*Disclaimer: Contains spoilers
I told myself once that if I ever start writing about movies, Labyrinth would probably be the last movie I would ever want to write about. Whenever I find myself talking about it in the rare social situation, I always feel this unwarranted need to defend its outdatedness. I say unwarranted because it is by no means an ancient movie. It was released around thirty years ago and the actress of its main protagonist, Ms. Jennifer Connelly, looks just as young as ever.
Labyrinth isn't particularly hard to write about. The premise is simple. It is a modern fairytale (or as modern as the 80s get) of a girl who crosses a Goblin King's will and has to rescue her baby brother from his evil clutches before he turns poor Toby into one of his little goblin henchmen.
The movie itself feels like a time capsule more than anything. It is inherently 80s; in the way that it sounds, looks, and feels. With its synth laden score created by the legend David Bowie himself, its hard not to reminisce about a childhood in the 1980s that never was, since I myself was born in the late 90s. But ever since its release, I find that it is a movie that you had to have grown up with in order to fully appreciate. There is a certain nostalgia hidden in its shots that bleed through the screen with every step that Sarah takes. Within the scenes of the high moss-covered walls in the maze to the small brick houses of the Goblin City, each place feels known and familiar.
First time adult watchers can see it now and still appreciate it of course, especially fans of David Bowie. However, there is a certain je ne sais quoi to it that only people who first saw it as children can see. One can argue that any childhood movie probably elicits the same feeling from someone who grew up with them. The case, however, of Labyrinth's long-lasting fanbase is different.
I would say that Labyrinth is special in the way that it is simultaneously popular and obscure. I'm not sure of the case in America where it was widely released but as someone who grew up in an Asian country, it is definitely not a movie you would find in most households. However, if you are familiar with the movie, you see glimpses of it in popular media occasionally. I was recently absolutely delighted to see a reference on one of the Sims 4's loading screens pertaining to the iconic song, 'Dance, Magic, Dance'. One of its biggest influences in pop culture is the annual Labyrinth Masquerade Ball where fans from all over the world gather for a weekend to recreate the magical ballroom scene from Sarah's hallucinations in the forest. For it to be remembered to this extent, it can be said that its impact is clearly significant on the people that once saw themselves in that Labyrinth with Sarah.
I was once too young to appreciate Sarah's journey. I enjoyed the movie for its whimsy, but over the years I've grown to love it for its heroine and her transformation more than ever.
"That's the only way he could've gone," Sarah races up the steps but is momentarily interrupted by her friends following with "Well then, come on!"
She raises her arms to stop them, "No, no, I have to face him alone."
Sir Didymus' face falls, "But why?"
"Because that's the way it's done."
"Well," Sir Didymus says, "If that is the way it is done then that is the way you should do it. But ... Should you need us ..." He trails off.
Hoggle chimes in, "Yes, should you need us..."
"I'll call. Thank you, all of you." And with that, Sarah turns around and goes off to face the Goblin King.
Sarah goes through a hero's journey. Her own faults plunge her into a misadventure and she meets her supernatural friends along the way. She encounter helpers and mentors, while resisting the temptation that Jareth's powers provide in order to reach the Goblin City where her brother is held captive. Her initial belief, which threw her into the Labyrinth in the first place, is a recurring line throughout the movie: "It's not fair!"
However, her transformation reveals her first step to maturity. She is no longer a child living in an imagined fairytale. When she goes off alone to face Jareth, essentially she is saying "that's just the way is is," and she lets go of her complaints. Because adulthood is something to be faced. You can't always get what you want but you must confront the hand that you are dealt with. That's just the way it is.
As someone in her early 20s who is only starting her journey into adulthood, Labyrinth is a comfort movie. Ironically enough, it is an escape. Whenever life seems too tough, too unfair, I know that Hoggle and Ludo and Sir Didymus are just there waiting for me in the Labyrinth.
There is a review I once saw about Labyrinth that I absolutely love and relate to:
The movie feels outdated to me because it lives in my memories. It is attached to me growing up and feeling lost. It is part of what has kept and will keep me going. Because at the end of the day, I know that just like Sarah, I have to go back to reality with the knowledge that I have the strength to face whatever comes my way as long as I accept and confront it with the best that I have.