’80s Fantasy Classic On Tubi Stars Musical Legend
There’s a weirdly persistent online joke that our world has only been getting worse since David Bowie died. To use the Deadpool & Wolverine parlance, he was our anchor being, and his death in 2016 ultimately unleashed the horrors of 2020 and beyond. There’s not much substance to the joke, but it does touch on our collective nostalgia; a need to remember both Bowie and the peaceful bliss of days long past. And if you love this musical legend and scratching the itch of nostalgia, here’s great news: his quirky fantasy classic Labyrinth is now streaming for free on Tubi.
Labyrinth On Tubi
Those scoping out Labyrinth for the first time on Tubi are sure to be enchanted by this tale of a teen girl who really loves an in-universe fantasy book called The Labyrinth. When the half-brother she is supposed to babysit gets a little too annoying, she makes the mistake of wishing that the goblins she has been reading about would come and take the tiny tyke away. When real goblins come and actually abscond with the kid, their King gives the teen a mere 13 hours to solve the titular labyrinth, or the brother she thought so monstrous will be forever transformed into a fearsome goblin.
Labyrinth has the kind of amazing cast you don’t normally associate with films on Tubi, including Shelley Thompson (best known for her role in Trailer Park Boys) as the teen’s overbearing stepmother. The teen, meanwhile, is played by ‘80s icon Jennifer Connelly, the Academy Award-winning actor who has starred in heavy films like Requiem for a Dream and A Beautiful Mind as well as more populist fare like Top Gun: Maverick. But for many, the real star of the show is musical icon David Bowie, whose performance as Jareth the Goblin King includes lively songs written explicitly for the movie.
Lots Of Jim Henson Puppets
One of the reasons that Labyrynth has so few actors onscreen is that the movie is, like the popular TV show Farscape (also currently streaming on Tubi), filled with colorful creatures designed by Jim Henson. In fact, the Muppet master directed the film, and Star Wars guru George Lucas served as the executive producer. Their combined genre expertise helped bring this fantasy world to startling life, and it is a particular testament to Henson’s skills that all of these creatures and their effects hold up so well decades after the release of this 1986 film.
While Labyrinth has been impressing audiences on Tubi, it didn’t create quite the same splash when it was released, especially relative to its budget. The movie ultimately earned $34 million against a budget of $25 million, and while it technically made a profit, this was considered a very poor box office, especially for a movie with the weight of both Henson and Lucas behind it. Fortunately, the movie later found immense success on home video, and it has become a staple of fantasy filmmaking for movie nerds who love sorcery more than swords.
A True Cult Classic
It may have taken general audiences a while to warm up to Labyrynth, but the movie cast its spell on critics right away. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a 77 percent critical rating, with critics generally praising the movie’s fantastic visuals and the peerless imagination of director Jim Henson. The movie also has an even more impressive 86 percent rating from audiences via the Popcornmeter, proving that this is one fantasy film that has successfully cast its spell on almost everyone who has seen it.
LABYRINTH REVIEW SCORE
Will you find Labyrinth just as enchanting when you watch it on Tubi, or is this one film you’d rather see turned into a goblin? You won’t know until you spend an evening under Jareth’s spell. Sure, that won’t be enough to bring Bowie back, but it might do the next best thing: give you a taste of simpler days and the warm nostalgia that only the ‘80s can truly offer.
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