Labyrinth (PG, 1986)

Sarah (Jennifer Connelly, A Beautiful Mind) is a modern teenager steeped in medieval fantasy lore, who doesn't like babysitting her tiny stepbrother Toby. One day she wishes that goblins would take him away. Jareth (David Bowie), the Goblin King, hears this and does exactly that, kidnapping the tyke into his otherworldly realm. Sarah immediately regrets her wish, but Jareth says she can regain Toby only by finding his castle, perched in the center of an immense labyrinth. While exploring the labyrinth, Sarah meets an assortment of puzzles, perils, and semi-comical creatures. Some monsters, like an apelike giant called Ludo, are friendly, while others are under Jareth's control, ordered to thwart Sarah.

Sound like a funky version of Alice in Wonderland? It is. And that's where its fun lies. Labyrinth bursts with imagination and playful weirdness in a way that's both delightful and a little too far-out. LABYRINTH showcases the artistry of Jim Henson, and features some of his most complex Muppets. Beyond Muppets, director Henson turns a simple collection of human hands into a lively and expressive wall of faces when Sarah stumbles across their lair.

This is puppetry at its finest, and the filmmakers ensure that none of the monsters are too monstrous, but always impressive. One massive, sword-wielding creature turns out to be just a robot with a silly little goblin perched in its cockpit helmet. The plot isn't quite up to the visuals. It meanders as much as Sarah does, and leads up to a final face-off with the Goblin King that's a confused fizzle.