The blueprint for "Labyrinth" is almost identical to "Captain EO": take an insanely charismatic pop performer (this time David Bowie), partner him with a visionary filmmaker (Jim Henson) and wrap the whole thing up in a fantasy that combined contemporary music with an otherworldly location. But whereas "Captain EO" had millions of viewers, guaranteed, each and every day, nobody really showed up to "Labyrinth." The movie is endlessly charming (and "Strange Magic" Gary Rydstrom has cited it as a chief influence) but overly long and sometimes way too dark. In the great Jim Henson biography from a couple of years ago, there are terrific stories about Mike Nichols collaborator Elaine May working fiendishly to corral a number of scripts (including one by Monty Python album Terry Jones) into something that could be feasibly filmed. The movie always seems to be going a number of different directions at the same time, with its fantastical medieval setting and David Bowie songs and young Jennifer Connelly searching for her missing baby brother.
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