Labyrinth is still a blast 31 years later, thanks to David Bowie and Jim Henson

Perhaps the most interesting thing is to look at a movie like Labyrinth when we live in a world of realer-than-real CGI. If you grabbed someone from the past and put them in front of Avengers: Age of Ultron, they’d believe we’d mastered the technology for jet packs and flight suits. And what’s really mind-blowing is just how commonplace that is. Even serial TV shows like The Flash can add relatively convincing computer effects into a television-sized budget. But we’re so used to these effects that, despite how real they look, they never feel real.

Every inch of Labyrinth, in comparison, has been touched by a human hand. Nothing in the movie is perfect, and therein lies its perfection. Everything feels real by dint of seeming lived-in and well-worn. Every Jim Henson-built character feels like a person more than an effect. Hornswoggle, for example, doesn’t feel like a Muppet, even as I go back and look at pictures of the suit standing in museums and read about the process of puppeteering the suit to help make the movie.

Every set is memorable, and so is every character design. Even after a single viewing of the movie, I feel like some of the characters are burned into my imagination. The weirdly haunting Fierys, the friendly Ludo, and of course Higgle, are all deeply memorable characters.

Ringing in my ears

And as much as the visuals of Labyrinth matter, so do the audio and script. First and foremost, Labyrinth is an immensely quotable movie, on the level as other nerd classics like Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Princess Bride, and Army of Darkness. The screenplay for Labyrinth, it’s worth noting, was written by Monty Python alum Terry Jones, so that’s hardly surprising. But these incredibly quotable lines mean that the movie rings back and forth between fans of the movie, keeping it alive long after it would’ve otherwise died.

Otherworldly memories

Labyrinth has something lots of 1980s fantasy movies had that few movies since have managed to replicate. It feels truly otherworldly. When the movie shifts from Sarah’s bland home to the Goblin King’s kingdom, it feels like a huge shift. It’s jarring and discomforting.

Every scene is packed full of places and things that, at a glance, feel like they could be explored if only the camera would linger a bit longer, if only Sarah would go the other way. Things are hinted at that the movie doesn’t get a chance to explore.

The soundtrack, too, contributes to this. David Bowie made huge contributions to the soundtrack, and his voice alone lends a feeling of otherworldliness. That’s just David Bowie.

It’s worth noting here, too, that Bowie had originally planned to be an actor, and has a whole list of legitimate acting credits behind him. This isn’t a prestige appearance like we so often see with rock stars in movies and tv shows. He plays a character and fully inhabits it. For all the jokes about David Bowie’s package being a credited co-star, Bowie brings a serious presence to the film and an intensity to the Goblin King Jareth. Bowie was making weird, spooky, and unique stuff until his very last days, and his part in Labyrinth is no exception.

Article source: https://www.technobuffalo.com/2017/07/30/labyrinth-31-years-later-jim-henson-david-bowie/