The Dark Crystal / Labyrinth [DVD] [2010]

Of course, we all remember Jim Henson for bringing us those fuzzy, adorable animal puppets and their kooky variety show.

But Henson also produced some very memorable, intriguing fantasy films, full of otherworldly beauty, humor and a distinctly horrific note at times. This two-pack brings together the quirky, dreamlike coming-of-age tale "Labyrinth" and the exquisite, otherworldly, horrific "Dark Crystal," both of which were swimming with very unique Henson creations.

"Labyrinth" becomes a problem for teenage Sarah, who is stuck babysitting her crying baby stepbrother, but would prefer to stay in her romantic, fantastical daydreams instead. When she idly wished that the goblins would steal him, she never expected goblins to appear and snatch him away -- or that the Goblin King Jareth (David Bowie) would challenge her if she tries to get her brother back.

He gives Sarah thirteen hours to navigate a changing, hazardous maze, with Jareth's castle at the center of it -- and endless bizarre perils along the way. To find her way, she will have to befriend strange creatures and avoid lethal bogs, nasty fairies, head-jugglers, and finally the clever, eerie Jareth himself -- or her brother will be turned into a goblin as well.

"The Dark Crystal" is the heart of this movie, where on another world, there are two strange races that appeared one thouysand years ago -- the enormous, gentle, peaceful Mystics, and the nasty, vulture-like, vicious Skekses who ruin the surrounding lands. They are somehow connected to a massive crystal that was broken a thousand years ago, and now a shard is missing from it. What's more, three suns are about to come into conjunction, and the shard has to be back in place when that happens.

The Mystics have cared for one of the last Gelflings, an orphan named Jen whom they rescued from the insectile Garthim. As the conjunction approaches, they send him out to find the lost shard. Along the way, Jen gains the crystal shard for himself, and meets the only other living Gelfling, Kira. Now they must both evade the Skekses' Garthim henchmen and bat-winged spies, and somehow infiltrate their castle. But what will happen when the suns line up, and the crystal is completed?

Both "Labyrinth" and "Dark Crystal" are well-crafted, well-deserved classics, even though they are wildly different kinds of fantasy stories -- one is all about wanting to be swept into a fantasy world, and the other is about the perils of one such world. And they're coming-of-age stories, whether for a teenage girl or a Gelfling -- both focus on pursuing something that can save what is important to you.

But they are quite different in tone -- "Labyrinth" is goofier and a bit more childlike, with the fox chevalier and the bouncing heads among others. On the other hand, "Dark Crystal" aims at portraying a truly alien world, and Brian Froud's slightly weird designs make it seem so -- strange swamp reptiles, colorful anemones, vast crystalline castles, desiccated vulture-like creature, shrieking fuzzballs, and gorgeous forests full of strange plants and animals. Not to mention the abrasive, lumpy witch Aughra, who's an absolute riot.

Additionally, "Dark Crystal" also has the honor of being the first major movie to entirely star puppets, with nary a human being in sight -- some of those puppets still walk in a herky-jerky Muppet manner, but their design is utterly detailed and believable, from Jen's sort-of-human, fawnlike features to the vast four-armed Mystics, and the rattling armored Garthim soldiers. And the special effects end up being pretty spectacular, especially during the climax.

By comparison, "Labyrinth" has a few special effects snags, but it rarely detracts from the visual grandeur and creepiness of the maze. A then-teenaged Jennifer Connelly gives a solid, mature performance as a young girl whose reckless wish threw her in over her head, and David Bowie perfectly brings across the Goblin King's ruthlessness and chilliness, while also giving him a warmth and affection at times.

"Labyrinth" and "The Dark Crystal" are among the better fantasy movies ever made, and definitely among the most striking. Utterly fantastical and very endearing.

It was such a great idea combing these two great childrens films on one video. I remember watching them as a child and I still love them now as much as I did then! This video is great for a few hours of escapism from the real world!

One thing these two films share is a dark, rather adult core beneath a fantasy veneer, which makes them great viewing for adults as well as kids.

Labyrinth stars the wonderful David Bowie (who wears disturbingly tight trousers throughout), who also sings on the soundtrack. A Bowie soundtrack on a kids' film, how good is that? OK so the special effects are lame and the plot quite flimsy, but there are some lovely scenes, like Sarah's hallucination of the masquerade.

Dark Crystal is full of cute creatures and pretty landscapes, but it has an air of menace as well as sadness as two races die out; mortal enemies, they are inextricably linked, which makes the ending uplifting as well as poignant.

Rachel