Quartile rating: 7.5/10 · 1 rating
Frustrated with babysitting on yet another weekend night, Sarah, a teenager with an active imagination, summons the Goblins to take her baby stepbrother away. When little Toby actually disappears, Sarah must follow him into a fantastical world to rescue him from the Goblin King. Guarding his castle is the labyrinth itself, a twisted maze of deception, populated with outrageous characters and unknown dangers.
Labyrinth is a singular feat of practical creature design and imaginative world-building — Jim Henson's puppetry and Brian Froud's art direction create a genuinely one-of-a-kind visual universe that earns top marks for Cinematography and Novelty. Bowie's Jareth is iconic and Jennifer Connelly holds her own, but the acting overall is serviceable rather than exceptional. The plot is a fairly straightforward hero's journey rescue quest with charming encounters along the way but no great structural sophistication. The ending, while emotionally satisfying on a surface level, resolves too quickly and neatly — Sarah's realization that she has 'the power' feels rushed and underearned, leaving the film's thematic ambitions slightly unfulfilled.