brilliantly entertaining as it actually is, given that it's a musical featuring Jim Henson puppets, and features a plot about a young girl trying to rescue her baby brother from the clutches of David Bowie. And yet there is something so irresistible about Labyrinth that it's almost impossible to not get caught up in its trappings. Everything here borders on the ridiculous, as Jennifer Connelly ventures into a gigantic maze, dodges booby traps, and flirts with Bowie's Goblin King Jareth, all set to one mighty soundtrack. Yes, Bowie wrote the featured songs, and yes, they'll stay stuck in your head for days. As a fantasy flick, though, Labyrinth is never anything but a blast - the pace never slows down, the sets and costumes are astounding, and the puppet work never better. Not to forget the fact that the movie features a relentless slew of brilliantly memorable characters, such as Hoggle and Sir Didymus (legendary). If it's a little campy, well... that just adds to the charm of the movie - one which never grow tiresome, and ultimately stands as the best puppet movie ever.
Sam Hill is an ardent cinephile and has been writing about film professionally since 2008. He harbours a particular fondness for western and sci-fi movies.
