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After impulsively wishing her baby brother away, a teenaged girl must brave a dangerous labyrinth and rescue the tot from a nefarious Goblin King in Labyrinth, the product of a bizarre but winning combination of creative talents. Director Jim Henson reunites with Dark Crystal conceptual designer Brian Froud for a comic fantasy adventure scripted by Monty Python’s Terry Jones. The movie is further energized by singer David Bowie, who plays the villainous Goblin King and wrote several catchy tunes for the film. These disparate forces, which also include producer George Lucas, could have been the recipe for disaster, but Labyrinth works — it’s musical, it’s magical, it’s highly imaginative, and it’s a lot of fun. 

Future Oscar-winner Jennifer Connelly (A Beautiful Mind) plays the bratty teen. Apart from Connelly and Bowie, nearly all the other characters in the movie are impressive puppet creations from Jim Henson’s Creature Shop. But don’t think Labyrinth is all kiddie fare. There’s some interesting sexual subtext to sink your teeth into. Consider the relationship between Bowie’s Goblin King and Connelly’s character, a 15-year old on the cusp of womanhood. They’re definitely adversaries, but they’re also attracted to each other. In the middle of the movie there’s a gorgeous ballroom masquerade where the two characters play out their romantic tension to one of Bowie’s songs. Connelly runs away from his advances, only to confront them again in the movie’s climax, where Bowie begs her, “Fear me.  Love me.  Do as I say, and I’ll be your slave forever.” Pretty kinky for a puppet show.