You Review: Labyrinth

By Ashley Emert

Upon telling people I fell in love with David Bowie when I was little, after I saw the bizarre ‘80s film “Labyrinth,” they usually look confused or laugh at me.

I am unashamed of the fact that my favorite movie is a bizarre and obscure ‘80s movie. In the film, Bowie plays Jareth, the Goblin King, and a young Jennifer Connelly (who, oddly enough, never talks about the movie) plays Sarah, a whiny teen.

Sarah wishes for Jareth to take Toby, her toddler half-brother, away into his labyrinth kingdom. When he actually does, she gets angry. Jareth tells Sarah she has 13 hours to get through the labyrinth, or he’s going to keep Toby forever.

Let’s just say, you could practically make a drinking game out of this movie by taking a drink whenever Sarah screams, “It’s not fair!” You’ll probably be drunk in the first 15 minutes. And that state of mind might help you further appreciate the strange film.

Director Jim Henson created the cast of creatures that live in the labyrinth. Even though they are not as cute as Kermit, they are still remarkable.

Bowie truly gets into playing the Goblin King (and somehow also gets into the tights he wore). Oh – did I mention there are also some musical numbers?

If you’re thinking, “I saw that movie when I was little. It was weird and scary,” I ask you to watch it again. Maybe you were just frightened by Connelly’s bushy eyebrows.

In the meantime, I’ll be waiting for Bowie to show up at my door and whisk me away.