David Bowie’s Most Iconic Role Now Part Of Hulu Collection
The 1980s were a fantastical time when people were rocking shoulder pads, leg warmers, and parachute pants while listening to metal and glam rock. And although all those rock stars were living the dream, there was one man who was having a particularly wonderful decade. Now, Hulu subscribers can better understand why the ‘80s were one of the best decades of David Bowie’s life, as Labyrinth is currently streaming.
One Of The Best Movies Of The 80s
Every decade has at least one musical cult classic, and we’d argue that, for the ‘80s, it was hands-down the Jim Henson-directed, David Bowie-led Labyrinth. The movie is a full-on trippy spectacle of puppetry and pop songs in which the glam rock superstar co-stars alongside Jennifer Connelly (Requiem for a Dream) in one of the actress’s very first roles.
Not only do the two leading stars blow the roof off performance-wise, but the impressive work done by Jim Henson’s Creature Shop adds an entirely extra layer of awesomeness to this legendary piece of cinema.
The Babe With The Power
David Bowie stars in Labyrinth as Jareth, the Goblin King, who has absconded with a baby into his maze. To be honest, yes, it is as weird as it sounds, but somehow, this was a children’s movie. Essentially, Jennifer Connelly’s Sarah was sick of having her baby brother around, so she wished him away.
Happy to oblige her wishes, Jareth snatches him up, and the rest of the movie centers around Sarah dashing through the labyrinth and trying to reclaim her missing sibling.
Bowie At His Most Impressive
Along the way, Sarah is accompanied by two puppet companions, Hoggle (Brian Henson) and Ludo (Ron Mueck), who assist her in her travels. The trio comes into contact with an array of different friends and foes throughout their quest, including wacky characters like the Junk Lady and the Bog Men. The creative team certainly used every ounce of David Bowie that they had (if you know, you know) by incorporating plenty of toe-tapping songs into every second of Labyrinth.
Box Office Disappointment To Timeless Classic
Shockingly, even David Bowie couldn’t entice audiences to go to their local theater to watch Labyrinth as the movie was a financial bust. Against its $25 million production budget, Jim Henson’s musical fantasy flick only managed to earn $34 million at the box office. Still, its legacy continued to pass from generation to generation, with the film now considered to be an iconic piece of cinema.
A Jim Henson Film
As mentioned, Jim Henson’s Creature Shop was the puppet company behind David Bowie’s kingdom of goblins in Labyrinth, marking the second time the team worked on a film following 1982’s dark fantasy flick, The Dark Crystal.
The company has since gone on to facilitate puppetry on other titles like The Storyteller, Muppet Treasure Island, Five Nights at Freddy’s, and more. Iconic Star Wars creator George Lucas also had a hand in Labyrinth as the movie’s executive producer.
Now Streaming On Hulu
By the time David Bowie danced onto screens in Labyrinth, the pop star had already crossed over into the world of cinema with other titles like The Man Who Fell to Earth and Into the Night. The actor would chase his role as the Goblin King with a turn in Martin Scorsese’s The Passion of the Christ and go on to become a part of the Twin Peaks universe in David Lynch’s 1992 flick, Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me.
You can honor David Bowie’s impressive legacy by heading to Hulu to stream Labyrinth.
