Unless you hate David Bowie or something, this superb fantasy-adventure flick should join the ranks of "The NeverEnding Story" and possibly "The Princess Bride" as among the greatest adventure/fantasies for kids. Fans ought to be thrilled that Bowie wrote and performs some original songs in this film (and speaking strictly as a fan, they're quite decent ones). The highly entertaining plot revolves around a girl (Jennifer Connelly) who jokingly wishes for her baby brother to be abducted by the goblins - and lo and behold, the goblins come and take him away! She must get to the castle before it's too late, when the goblin king (Bowie) will turn her brother into a goblin. However, the castle is in the center of a giant labyrinth - a maze of sorts where nothing is as it seems. I loved this movie from start to finish. I would hope for a more understandable plot, but it was fun to watch, Bowie was great, and I left marvelously entertained. Will definitely watch it again. A very strong B+. And this is the type of intelligent film that older children should watch above other things.
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Starring:
David Bowie, Jennifer Connelly, Toby Froud, Shelley Thompson, Christopher Malcolm, Natalie Finland, Shari Weiser, Brian Henson, Ron Mueck, Rob Mills, Dave Goeltz
Directed by:
Jim Henson
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1986 fantasy/adventure
Rated PG
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Don Ignacio's score: B+