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Labyrinth - Superbit Collection

With "Labyrinth," Jim Henson takes us back into the previously-explored territory of "The Dark Crystal" with an equally stunning array of vivid creature creations saddled with a lame, sub-par plot and weak characterization that falls flat on its face every step of the way. The story begins with an imaginative young girl named Sarah (a young Jennifer Connelly), who spends her afternoons daydreaming and wishing for a life filled with fantasy and adventure. She gets her wish when one night, she becomes fed up with her infant brother and pleads with the supposedly-imaginary goblins to take him away; soon after, Jareth (David Bowie), the king of a world infested with mystical beings and places, kidnaps the child, and Sarah must follow him back to his labyrinth and solve its mysteries before her brother becomes one of Jareth's goblins. ***

The story is pretty ho-hum, even for the standards of the fantasy genre; we've seen better before, in films like Wolfgang Petersen's "The Neverending Story," or Ron Howard's "Willow," released two years later in 1988. Again, Henson's craft is put to good use here on a visual level, with such inventive settings as the Bog of Eternal Stench, or the numerous goblins and animals that Sarah encounters on her journey. But we never really care for the characters, especially Sarah: in fact, she quickly becomes annoying and shrill, and Connelly buries the whole coming-of-age concept in an unconvincing performance that is forced and painful. And why, why oh why, does David Bowie have to sing as well? Is he not weird enough, people? I'm sure there are those out there with fond memories of "Labyrinth;" I'll be lucky if I don't suffer from constant nightmares for the rest of my waning days.

As with "Dark Crystal," this new Superbit transfer for "Labyrinth" has the upper hand over the previous 1999 edition. The overall picture looks cleaner, free of the dirt and scratches from the source print, and exhibiting almost no signs of artifacts or pixelization. Colors are very good, well-saturated with accurate fleshtones and rich, solid blacks throughout. Contrast is in fine shape with no flaws to speak of, and shadow detail is at its best during the entire presentation. Edges are flawlessly sharp and small object detail exquisite, and while some enhancement halos are present, they are almost always insignificant. A gorgeous picture! ***

Again, however, the DTS and Dolby Digital 5.1 audio tracks are marred by the age of the original source. Once more we have a pair of soundtracks that are marked by a compressed feel, making for some rather indistinct trappings on the track in the way of effects and placement. Surrounds are subtle with the average effect every now and then, while most of the front end is discernable but largely unimpressive. Dialogue sounds clean and natural, while deep bass presents itself in a few instances as a low rumble to accompany some of the onscreen proceedings. Not much of a comparison is needed between the two tracks, as they both exhibit the same ups and downs. --