Jim Henson Fantasy Film Collection Box Set with Booklet (Labryinth, The Dark Crystal, Mirrormask)

 

 

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Labyrinth. This movie is one that will forever hold some fascination with me. David Bowie's mosic is so right for the show and the work that went into this movie is amazing. For the time that it was made it holds some awesome anamatronics and special effects. Of course Jim Henson was already a genius, this movie just helped everyone else to notice it.

The Dark Crystal. This movie is one that I would say that any fan of the fantasy/puppet stuff will love. Jim Henson shows off his imagination well in this one. If you are looking for a great fantasy then look elsewhere. The Dark Crystal is a tale that is different and strange, but still entertaining.

Mirror Mask. I found this movie very artistic. Like the other movies of Jim Henson's it leave's much to the imagination, but that is part of it's charm. One often has to watch his shows multiple times before one can understand all that is being said, but it is worth it. Mirror Mask takes you to the point of stretching your mind and allowing for the different to have it's say.

As I grew up I loved fantasy especially from the imagination of Jim Henson, I think everyone in the world knows who the Muppets are. This Collection is great. The Labyrinth is my favorite movie, I was originally just looking to own the single DVD because my VHS of it from 86' is going to wear out sooner or later; but then I came across this collection with Jim Hensons three best movies all in one. I didn't hesitate to order right away, I love it and for anyone who loves fantasy and wants to please their imagination I'd reccomend this to anyone and everyone...young and old.

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

But Henson also produced some very memorable, intriguing fantasy films, and after his death his production company has continued that tradition. "The Jim Henson Family Film Collection" brings together three classic films from Henson and his company, as well as an accompanying book of unknown content.

"Labyrinth" becomes a problem for teenage Sarah, who is stuck babysitting her crying baby stepbrother. But when she idly wished that the goblins would steal him, she never expected it to happen -- or that the Goblin King Jareth (David Bowie) would challenge her if she tries to get her brother back.

Now Sarah has only thirteen hours to navigate a changing, hazardous maze, with Jareth's castle at the center of it. To find her way, she will have to befriend strange creatures and avoid lethal bogs, nasty fairies, head-jugglers, and finally Jareth himself -- or her brother will be turned into a goblin himself.

"The Dark Crystal" is the heart of this movie, where on another world, there are two strange races -- the enormous, gentle, peaceful Mystics, and the nasty, vulture-like, vicious Skekses. They are somehow connected to a massive crystal that was broken long 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.

The Mystics have cared for one of the last Gelflings, an orphan named Jen. As the conjunction approaches, they send him out to find the lost shard. Along the way, Jen finds new friends who assist him in his quest, including another Gelfling. But can they avoid the Skekses? And what will happen when the suns line up, and the crystal is completed?

These movies were created in whole by Jim Henson, and even in the darker moments, they have his unmistakeable stamp. More recent -- and quite different in tone -- is "Mirrormask," which instead has the stamp of writer Neil Gaiman, and seems like a warped "Alice in Wonderland." But Henson's production company does a great job with all the weird special effects.

In "Mirrormask," we're introduced to Helena (Stephanie Leonidas), a young circus girl who longs for a "normal" life, and makes elaborate, otherworldly drawings. But one night her mother collapses, and needs life-saving surgery. The guilt-ridden Helena is suddenly whisked into a world that looks very like her drawings, where everyone has a mask -- and the beautiful queen of light (who looks a lot like Helena's mom) is in a coma.

Helena is determined to wake the queen, and gets juggler Valentine (Jason Barry) to accompany her on her quest for the mysterious Mirrormask. But the stakes become higher when the forces of darkness -- and their eerie queen -- target Helena, and she finds that a dark duplicate of herself has taken over her life. Now Helena must somehow defeat the dark forces, with her mother's life -- and her own -- hanging in the balance.

All three of these movies are classics of one type or another, and each embraces a different kind of fantasy. One is about wanting to be swept into an idyllic fantasy life. One is entirely of another world. And one is about the dangers of the other world.

To top it off, three are coming-of-age stories, whether for a teenage girl or a Muppet Gelfling -- they all focus on someone pursuing something that can save what is important to them, and growing as a person along the way. The scripting tends to be tight and a little wry. Sometimes it gets goofy, but well-acted (and in Bowie's case, well-sung).

What's more, the styles of each movie change: "Dark Crystal" is very fantastical and serious, even with some gross, dark parts, while "Labyrinth" is more kiddy-friendly and Muppety, with the little chivalrous fox (though Bowie's tight pants are a BIG distraction). And "Mirrormask" has a different style altogether, with lots of shadowy buildings, eerie lighting, fleshy masks, wide bodies and tentacle-like limbs.

The "Jim Henson Fantasy Films" are a good collection of films, showing off Henson's more fantastical side. Definitely worth seeing.

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5.0 out of 5 stars Correction to a bad correction
Actually, it was her stepmother. otherwise, why does the movie case say Sarah wishes her baby stepbrother away? Seriously, I am looking at the case right now. Read more

Published 18 months ago by Nick

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