History YMMV / LABYRINTH

* VindicatedByCable: The movie was a huge flop in 1986, a time when family-oriented films generally struggled to find audiences, despite several extremely positive reviews. Once it hit [=VHS=] and cable, its fandom grew to the point that it's one of rights-holder Sony's most popular films on [=DVD=].

* AlternateAesopInterpretation: The moral of the story is obviously about letting go of one's childhood. Not to mention that LifeIsntFair and complaining won't help your situation. However, fans seem to think there's something else there. Most fans seem to think it's about the one-sided love story around Jareth and Sarah. A lot of people have created fan works dedicated to this "romantic" movie. When you watch it, what really comes to mind? Do you view this as a man trying to make the girl he loves happy, but is constantly rejected? Or do you view this as a young girl trying to fix a mistake she made and growing up during her journey?

** What about Jareth? Is he a tragic villain who wants a family of his own or is he a ManipulativeBastard who was bored and wanted to mess with Sarah? Or is he just one of the FairFolk, acting according to the BlueAndOrangeMorality of being a faerie king? Or was his villainy just a facade to teach Sarah a lesson?
* AngstWhatAngst: Sarah deals with TheReveal that goblins are real, her brother's been kidnapped by them, ''and'' that [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking David Bowie is in her house]] with remarkable aplomb, and almost immediately after all this seems to view her necessity for solving the labyrinth as a mildly annoying household chore she can't get out of. Either this is [[FridgeBrilliance a brilliant statement on it all being her imagination as she sits around the house bored]] or Jennifer Connelly thought her character should handle it as an UnusuallyUninterestingSight.

* BestKnownForTheFanservice: In this case, "Best Known For David Bowie's Pants". They probably exaggerate a little, but this is ''the'' reason most anyone remembers this movie if they aren't part of the fanbase. Either that or Creator/JenniferConnelly looking very nice in that white princess dress she wears at the beginning. Or the PimpedOutDress from the ball scene later.
* BigLippedAlligatorMoment: The Fireys' scene (though there was a ''very'' small reference to it beforehand, it was still unimportant to the plot). [[note]]Alternatively, it is about adolescence -- a VillainSong and HakunaMatata rolled into one.[[/note]]

* CultClassic: The film grossed $12.7 million on a $25 million budget and was savaged by critics, but has since gained this status. Also it has something to do with Music/DavidBowie.
* DracoInLeatherPants: Jareth stole a baby, tried to bribe its older sister into forgetting about it, and tried to stop her numerous times when she went into the Labyrinth to rescue it, but you'll be hard pressed to find any fangirl who acknowledges that (or, for that matter, anyone who doesn't treat the FoeYay subtext as canonical). He's a DracoInLeatherPants in the movie, too; VERY tight leather pants!
* EvilIsCool: The bad guy is David Bowie and he has an army of AdorableEvilMinions, what's not to love there??
* EvilIsSexy: The words 'David Bowie' have already appeared many times on this page, so let us just add this: David Bowie. (David Bowie.)[[note]] David Bowie[[/note]]

** Jareth apparently having the hots for 16-year-old Sarah, since, shortly after Bowie's death, accusations of him sleeping with underaged groupies resurfaced.
*** Although this is not so much of an awkward and unfortunate problem in Bowie's native UK, where the age of consent is 16.
** The above point ends up tying into another case of this as well regarding the movie's production. Before Bowie was picked for the role, one of the musicians considered was Music/MichaelJackson, who himself would be accused of molesting underage teenage boys three times in the proceeding decades. While a 2005 trial by jury and a decade-long FBI investigation would eventually exonerate Jackson, it's widely agreed upon that had he actually taken up the role of Jareth, it might've been even more difficult for him to tackle the molestation claims. What's more, the fact that the third round of accusations occurred well after said trial and investigation faded from the public consciousness makes this point of trivia even more awkward to deal with.

* {{Narm}}: Those who aren't turned on by Bowie's costume choices is laughing at it instead. [[TakeaThirdOption Or probably both]].

* NarmCharm: Jareth's pants are chuckle-worthy, but they're so ingrained with him that it won't be Jareth without them.

** Sarah is a frustrated, insecure fifteen year old whose stepmom she already has a mutually difficult time relating to acts as though Sarah doesn't deserve respect for not dating. This can be painful to see if you were in the same boat as a teen.

* WTHCostumingDepartment: What is with all Jareth's costumes? Pragmatism. He's played by Music/DavidBowie. Bear in mind that before ''Film/TheLordOfTheRings'' shattered the Fantasy Movie Ghetto Age, directors and writers of fantasy movies were desperate for any PeripheryDemographic they could find. {{Squee}}ing {{Fangirl}}s were willing to pay to see David Bowie in tights. Also, it sort of went with David Bowie's style. If you're going to cast David Bowie, may as well use him in a way you know works.
** Funnily enough, Jareth's outfits were ''tamer'' than Bowie's usual stage attire.

!! The Movie

* MagnificentBastard: Jareth the Goblin King is a charismatic, manipulative goblin expertly played by Creator/DavidBowie. First summoned by heroine Sarah, Jareth kidnaps her baby brother to lure her to him, spending the film manipulating the rest of the cast and tricking Sarah into eating an enchanted peach to make her more susceptible to his influence. Jareth shows a genuine care for Sarah, even if he is not above ruthlessly manipulating her and everyone else in the film, but never loses his sense of charm, flamboyance and friendliness, who even seems to care for the child he kidnaps upon her sister's rash wish.

