The Movie

There are very few movies that exist that I can watch over and over and over again on a regular basis. This is because I simply get tired of them (even the ones I really like) after a while. However some movies give me great comfort no matter how many times I view them. This comfort comes not so much from the movie itself, but from the feelings and memories it reminds me of. For me, the Labyrinth is the pinnacle example of one of these movies.

Labyrinth is the brainchild of Terry Jones, (of Monty Python fame) who wrote the screenplay, and is brilliantly brought to us by Jim Henson and George Lucas. This is a fantastic gothic fantasy that is unfortunately overshadowed by Henson's earlier, more popular film, The Dark Crystal. It's not hard to see why Labyrinth seems to be more of an acquired taste, rather than a beloved classic fairytale, like The Dark Crystal. For starters, here you see muppets that are cutesy, rather than realistically creepy. Next you've got humor. Humor is always subjective, so unless you think this kind of wacky humor is funny, you'll probably dislike the film. Then you've got David Bowie playing the villain. I think this ruins it for a lot of people. Sure, he wears some freaky tight fitting spandex pants and runs around with psychotic eyebrows and Tina Turner hair, but he's just so perfect for this part. I cannot imagine anyone playing this part better than him. Many people hated the fact that this movie is somewhat of a musical, and that Bowie wrote and performed all of the songs. But for me, that is one of the things I loved most about this movie. I love every single song, and I'm positive I wouldn't like the movie as much if they weren't included.

Labyrinth is the kind of movie that doesn't follow any rules. Anything can happen, and at times everything does happen. And as crazy as this movie seems, it all works out brilliantly in the end. The plot is simple, yet highly imaginative. Sarah, a recluse, bratty teenage girl (Jennifer Connelly) has had enough of her annoying baby brother, and unwittingly wishes for the fictional Goblin King (David Bowie) to come take him away. The Goblin King grants her wish, and takes her brother prisoner to his castle that lies in the center of a gigantic Labyrinth. Sarah panics at the loss of her brother, and is told she has only 13 hours to solve the Labyrinth and find her baby brother before he becomes a permanent fixture in the Goblin clan. Cocky and full of herself, she sets off to make it safely through the maze. Along the way she makes several friends, like Hoggle, a troll looking dwarf who secretly wants to foil her quest, and Ludo, a giant hairy monster whom is gentle and can summon rocks with his cry, and Sir Didymus, a hilarious fox-like creature who is more brave than tactical. The Labyrinth forces Sarah to solve many puzzles and tests of wit on her journey, and only through the power of friendship and humility, does she make it to her destination - the Goblin City.

This movie was brilliantly cast, for as young as Connelly is during the making of this movie, it's easy to spot her impending greatness. You can see it more in her eyes and her expressions than in her spoken words. I just knew back then that she was destined for better things, and I guess an Academy Award in 2002 proved me right. In addition to the human actors, all the muppet creatures in this movie are simply uproarious. All the voices are classic Henson, but it's the sidesplitting script by Terry Jones that really gives them life.

Okay, now onto the meat. Does this movie live up to the Superbit name? Thankfully, my answer is a resounding yes. The improvement in video quality is significantly better then The Dark Crystal - Superbit title that I previously reviewed. Also, here you're not losing out on as many special features as you are with the original version of The Dark Crystal. However the original Labyrinth release has a fantastic 60-minute documentary that is a must-see for any fan of this movie. Overall, this is a worthy upgrade, but again, if you have the original release, I'd keep it for the documentary alone.

The DVD

Video: Labyrinth is presented in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen. Considering this movie was made back in 1984, this movie looks pretty darn good. We still have the usual streaks, spots, and black marks on the final print, but aside from that, the picture is clean and sharp. There is a touch of graininess present, but it's not as bad as The Dark Crystal - Superbit. The increased bit rate did wonders for this movie, as it looks significantly better than the original release. Again, people with small TV's will probably have a harder time noticing a dramatic difference, but even they should be able to make out that the overall product looks nicer.

Audio: Like all Superbit titles, we get a Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS audio track. Both tracks sound nearly identical to each other, but you may have better luck with the Dolby Digital track syncing up with the actors. I found that the DTS track almost every time was out of sync with the actors. It's possible that my DVD player might be having problems with the flagging of this audio track, so I mention this just as something to look out for. I had no problems with audio syncing with the Dolby track.

For the most part, the audio quality is very similar to that of The Dark Crystal - Superbit. Deep bass is almost non-existent, and there is a slight fuzzy distortion sound present in all of the speakers. However, the upper sound range seemed to be crisper than that of The Dark Crystal - Superbit.

In terms of the original Labyrinth release, these audio tracks sound much better. The original gave only a Dolby Digital 2.0 track, so already we're receiving more separation then what we've had before. The original track sounded harsh, and deeply compressed, whereas the new 5.1 and DTS tracks have more room to breath with the increased bandwidth. This Superbit version definitely sounds better than the original, although it would have been almost impossible to sound worse.

Extras: Superbit DVD's utilize all disc space for the sole purpose of video and audio at the cost of losing the space normally reserved for extra features. This ensures the highest possible quality for picture and sound currently available on the DVD format.


Final Thoughts

Like The Dark Crystal, Labyrinth is one of my top-10 favorite movies of all time. (Wow, two Jim Henson movies in my top-10. Must be the muppets) I can watch this movie almost on a daily basis and not get tired of it. I love the story, the characters, the songs, and the message that it tells. It's a fun movie that really deserves more attention then it receives.

People who want an improvement in video quality to their original release of Labyrinth can feel confident that this Superbit release does deliver. The sound is also a great improvement over the original, but don't expect a rockin' DTS audio track here. Overall, this is a magical movie that both children and adults alike can deeply enjoy. Highly Recommended