A cult film that isn't afraid to revel in its magical setting, "Labyrinth" is far from your typical romp through the realm of fantasy. Featuring masterful puppetry from the brilliant Jim Henson and an antagonist played by a certain eccentric English singer, just about every frame of this classic is unmistakably '80s.
Teenage Sarah (Jennifer Connelly) is entirely fed up with her baby step-brother Toby (Toby Froud). When she is watching him one night, she finds Toby holding her cherished teddy bear, and at her wit's end due to his constant crying, she wishes for him to be taken away by the Goblin King. Whether or not she actually anticipated Jareth (David Bowie) appearing in her room to follow through on her wish, though, we aren't sure. After begging for a chance to undo the damage she caused, Jareth offers Sarah one opportunity to free her baby brother from his clutches. There's just one catch: Her journey will take her through Jareth's treacherous labyrinth, a maze filled with traps, puzzles, and numerous bizarre creatures. To make matters worse, she's given a time limit of 13 hours to finish the daunting challenge, at the end of which, Toby will be whisked away to the realm of goblins for good.
Though it doesn't have the same "group of kids going on an adventure" dynamic that we all loved in "The Goonies," "Labyrinth" more than makes up for this by having Sarah encounter a truly wacky cast of characters along her perilous journey, from the lumbering Ludo and the permanently grouchy dwarf Hoggle, to the irrepressible Sir Didymus. Also, any movie in which David Bowie breaks into a song and dance routine with a legion of puppets at his side is a must-watch for us.