* MagnificentBastard: Jareth the Goblin King is a charismatic, manipulative goblin expertly played by Creator/DavidBowie. First summoned by TheHeroine Sarah, Jareth kidnaps her baby brother to lure her to him, spending the film manipulating the rest of the cast and tricking Sarah into eating an enchanted peach to make her more susceptible to his influence. Jareth shows a genuine care for Sarah, even if he is not above ruthlessly manipulating her and everyone else in the film, but never loses his sense of charm, flamboyance and friendliness, who even seems to care for the child he kidnaps upon her sister's rash wish.

* SoBadItsGood: Not the movie itself, which is a cult classic on its own. But Jennifer Connelly's acting requires either very thick nostalgia goggles or an appreciation for the {{camp}} value of her breathless, melodramatic performance. Connelly herself claims to have never watched the film due to how embarrassed she is by it.
* {{Tearjerker}}:

** The owl at the beginning may have been a step forward for CGI back then. But it looks terribly laughable nowadays.

** What about Jareth? Is he a tragic villain who wants a family of his own or is he a ManipulativeBastard who was bored and wanted to mess with Sarah? Or is he just one of the FairFolk, acting according to the BlueAndOrangeMorality of being a faerie king? Or was his villainy just a JerkassFacade to teach Sarah a lesson?

** Sarah is a frustrated, insecure 15 year old whose stepmom she already has a mutually difficult time relating to acts as though Sarah doesn't deserve respect for not dating. This can be painful to see if you were in the same boat as a teen.

* TheScrappy: Whether it's their [[BigLippedAlligatorMoment random dance number]], their [[SpecialEffectsFailure awful Blue Screen]], or just how [[BodyHorror creepy they are]], ''no one'' seems to like the Fireys.

** Is this troper the only one who actually LIKES the Fire Gang? It doesn't hurt that their song slaps. Lindsay, I love you, but you're objectively wrong about this.

* EarWorm: Dance magic, dance, dance magic, dance! Put that baby spell on me!

* SoBadItsGood: Not the movie itself, which is a cult classic on its own. But Jennifer Connelly's acting requires either very thick nostalgia goggles or an appreciation for the {{camp}} value of her breathless, melodramatic performance.

** George Lucas and the Jim Henson company collaborating on a film, considering fifteen years later ''Series/FarScape'' would basically be "The Jim Henson Company does the ''Star Wars'' Cantina scene every week", and that it would be evicted from its Australian studios so ''Attack of the Clones'' could be filmed.

** Sarah's overt, dramatic and sincere wishing for the Goblin King to whisk her baby brother away is such a weirdly specific thing to ask for that she almost has no business being shocked when it works.

*** Although this is not so much of an awkward and unfortunate problem in the Bowie's native UK, where the age of consent is 16.

* MagnificentBastard: Jareth the Goblin King is a charismatic, manipulative goblin expertly played by David Bowie. First summoned by heroine Sarah, Jareth kidnaps her baby brother to lure her to him, spending the film manipulating the rest of the cast and tricking Sarah into eating an enchanted peach to make her more susceptible to his influence. Jareth shows a genuine care for Sarah, even if he is not above ruthlessly manipulating her and everyone else in the film, but never loses his sense of charm, flamboyance and friendliness, who even seems to care for the child he kidnaps upon her sister's rash wish.

** The above point ends up tying into another case of this as well regarding the movie's production. Before Bowie was picked for the role, one of the musicians considered was Music/MichaelJackson, who himself would be accused of molesting underage teenage boys twice in the proceeding decades. While a 2005 trial by jury and a decade-long FBI investigation would eventually exonerate Jackson, it's widely agreed upon that had he actually taken up the role of Jareth, it might've been even more difficult for him to tackle the molestation claims.

** Jim Henson was devastated by the movie's lack of success at the box office, because the project was so emotionally close with him. The fact that he never lived to see it become the beloved cult classic it is now only seems to rub salt in the wound.
** His son did inform him, towards the end of his life, that this and ''Film/TheDarkCrystal'' were gaining appreciation in cult status.

* {{Tearjerker}}: Sarah is a frustrated, insecure 15 year old whose stepmom she already has a mutually difficult time relating to acts as though Sarah doesn't deserve respect for not dating. This can be painful to see if you were in the same boat as a teen.

* EvilIsSexy: The words 'David Bowie' have already appeared many times on this page, so let us just add this: David Bowie. (David Bowie.)

* FanPreferredCouple: Jareth/Sarah. Not that there is really any competition anyway but the devotion to the ship is really something else.

** Jareth apparently having the hots for 16-year-old Sarah, since, shortly after Bowie's death, accusations of him being a pedophile for sleeping with underaged groupies resurfaced.

** What about Jareth? Is he a tragic villain who wants a family of his own or is he a ManipulativeBastard who was bored and wanted to mess with Sarah? Or is he just one of the FairFolk, acting according to the BlueAndOrangeMorality of being a faerie king?
** Was his villainy just a JerkassFacade to teach Sarah a lesson?

* FanficFuel: How did a handsome RealityWarper like Jareth, who looks for all intents and purposes human, wind up ruling a land of AdorableEvilMinions who steal babies to turn them into more of their kind? The AllThereInTheManual material has no answer. Even the ExpandedUniverse is concerned with this question.
** Alternatively, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CwVqOs3Aess the video for the opening song]] suggests that he kinda fell into the job.

%%* MagnificentBastard: Jareth.

* TheScrappy: Whether it's their [[BigLippedAlligatorMoment random dance number]] or their [[SpecialEffectsFailure awful Blue Screen]], ''no one'' seems to like the Fireys.