Cheap Labyrinth (Superbit Collection) (DVD) (David Bowie, Jennifer Connelly) (Jim Henson) Price

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Customer Reviews of Labyrinth (Superbit Collection)

Sarah, a teenager bored with her mundane life, lives in her own fantasy world. But when one of her fantasys comes to life, and she is face to face with the beautiful and frightening goblin king, is it really all she wished for? Can she solve the Labyrinth, save her little brother, and get home... and if she reaches the center, will she want to?

I have tried long and hard to think of words to describe this, but I don't think there are any. You can't put it into it's neat little slot. How would you classify it? Childrens movie? It has elements of one perhaps, but look deeper. Muppet movie? No quite there yet... The closest I can get to it is strange and haunting fantasy. It is suitable for all ages and yet it is still entertainment, pure and simple and wonderful. I am deeply in love with this movie, as you probably can tell. While other movies have come and gone as my favorites, this has survived the test of time. Look at the ratings. Are all these wonderful reviews just coincidence... or fate?

If you haven't seen it, you are missing out. Take some time, sit down, get comfy, and open your mind. Once you enter, you may not want to turn back.

The DVD could be better. The movie... hardly!
Wolfgang Petersen's 'The Neverending Story', Ridley Scott's 'Legend' and Jim Henson's 'Labyrinth' could very well be my Holy Trinity of fantasy films of the 1980's. All three of them set landmarks in the genre by showing great imagination and spectacular spirit of adventure. In the case of 'Labyrinth', a movie more intended for children would prove to be the most harsh of the three by touching a subject not very uncommon: stepping into adulthood and leaving infancy forever.

Jim Henson had already delighted us with his magnificent film 'The Dark Crystal'. In this movie, he shows once again why he's one of the best puppeteers of the world. Although there are many characters in the film, only two of them are played by human actors. The rest is all puppets. This was Jennifer Conelly's first big role, and she does quite a nice job. The brave, yet sometimes overconfident Sarah manages to capture our attention even when surrounded by all the puppets and artistry of the magical world she's in, but it's David Bowie, as the Goblin King, who gets the best of the movie in a scene-stealing role. His presence alone is astonishing, and even when he could seem a little rigid in his acting moments, he feels right at home during the musical numbers, showing us why he was the one and only option for the part. I hadn't watched the movie in over 10 years, and I still loved all the songs, specially the ballroom sequence, where Sarah and the Goblin King face each other in a masquerade where the two of them are the only ones unmasked. In fact, the only musical piece that I didn't like was 'Wild Gang', basically because it doesn't feature Bowie (and the special effects are pretty lame). As for Henson's work, all the puppets are magnificent and brilliant in detail. This is specially good in the big ones, like Ludo the beast, the Helping Hands and the big robot-like creature at the gates of the Goblin City. Adults with a less 'delicate' sense of humor will crack up with the Bog of Eternal Stench.

Unfortunately, once again, fans of a good film will feel betrayed with this edition: a poor presentation, an old documentary, absolutely no commentaries (one by Jennifer Connely and David Bowie would've been the greatest thing on Earth!!) and, worst of all, a mediocre transfer. There is basically no improvement over the VHS version, neither in picture quality nor sound. Bring me the head of the Lucasfilm executive who gave the OK on this paper-napkin edition! Being realistic, I don't think a Special Edition of 'Labyrinth' is planned in the near or far future, so you'll have to deal with this one. But in spite of all this, the movie continues to be one of my favorites, a fantasy classic nobody should miss.

Timeless magic
On its' release this little gem of a film was overlooked and not the hit it deserved to be.
The story centres around Sarah, a teenager, who resents her stepmother and Toby, her baby stepbrother and 'wishes' for the goblins to take him away. When they do Sarah finds herself journeying through the labyrinth of the goblin king (Bowie) in order to save him.
She befriends an assortment of creatures such as Hoggle, a grumpy dwarf type being and Ludo, a massive, hairy beast who has a gentle nature. They accompany and help Sarah on her way to the goblin king's castle where Toby is being held.
Jim Hensons workshop has worked it's usual magic and the film is littered with songs written and performed by David Bowie.
This film is pure entertainment for any age group, well worth watching.