Monday, January 11, 2016

Labyrinth (1986)

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It occurs to me that due to the recent loss of a very talented icon, the time has come for me to talk about Labyrinth. From what I can remember, the way I was first introduced to the late, great David Bowie wasn't through his music. It was through this movie. Make no mistake, I did find some of his music later (I personally love the song Space Oddity). To this day, I feel that Labyrinth is still a wonder in practical special effects. The puppet work done by Jim Henson and Jim Henson Studios is just incredible. The designs on the creatures in the fantasy world are bizarre and memorable. The same could easily be said of the look of said fantasy world. The production design is incredible, as is the makeup and the costume design. The one flaw I honestly have with the movie is the main character played by Jennifer Connelly (who I'll admit I'm not the biggest fan of as an actress). It's not so much that I think she's a bad character as it is that she's just kind of bland, and, in my opinion, Connelly plays her kind of bland. Connelly and her character seems to just blend into the background for me when I compare her to everything else in the movie absolutely loved, especially David Bowie. I think this movie is a great example of the saying "a movie's only as strong as it's villain." This is a very good movie that I feel is amplified by Bowie's charisma and strong screen presence, making for a fantastic performance as the villainous Goblin King. If you've yet to see this classic, I absolutely believe that it's worth a watch.

9 / 10 

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