What happens when the Muppets meet M.C. Escher? Apparently, you get Labyrinth.
The film is Jim Henson's classic 1986 take on the fairytale. 15-year-old Sarah (Jennifer Connelly) is babysitting her little brother one night when she grows tired of his crying. In a fit of resentment, she wishes the Goblin King will come and take him away. Her dream becomes reality when goblins kidnap the boy, and she unexpectedly finds herself missing him. So she sets off to find him, though Jareth (the Goblin King, played by David Bowie) warns her that she only has 13 hours before her brother becomes one of them. To find Toby, she must reach the center of the fantastical labyrinth in which Jareth has imprisoned him. The Labyrinth, though, is filled with strange creatures and mind-boggling puzzles, where "left" really means "right" and things aren't "fair" and Sarah must learn not to take things for granted (like Toby, perhaps?).
Sure, the film's got good life lessons: Be nice to your stepmother, don't take anything for granted, be careful what you wish for. But let's be honest; the best part of Labyrinth is definitely David Bowie's hair. Look at it! It deserves its own space in the end credits. And it makes it at least a little more difficult to take Bowie, who is 23 years Connelly's senior, seriously when he hits on her in the final scene. ("I ask for so little. Just fear me, love me, do as I say and I will be your slave.") Still, it's a cult classic and a fabulous example of puppetry that everyone should see at least once.
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