To refute my sister's argument that Labyrinth is a "pedophile" movie.
Yes, she will never see this but I'm so frustrated with her lack of media literacy 💀
Okay, so let's start at the beginning. We got a teenager who is very imaginative and has a fantastical imagination. She is READING a book called Labyrinth. THERE A GIANT OWL THAT IS PERCHED THERE. So, naturally I've drawn the conclusion at least by the end of the movie that the Owl HAS to be Jareth.
So, Jareth took inspiration for the ENTIRETY of the world she was plunged into because of that book. Sarah herself talks about the Goblin King falling in love with her and there is a statue by her vanity that looks shockingly like the Goblin King. So....the Goblin King took inspiration for the world from her room, her book, her preferences, her likings.
Honestly I don't even think the Goblin King IS the Goblin King he's just some sort of fairy like entity. Now was he going to even turn Toby into a Goblin? My guess is that he was going with the script and he was just a regular fairy (changeling shenanigans or not).
So was Jareth in love with her? HELL NO! I literally got no chemistry vibes from any of those scenes. It was obviously just a ploy to appear as her fictional crush and appeal to her and trick her and get the baby brother. SO NO NOT A PEDO MOVIE BRO. It's low-key a very low tactic to appear as something meant to draw someone in and then twist it. But again, he is a villain. Why are we surprised?
Also the whole entire speech was absolute BS with the whole blah blah blah fear me love me i'll be your slave. AT THE BEGINNING OF THE MOVIE she literally asks for her brother back and he just says "no" 😊
So bro was just saying shit to say it and trick her. He is cruel. He probably would've turned her into a Goblin or something if she ever agreed to that proposition.
The entire ballroom scene while I think it was pretty it was beautiful but also something was terrible wrong the entire time. It was after all a distraction made by Jareth and meant to run out the clock to get to her brother. The scene was brilliant because it was twisted beauty. There were masks that looked enchanting yet horrifying. The fellow partygoers were also mocking at her and leering at her.
Every illusion Jareth creates is beautiful on the surface, but there's always something subtly wrong beneath it.
One of the MAIN themes of the movie is that things are not what they seem. It's also a cautionary warning to be careful with "charming" things. The ballroom scene is a perfect metaphor for this: that gut feeling you get when something on the outside seems okay but it is truly wrong.
I also appreciated the Labyrinth sort of being a great allegory for life itself. Sarah made friends along the way because life...you know, its easier when you have friends. People also at every turn were unintentionally and intentionally somehow delaying her journey to the Castle due to their own motivations and reasons.
Btw he is also not above killing her with that whole cleaning machine thing. This guy just LIES LIES AND LIES. And honestly I think its better to allow villains to be more complicated in their tactics of manipulations. If we're not allowing villains to be evil, then like...what is the point? Its such a fairy thing to do to appear and shape shift as something they are not. All in all its not a crazy idea to appeal to teenager's fantasy/dream in order to secure his prize which is the child (a common thing for fairies in mythology).
Also as far as I know the actors had a respectful relationship with each other. No weirdness.
Anyways I thought it was a fun and well done movie. I will not stand for this slander.
Will my sister ever see this? No. But I needed to get it out cuz I just take it nowadays cuz I'm tired of arguing with her.