Labyrinth
Let's be honest. If you saw this in the
'80s, you probably have fond memories of it. And rightfully so! It
was made back when F/X was done by hand, and Jim Henson was still
alive. Jennifer Connelly's girl-next-door looks were still a couple
of years away from maturing (as well as her acting), and David Bowie
could still chew up any scene regardless of dialog or story content.
'Tis a proper '80s fantasy movie if there ever was one....
However, this is REALLY a story about
how a spoiled little snowflake had one too many temper tantrums and
got the smack-down. Sure, her adventure teaches her to grow up a
little and not take things for granted, but that's the subtext of the
story and I got that in the first 10 minutes. For me, the imagery,
imagination, set design, and Bowie's hair garner for more attention.
That was the genius of Henson and all his collaborators. They
possessed a level of imagination you just don't see in CGI. While
it's true that most CGI is visually pleasing, it's also hollow,
overly clean, and lacking in depth. The art is pointless if it's
shallow and soulless.
Damn, you beat me to this. I always loved this movie . I saw it like 3 times in the theater (way back when you could actually afford to go to the movies). I have the soundtrack and everything.
ReplyDeleteIt was kind of creepy that The Goblin King was trying to mack on a a teenager girl, but I guess when you're likely hundreds (maybe thousands) of years old, it's hard not to be engaged in some kind of chronophilia.