Coming a couple of years after the far more accomplished Dark Crystal this is relatively straight-forward but still a helluva lot more imaginative than any family movie of recent years. You could call it a modern fairy tale, but it's just not deep enough. And for a film called Labyrinth, it's strangely uncomplicated.
Jennifer Connelly (younger and prettier, though her acting is questionable) stars as Sarah, a teenager who bizarrely doesn't have a boyfriend and ends up living in her own fantasy world. Her dad and stepmother go out, leaving her to babysit her baby brother. Annoyed with his crying she utters a magical spell, wishing the goblins to take him away. Sure as sugar, the Goblin King himself (Tina Turner, oh sorry...I mean David Bowie) turns up and takes away the screaming tot.
In order to get him back she must solve 'The Labyrinth' (cue dramatic music) and reach the Goblin King's Castle within 13 hours. Along the way she meets new friends (of the Jim Henson variety) in the form of Hoggle the dwarf, big, hairy and cuddly Ludo and cute little fox Sir Didymus. It's pleasant enough entertainment but there are some serious problems.
The most serious of them all is David Bowie's attire. Most specifically, his trousers, they are a little revealing in the crotch department to make an understatement. You'll cringe, you'll avert your eyes, yet you'll be mesmerized. Come on, how could this have been allowed in a family movie. Plus, Trevor Jones' score is disappointingly unmagical and the filmmakers have given in to the urge to have David Bowie crank out some dreadfully 80's tunes that stagger the action and hold up the plot.
It's a shame to call Labyrinth nostalgic. But if it were made today it would be full of hollow CGI. There's something charming in practical effects and puppetry (or is that Muppetry?) that no computer graphic can generate. The photography and is stunning and it captures landscape and fantasy perfectly. And all those cute Jim Henson characters are far more interesting than any Hobbit.
Filmed in Panavision, the 2.35:1 anamorphic picture looks good. But not exceptionally so. Columbia are so hyped up over their Superbit releases. And that's fine when considering newer movies. But for a film like Labyrinth we really should have a brand new, hi-def remastering. THAT would have looked super. What we have however is just a good-looking movie. There's hardly any grain, no dirt (surprising considering the age of the print) and perfect colors.
Originally recorded in Dolby Stereo, the first DVD release was in 2.0 surround only. For this Superbit release Columbia have given us a full 5.1 track in Dolby Digital and DTS. How does it sound? Like 2.0 surround. There is hardly any deep bass. It's front speaker biased, with little or no surround use and there's practically no difference between the Dolby or DTS tracks. We could have been given a full 6.1 track with stronger remastering of the original sound elements. How cool would that be?
As this is a Superbit, there are no extras. The original DVD release had an hour long documentary on it. But this Superbit is only slightly better in quality, so it's up to you to decide which one you want. Also, there is a Collector's Edition which includes this version plus loads more.
Jennifer Connelly (younger and prettier, though her acting is questionable) stars as Sarah, a teenager who bizarrely doesn't have a boyfriend and ends up living in her own fantasy world. Her dad and stepmother go out, leaving her to babysit her baby brother. Annoyed with his crying she utters a magical spell, wishing the goblins to take him away. Sure as sugar, the Goblin King himself (Tina Turner, oh sorry...I mean David Bowie) turns up and takes away the screaming tot.
In order to get him back she must solve 'The Labyrinth' (cue dramatic music) and reach the Goblin King's Castle within 13 hours. Along the way she meets new friends (of the Jim Henson variety) in the form of Hoggle the dwarf, big, hairy and cuddly Ludo and cute little fox Sir Didymus. It's pleasant enough entertainment but there are some serious problems.
The most serious of them all is David Bowie's attire. Most specifically, his trousers, they are a little revealing in the crotch department to make an understatement. You'll cringe, you'll avert your eyes, yet you'll be mesmerized. Come on, how could this have been allowed in a family movie. Plus, Trevor Jones' score is disappointingly unmagical and the filmmakers have given in to the urge to have David Bowie crank out some dreadfully 80's tunes that stagger the action and hold up the plot.
It's a shame to call Labyrinth nostalgic. But if it were made today it would be full of hollow CGI. There's something charming in practical effects and puppetry (or is that Muppetry?) that no computer graphic can generate. The photography and is stunning and it captures landscape and fantasy perfectly. And all those cute Jim Henson characters are far more interesting than any Hobbit.
Filmed in Panavision, the 2.35:1 anamorphic picture looks good. But not exceptionally so. Columbia are so hyped up over their Superbit releases. And that's fine when considering newer movies. But for a film like Labyrinth we really should have a brand new, hi-def remastering. THAT would have looked super. What we have however is just a good-looking movie. There's hardly any grain, no dirt (surprising considering the age of the print) and perfect colors.
Originally recorded in Dolby Stereo, the first DVD release was in 2.0 surround only. For this Superbit release Columbia have given us a full 5.1 track in Dolby Digital and DTS. How does it sound? Like 2.0 surround. There is hardly any deep bass. It's front speaker biased, with little or no surround use and there's practically no difference between the Dolby or DTS tracks. We could have been given a full 6.1 track with stronger remastering of the original sound elements. How cool would that be?
As this is a Superbit, there are no extras. The original DVD release had an hour long documentary on it. But this Superbit is only slightly better in quality, so it's up to you to decide which one you want. Also, there is a Collector's Edition which includes this version plus loads more.